Book Reviews
Chicken Boy by Frances O'Roark Dowell; Illustrated by Giselle Potter
Reading level: Grades 4–7
Seventh-grader Tobin McCauley has spent most of his life trying to slip between the cracks, avoiding conflict and friendship with equal adeptness. And with good reason…or at least understandable rationale: his mother died several years ago, his dad mostly stays away from home, his older siblings all seem to have criminal records (albeit for petty infractions), and his grandmother is nutty—though profoundly loving in her own way. But when the steam comes to a head one day, Tobin gets in an ill-advised fight with a taunting classmate and winds up with a week of suspension and a new friend named Henry—a boy who stands up for him during the fight. Soon Tobin is caught up in a scheme to raise chickens, earn extra credit at school, and, along the way, perfect his skills as the fastest (and most secretive) runner in his school. In the process of seeking the soul of a chicken, our hero does some personal soul-searching as well.
Tobin’s continued reluctance to fully engage in his own lifefinally catches up with him when his lack of communication with his dad and grandmother erupts into a custody battle. As with the earlier explosive conflict on the playground, this bitter fight results in some sweetness, too: Tobin and his family are forced to face their grief and stop wallowing in apathy. With Henry’s help, Tobin gradually builds his self-image and begins to take a more active role in his own destiny. Readers will have no doubt by the conclusion that this chicken boy has the courage and wherewithal to survive and thrive anywhere in the pecking order.
Social and Emotional Lessons in Chicken Boy
SECOND STEP middle school lessons focus on student attitudes and beliefs and encourage kids to use their own social and emotional experiences to understand other people’s points of view. Readers of Chicken Boy will be immediately drawn in by Tobin’s tremendously appealing voice, wanting to join his struggle to find his place in the world. Teachers can take advantage of the choices Tobin makes—good and bad—to guide their students through examples of decision making, problem solving, and controlling impulses and violent reactions.
Emilie Coulter
Book Reviewer
Committee for Children
