Book Review: Chicken Boy by Frances O'Roark Dowell

Genre: 
Realistic Fiction

Interest Level:
Ages 10 and up

Reading Level:
Lexile 860, Grades 4 and up

Book Theme:
Dysfunctional families, death of a parent, foster children, friendship

Books with Similar Themes:  
Crash by Jerry Spinelli, Eggs by Jerry Spinelli

Bibliographic Information:
Dowell, F. O. (2005). Chicken boy. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks.

Author's Website:
http://www.francesdowell.com/ 

Plot:  
Seventh grader Tobin McCauley has things pretty rough. His mother passed away a few years ago, his dad is negligent, his family is dysfunctional and doesn't have the best reputation, he doesn't fit in at school, and his first day of seventh grade began with his grandmother getting arrested when she dropped him off at school! Life is pretty lousy, so bad that sometimes there's no food in his house! He asks his grandmother is he can move in with her, and is crushed when she says no. Things seem pretty bad, but then one day Tobin befriends a classmate who convinces him that he can learn the meaning of life by raising chickens. Tobin isn't too sure about this, but when they start raising chickens for a science project Tobin becomes fascinated by them. His work with the chickens and new friendship help him begin to turn his life around, but then something happens to his family that could tear them apart, and Tobin doesn't know what to do!

Review:  
Chicken Boy is a story that will both make you laugh and tug at your heartstrings.The most incredible thing about this book is how it captures Tobin's confused feelings towards his dysfunctional family, such as his desire to escape from his family mixed with his great love for his father. Tobin is a child many children will relate to because he wants to establish independence from his family while feeling fiercely loyal to them at the same time. Children will relate to his mixed feelings about his classmates too, such as how he wants to fit in with them but isn't sure how to do it, or if he even wants to try. Chicken Boy is also a story tweens will find interesting to read. The story has sad moments mixed with funny ones, such as when Tobin's friend tells him they need to examine the chicken's poop. There are moments of self-discovery and triumph. It's a great story that shares the difficulties that no boy should have to go through while teaching about the unique experience of raising chickens. Chicken Boy is a great story for tweens!

Personal Thoughts:
Chicken Boy is a story that opened my eyes on a number of levels. When I first started reading about Tobin he reminded me of the boys I went to school with who got into trouble and were reluctant to do their school work. As a tween I always thought they acted that way just because they were bad kids. As an adult I know that isn't the case, but I didn't have any idea of what it might feel like to be one of these boys. Now I do thanks to reading Tobin's story. It's given me a whole new level of understanding and empathy for why children behave this way sometimes. It reminded me that sometimes we just don't know what's going on with tweens and we can't just brush them aside. I really wish I had read this book when I was tween because it would have helped me to better understand the behavior of some of my classmates. This is a book that needs to be shared with tweens so they can understand that even the kids who are labelled as "the bad kids" have a story to tell too.

Notable Tweens:
Tobin McCauley- Seventh grader Tobin is the main character, and the story is told from his point of view. Aside from his life with his dysfunctional family and his chicken project, Tobin is also a very fast runner, so fast his friend Henry encourages him to try out for cross country!

Henry Otis- Tobin's new friend, Henry loves chickens and think studying them holds the answer to the meaning of life. Henry comes from a loving, supportive family, something Tobin envies. Henry helps Tobin get back on track by encouraging him to do homework and to show his classmates what a fast runner he is.

Harrison Otis- Henry's nine-year-old brother, Harrison is in charge of the business end of raising the chickens, which is selling their eggs. Harrison is so excited about his role that he wants to send hourly emails to Tobin about his progress. Harrison also loves to run and asks Tobin to race him all the time.