Attack of the Chicken Nugget Man: A North Carolina EOG Adventure [Paperback]

Kumar Sathy (Author)

Book Description

This laugh-out-loud children's book is aligned with the Standard Course of Study for elementary school language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. It's an exciting story that teaches and references second through fifth grade skills, and even though it's 100% correlated to the third grade North Carolina curriculum, it's designed for elementary school readers in all states!

This breakthrough educational book tells the story of a struggling third-grader (Chris Robb) who desperately wants to pass the third grade End of Grade (EOG) standardized test. Chris's school is a very strange place and his teacher has the strangest name he has ever heard: Ms. Bubblebrain. Every character in the book has a unique personality trait. Smelly Sam stuffs random objects up his nose (sushi, socks, etc), the bus driver waves around his stinky shoe to get the kids to settle down, and the principal harbors an incomprehensible infatuation with strawberry milk. Meanwhile, a menacing Chicken Nugget Man appears to be sneaking into schools and causing all kinds of chaos. A task force is created to capture this mysterious creature. The country's smartest children will be chosen to join the effort because for some reason, no adult has ever seen the Chicken Nugget Man. Chris, who can barely remember his teacher's name, has the odds stacked against him when it comes to passing the North Carolina EOG test, but as the reader discovers, he might have a little help, and a little hope, after all.

The book has built-in Bloom's Taxonomy higher-order critical thinking questions that are written in kid-friendly language. A strong emphasis is placed on character education in the book and every time a character makes a poor choice, the narrator reminds readers of the consequences, encouraging them to suggest more responsible choices.

This delightful comedy makes learning fun and helps students in all states prepare for standardized tests.

Key educational features in the book:
NEW! Silly fill in the bubble questions at the end of most chapters to prepare students for standardized tests in a fun way!
Built-in comprehension questions
Math, science, social studies, language arts and reading concepts taught through a fun, fictional plot
Educational illustrations
Tricky words are labeled with images for ELLs and struggling readers
Officially leveled text
Full list of referenced educational standards/concepts in the back of the book
EOG question stems to help with standardized test prep
Math word problems
"Knowledge Nugget" educational fact boxes
Math skills, including: probability, fractions, geometry, graphing, decimals, and elapsed time
Social Studies skills, including: history, citizenship, leadership, and economics
Science skills, including: plant science, life cycles, pollination, astronomy, and life science

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kumar Sathy is an experienced educator and school administrator. He joined Teach for America after receiving an undergraduate degree in Biology and Psychology from Earlham College in Richmond, IN. Kumar taught in K-5 classrooms in Atlanta, GA, where he often used his own stories and unpublished children's novels for reading instruction. He received his teaching certification from Georgia State University and a Masters in School Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Kumar currently lives in Durham, NC.

Product Details

• Paperback: 156 pages
• Publisher: Student Solutions, Inc; NC Eog edition (February 12, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0982172907
• ISBN-13: 978-0982172902
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 7.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #130,341 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I draw upon my teaching experience to create educational books that bring laughter back to the classroom (and the kitchen table). After working with so many reluctant readers, I was shocked at how difficult it was to find books that my students actually wanted to read. Those kids were bored out of their little minds and I was determined to do something about it.

That's when I started writing my own stories and sharing them with my students, without telling them that I was the author. In 2003, I was trying to come up with a mischievous character for a story while I was eating chicken nuggets from the school cafeteria. My first Chicken Nugget Man story was born, and what I witnessed was pure inspiration. My students were actually smiling in their seats, staring at the pages of my books, and yes, laughing out loud. When I eventually told a group of fifth graders that the book we'd been reading for the past few months was my first novel, they basically launched a campaign to force me to try to publish my books. It took me several years to listen to them, but I'm glad I did.

In addition to reading and writing children's books, I enjoy sushi, sleeping in, kayaking, weeping willows, public radio, ice cream sandwiches, educating munchkins, learning about everything from neuroscience to Supreme Court justices, and reading customer reviews for my books on Amazon.

You can find out more about my work at www.FunTestPrep.com or send comments/book reviews to: Kumar Sathy, PO Box 2428, Chapel Hill, NC 27515-2428.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars EOG Entertainment, May 25, 2009

By 

Third Grade Teacher (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Attack of the Chicken Nugget Man: A North Carolina EOG Adventure (Paperback)

I purchased the book for my 3rd grade class to be read as a read-a-loud. They can't wait to hear what happens next. The story is age-appropriate--filled with lots of gross and disgusting events that crack them up! The built-in questions for review, prediction, inference, etc... are fabulous. I like too, the "extras" that touch on other curriculum areas. Next year, I'll begin reading it earlier in the year.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even 4th graders in North Carolina LOVE Chicken Nugget Man!, May 17, 2009

By 

Christine B. Leo - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Attack of the Chicken Nugget Man: A North Carolina EOG Adventure (Paperback)

Although this book is recommended for third graders getting ready to take the EOG (End of Grade) test in North Carolina, I found that my fourth graders really enjoyed it! The comprehension skills and strategies are so well included that the students didn't realize we were reviewing things that they had learned during the year! They loved the pictures, which I intend to enlarge next year; eventhough the picture took up the entire page, the book itself is on the small side. I am also considering copying the pictures on transparencies and showing them on our overhead as I read the story aloud. I found that reading it aloud to the entire class was very effective and enabled us to have a whole class review session before the big tests! What a great idea! I would recommend this to BOTH 3rd and 4th graders in North Carolina for a fun way to review language arts skills.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Educational Resource, March 17, 2009

By 

Douglas R. Cobb (Fort Smith, AR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Attack of the Chicken Nugget Man: A North Carolina EOG Adventure (Paperback)

If you're looking for an extremely interesting, attention-holding teaching aid for third graders to help prepare them for EOG (End of Grade) tests, you'll find that Attack of the Chicken Nugget Man: A North Carolina EOG Adventure is a valuable teaching resource. Though it is specifically directed to North Carolina third grade teachers, it can be used by teachers and parents no matter what state you live in. It would require that one changes certain references to North Carolina history, politicians, and geography to fit the equivalent facts from whatever state one happens to live in, but this can be done relatively easily. The point is that the book can be a very useful way to teach kids, using humor, and a strong story line involving the plight of a third grader (Chris Robb) who has problems paying attention in class.

Attack of the Chicken Nugget Man can be read by the students or by their teacher or parents, in conjunction with lesson plans related to each chapter.. There are letters and numbers at the end of some of the sentences, which correspond to a chart at the back of the book that lets the teacher/parents know what part of the curriculum and EOG test the material is covering. An example of this is when one of Chris's classmates, Alex, who only remembers past lesson plans because he ran his head into a metal pole, interrupts the teacher, Ms. Bubblebrain and other students), to shout out the types of sentences they're using (the "E" is this example refers to English, and the "33" to knowing the different types of sentences) :

"Settle down," Mrs. Bubblebrain said.
"Imperative sentence! Alex said. E33
"Stop saying that!" Carmela shouted.
"Imperative and exclamatory." Alex said. E33

Chris seems to get into trouble every day. It's not because he's bad or mischievous, but because his attention drifts and he finds it difficult to retain knowledge. Still, Ms. Bubblebrain tries her best to get him to learn and respond correctly to questions she asks him in class. He daydreams about things like flying purple hamsters, though, and asks to use the restroom or get a drink from the water faucet, to try to be out of the classroom as much as possible.

What the teachers, kids, and parents are all concerned about is that at any moment, the kids might be attacked and eaten by the Chicken Nugget Man. Even the President issues warnings about him. The Chicken Nugget Man turns out to be, as Chris discovers, a harmless and tiny person shaped like a chicken nugget. The Chicken Nugget Man makes a deal with Chris to help him learn if Chris will feed him things like stinky socks.

Each short chapter is humorous, which is a good way to attract and keep the attention of students, and the plot is engaging. Students will want to keep on reading or listening to their teacher/parent to learn what will happen next to Chris and his classmates, like Tuna Tommy, a kid who always leaves parts of his lunch in his desk until they start to rot and stink the room up. Chris can't even seem to remember his teacher's name, calling her things like Ms. Bubblegum or Ms. Bobblehead. Kids are sure to get a kick out of the funny bits in the book, as well as learning important concepts they'll be tested over.

A couple of the elements I really liked about the book, other than its use of humor, are the "Knowledge Nuggets," scattered throughout, and the questions at the end of each chapter Ms. Bubblebrain has written on the chalkboard for her students to read and answer, based upon what they've read (or heard, as the case may be). The "Knowledge Nuggets," sometimes present added information, or ask the students to do a simple math problem related to what they've read/heard, or further explains a vocabulary word in a chapter, like the word "scarcity."

The end of chapter questions Ms. Bubblebrain has written on her chalkboard are always headed by the funny underlined words: "For the love of sweaty bacon soda, answer these questions!" She has an interesting way with words, but the questions are a good means for teachers/parents to ask kids questions to see what the students have learned from the chapter. There's an Analysis Question, a Synthesis Question, and an Evaluation Question for the kids to answer.

Attack of the Chicken Nugget Man is a book that, when incorporated with related material, can be a very useful learning tool. It certainly can't be accused of being dull and boring, which many textbooks are in the opinion of students. The only thing I think would make this book any better is the possible addition of an animated DVD to go along with it. Also, though the book can be used relatively easily by teachers from states other than North Carolina, I think it might be a good idea to eventually publish versions of it for every state. Then, this valuable educational resource could reach an even wider audience. I highly recommend it and believe it will be a great success in the classroom to help students prepare for the EOG.

--Douglas R. Cobb--