Fans of Katherine Applegate and Erin Entrada Kelly will love this quirky story of a determined girl, and some extraordinary chickens.
Twelve-year-old Sophie Brown feels like a fish out of water when she and her parents move from Los Angeles to the farm they’ve inherited from a great-uncle. But farm life gets more interesting when a cranky chicken appears and Sophie discovers the hen can move objects with the power of her little chicken brain: jam jars, the latch to her henhouse, the entire henhouse....
And then more of her great-uncle’s unusual chickens come home to roost. Determined, resourceful Sophie learns to care for her flock, earning money for chicken feed, collecting eggs. But when a respected local farmer tries to steal them, Sophie must find a way to keep them (and their superpowers) safe.
Told in letters to Sophie’s abuela, quizzes, a chicken-care correspondence course, to-do lists, and more, Unusual Chickens is a quirky, clucky classic in the making.
SELECTION ALA Notable Children's Book
SELECTION Oregon Beverly Cleary Children's Choice Master List
SELECTION School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
SELECTION Pacific Northwest Young Readers Choice Master List
SELECTION Tennessee Volunteer State Book Master List
SELECTION North Dakota Flicker Tale Children's Book Master List
SELECTION North Carolina Children's Book Master List
SELECTION New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
FINALIST Washington State Scandiuzzi Children's Book Award
SHORTLIST Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Master List
HONOR Judy Lopez Memorial Award
SELECTION Vermont Dorothy Canfield Fischer Book Master List
SELECTION Texas Bluebonnet Master List
SELECTION Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year
SELECTION Georgia Children's Book Master List
SELECTION Capitol Choices Noteworthy Book for Children's and Teens
SELECTION Arkansas Charlie May Simon Master List
SELECTION Arizona Young Readers Master List
SELECTION Indiana Young Hoosier Master List
SELECTION New Mexico Land of Enchantment Book Master List
SELECTION Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Master List
SELECTION Massachusetts Children's Book Master List
SELECTION Maine Student Book Master List
SELECTION Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Books
"A delightful protagonist, interesting fowl of various breeds and a cast of appealing second-string characters make this a top pick for young readers, poultry fanciers or not." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Readers will cheer for Sophie and clamor for more of those amazing chickens. Exceptional, indeed." —School Library Journal, starred review
"Someone has finally written a real honest-to-goodness novel with chickens! This news will excite people who like novels, people who like chickens...and chickens. It is an unusual book!" --Daniel Pinkwater, author of The Hoboken Chicken Emergency, and pioneer of chicken-lit.
"The combination of real-life emotion and otherworldly farming makes for a comedic story with the right amount of pathos."--Booklist
Fans of Katherine Applegate and Erin Entrada Kelly will love this quirky story of a determined girl, and some extraordinary chickens.
Twelve-year-old Sophie Brown feels like a fish out of water when she and her parents move from Los Angeles to the farm they’ve inherited from a great-uncle. But farm life gets more interesting when a cranky chicken appears and Sophie discovers the hen can move objects with the power of her little chicken brain: jam jars, the latch to her henhouse, the entire henhouse....
And then more of her great-uncle’s unusual chickens come home to roost. Determined, resourceful Sophie learns to care for her flock, earning money for chicken feed, collecting eggs. But when a respected local farmer tries to steal them, Sophie must find a way to keep them (and their superpowers) safe.
Told in letters to Sophie’s abuela, quizzes, a chicken-care correspondence course, to-do lists, and more, Unusual Chickens is a quirky, clucky classic in the making.
Awards
SELECTION ALA Notable Children's Book
SELECTION Oregon Beverly Cleary Children's Choice Master List
SELECTION School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
SELECTION Pacific Northwest Young Readers Choice Master List
SELECTION Tennessee Volunteer State Book Master List
SELECTION North Dakota Flicker Tale Children's Book Master List
SELECTION North Carolina Children's Book Master List
SELECTION New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
FINALIST Washington State Scandiuzzi Children's Book Award
SHORTLIST Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Master List
HONOR Judy Lopez Memorial Award
SELECTION Vermont Dorothy Canfield Fischer Book Master List
SELECTION Texas Bluebonnet Master List
SELECTION Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year
SELECTION Georgia Children's Book Master List
SELECTION Capitol Choices Noteworthy Book for Children's and Teens
SELECTION Arkansas Charlie May Simon Master List
SELECTION Arizona Young Readers Master List
SELECTION Indiana Young Hoosier Master List
SELECTION New Mexico Land of Enchantment Book Master List
SELECTION Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Master List
SELECTION Massachusetts Children's Book Master List
SELECTION Maine Student Book Master List
SELECTION Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Books
Praise
"A delightful protagonist, interesting fowl of various breeds and a cast of appealing second-string characters make this a top pick for young readers, poultry fanciers or not." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Readers will cheer for Sophie and clamor for more of those amazing chickens. Exceptional, indeed." —School Library Journal, starred review
"Someone has finally written a real honest-to-goodness novel with chickens! This news will excite people who like novels, people who like chickens...and chickens. It is an unusual book!" --Daniel Pinkwater, author of The Hoboken Chicken Emergency, and pioneer of chicken-lit.
"The combination of real-life emotion and otherworldly farming makes for a comedic story with the right amount of pathos."--Booklist
