Chicken Boy (MG)

Chicken Boy. Frances O'Roark Dowell. 2005. Simon & Schuster. 208 pages.

You might have heard about the time my granny got arrested on the first day of school.

Do chickens have souls? Tobin McCauley, our narrator, would have said no, of course not. At least at the beginning. But that was before. Before he made a best friend, Henry. Before he met Harrison, Henry's younger chicken-obsessed brother. Now, chickens are part of his life. And he feels quite differently about the matter.

Tobin doesn't have an easy life. His mom died of cancer. His dad is absent most of the time. If not physically, at least emotionally. His brothers and sister, well, they're not the protective care-giving type. The house is a mess. And don't even think about the kitchen. The stacks of dirty dishes. The lack of food. No, Tobin doesn't have an easy life. But he does have his Granny. Some of the time at least. She isn't the most lovable of grandmothers. But she's his. And that's all that matters.

But Tobin is about to learn a bit about life and friendship. By taking care of chickens, can he learn to take care of himself?

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews