The Hoboken Chicken Emergency (Paperback)

~ (Author), Jill Pinkwater (Illustrator) "Nobody in Arthur Bobowicz's family really liked turkey..." (more)
Key Phrases: little baby goldfish, giant chicken, nice chicken, Professor Mazzocchi, Dirty Louise, Arthur Bobowicz (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Children's Book Review Service An uproar of a book. Funniest book of the season. -- Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"An uproariously funny and surprisingly sophisticated book."

-- Newsweek

"The story has vitality and rock-the-boat humor."

-- School Library Journal

"A contemporary tall tale that will stretch middle graders' imagination,

sense of humor, and enthusiasm for reading. For absurdity with perfect

timing, not many can match."

-- Booklist

"An uproar of a book. You're so busy laughing."

-- Children's Book Review Service

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin (October 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689828896
• ISBN-13: 978-0689828898
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #740,180 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BIG Chicken Story!, October 8, 2000

By	Roz Levine (Virginia) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Arthur Bobowicz of Hoboken, New Jersey is given $16.00 and the important task of buying this year's Thanksgiving turkey, a really big one, since the entire family will be coming for Thanksgiving dinner. But when he gets to the meat market, there are no turkeys left...no chickens or ducks or fowl of any kind. As he walks the streets trying to figure out what to do, he comes across a sign in an apartment house window, Professor Mazzocchi Inventor of the Chicken System, and thinks to himself that this looks promising. The Professor tells him he's in luck, takes his money, hands him a large chicken and slams the door yelling, "No refunds!" Unfortunately, what Arthur is holding is not a dinner chicken, but a 266 pound, live chicken wearing a leash, named Henrietta. So begins the Hoboken Chicken Emergency. And when Henrietta gets loose, the real fun begins. Daniel Pinkwater has written a very imaginative, funny, absurd story that's just perfect for 9 and 10 year olds. With fast paced scenes and hilarious story events, your youngsters will be laughing out loud while turning pages to the very end. The Hoboken Chicken Emergency is a classic and a tall tale that's not to be missed.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chickens Need Our Love!, February 13, 2001

A Kid's Review

The Hoboken Chicken Emergency was a really good book. It is a good book for third grade and up to read on their own. It takes place in Hoboken, New Jersey around Thanksgiving. It's about a boy named Arthur who goes to look for a turkey for Thanksgiving. The problem comes when he can't find one. Instead he ends up getting a 266 pound chicken named Henrietta. Arthur tries to keep the chicken as a pet but it runs away. Henrietta (the chicken) feels unwanted and creates diasters all over town. Read the book to find out what happens next. We thought the book was hilarious, funny, and exciting. We are nine and ten years old and we liked the book alot!

31 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars When a Giant Chicken Falls Flat, August 25, 2000

By	Gillian M. Kendall (Leeds, MA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Before I ordered this book, I read the reviews. I bcame convinced this must be a zany, funny book -- just the thing for my children. So I went ahead and ordered not *The Hoboken Chicken Emergency" only, but a volume of novels by Pinkwater. Oh, well. It's only money (though it could have been better spent elsewhere).

*The Hoboken Chicken Emergency* does have a wonderful premise and some satire as well (hence my pleasure at reading its reviews). I suppose it also has lessons to be learned about fearing the unknown -- but didacticism is not enough to make a good book. Nothing covers up for the fact that this book just plain isn't very good -- not for a modern child to read. I knew I was in trouble when I began reading it aloud to my son: each sentence had a dying fall, and the wit was strained, not spontaneous and fetching. "What am I getting into," I thought. Henrietta the chicken is lost and Henrietta is found, but the whole thing was a contest to see if I could finish the book before my child rebelled -- or I did.

Sad to say, this book shows its age. Some of the writing, too, needs polish. If you are tempted to buy this self-consciously zany book, buy *I Was a Rat* instead. *I Was a Rat* is all heart. *The Hoboken Chicken Emergency* is all lumpy prose. I'm hoping for better things with the other Pinkwater volumes I purchased, but we shall have to see. I love older rediscovered books, but this one doesn't work. Children expect more depth of story, not just cleverness at the expense of story. I'm very sure readers have fond memories of this book, but memory alone cannot bring the book alive for a modern audience. Give *The Hoboken Chicken Emergency* a pass, and go for a funny book that's meaty with heart and soul. If *I Was a Rat" doesn't appeal, you might try *The Little Prince* (Antoine de Sainte-Exupery) -- my son doesn't really understand it, but he loves it and seems to recognize that there are real issues underlying the surface.