Chicken Boy [Hardcover]

Frances O'Roark Dowell (Author)

Book Description

Since the death of his mother, Tobin's family life and school life have been in disarray, but after he starts raising chickens with his seventh-grade classmate, Henry, everything starts to fall into place.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 4-7 -In Raleigh, NC, seventh-grader Tobin McCauley has let life pass him by since his mother died five years earlier, but when a new student at school befriends him, he begins to look at the world with fresh eyes. Tobin has been the odd kid out for so long that when Henry Otis engages him in conversation and invites him over, the boy wonders what to make of it all. While Tobin's father is working or out on weekends, he and his older siblings scrounge for cereal to eat while watching television and long for the mother they vaguely remember. "When you learn about chickens, you will learn about life" is good advice from Henry and the basis for this story. Tobin learns just where he fits in as a school project to raise chickens develops into more than just a way to get extra credit. He describes his emotions, saying, "I'd been feeling kind of funny in general, like a snake shedding its skin and finding out it was a whole different animal underneath." Tobin's life will resonate with many young people who are struggling to see just where they fit in. His grandmother and her sky blue Toyota truck add humorous relief to such weighty subjects as child custody and the death of a parent. This is a refreshingly well-written encounter with richly developed and well-defined characters whom readers won't soon forget.-Cheryl Ashton, Amherst Public Library, OH
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From Booklist

*Starred Review* Gr. 4-7. Since Tobin McCauley's mom died of cancer, his family has fallen apart. Nobody talks about grief at home, a dirty "old brick shoe box" off a highway near Raleigh, North Carolina, where Tobin lives with his dad and his older, delinquent siblings. Granny is sometimes kind to Tobin, but she's always feuding with Dad. Then in seventh grade, Tobin meets Henry, who helps him raise chickens and supports him so he can stand up for himself. The friend as savior character is too good to be true, as are the therapy sessions where Tobin's family finally talks. What will grab readers are Tobin's wry, sad, immediate voice as he discovers how to nurture chickens, and Dowell's depiction of adults, from Tobin's kind decent teacher to his flawed granny and dad, both of whom let Tobin down. There is no glib resolution, here. But the strong narration and the child's struggle with forgiveness make for poignant, aching drama. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 201 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (June 21, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689858167
• ISBN-13: 978-0689858161
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,345,665 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Frances O'Roark Dowell is the bestselling and critically acclaimed author of Dovey Coe, which won the Edgar Award, Where I'd Like to Be, the bestselling The Secret Language of Girls, and its sequel The Kind of Friends We Used to Be, Chicken Boy, Shooting the Moon, which was awarded the Christopher Medal, and most recently Falling In. She lives with her husband and two sons in Durham, North Carolina.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Winner from Dowell, February 1, 2006

By 

Virginia Holman "Author, Mental Health Advocate" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chicken Boy (Hardcover)

Frances Dowell is one of the finest young people's authors
out there today. From the masterful and gripping Dovey Coe
to the canny Secret Language of Girls, to the thoughtful
and gripping world of Chicken Boy, Dowell shows again and
again that she understands kids and their concerns. Her books
have both strong storytelling and a moral code. She makes characters that provoke lively discussion between parents
and kids and teachers. There's so much gloss out there today,
books that seem more concerned with showing girls how to be pretty and boys how to be cool. Dowell's books show kids and grownups how to be loving, responsible, kind human beings.
And she does it with grace and style and wonderful stories.
Her characters seek to improve and expand their hearts and
minds.
Dowell's books are essential.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Discovering the real Chicken Boy, November 22, 2005

By 

David Ege (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chicken Boy (Hardcover)

Chicken Boy tells the story of young Tobin McCauley who comes from a bad family and who is just sure he will end up the same way. People do not expect much from him and he does not expect much from himself. His world changes when he enters the seventh grade and begins to form his own identity rather than accepting the one forced on him by his family's reputation. He is surprised when he makes a friend and together they learn how to raise chickens so as to discover if the birds have souls. Tobin begins to recognize that his family does not have to be the way that they are and he makes small efforts to alter their lifestyle. He is torn between staying with his father who only attempts to provide a home life after a Social Services visit and his granny who called Social Services because she resents Tobin's father, but Tobin is sent to a foster home instead. He realizes how much he loves his family when they gather for counseling sessions and he learns that the good things in himself come from his family as well and not just the bad. The character of Tobin is well written with a "who cares" attitude because he knows what the world thinks of him. He surprises himself when he feels strangely good inside for sticking up for a teacher and for giving an extra credit oral report to the class about the soul of a chicken -- a feat never attempted by a McCauley. He does not like how his family lives up to their public image and longs to be away from them until he is forced into the situation. Chicken Boy captures the time in a boy's life when he feels most alienated from his family but his situation makes him realize how much he never wants to be away from them. He learns about himself while trying to figure out the nature of chickens and forges his own identity rahter than becoming just another lowdown member of the McCauley family.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good story...Bad language, March 26, 2009

By 

K. Prickett "book lover" (Lincoln, AL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chicken Boy (Paperback)

I agree with most of the positive reviews this book has received, however I feel the need to make parents, librarians, and teachers aware that the book contains a few four-letter words and some slang, which would be considered inappropriate for this grade level in most circles. This is an AR book with a reading level of 5.1 (5th grade). I understand that the language is used to make the story as real-life as possible. In that case, the book should be considered at a higher level due to content.