The Secret Chicken Society

February 15, 2012
Daniel, who loves all animals, learns a lot about chickens when he takes five chicks home. When Mrs. Lopez announces that her third-grade class is going to hatch eggs, Daniel can hardly contain his enthusiasm. Daniel hopes a lot of eggs will hatch and that he will get to bring one of the chicks home, even though his mother has declared, "No more animals!" He ends up with five chicks, and the challenges begin. First, his neighbor, former principal Mr. Grafalo, dislikes the chicks, while Mrs. Grafalo, who loves them, has to move to a nursing home. Then there are the challenges of building a coop and keeping the chicks safe from dogs and coyotes. And when Peepers, Daniel's favorite chick, grows up to be a rooster, Daniel breaks the local ordinance forbidding roosters. A quick, kid-friendly plot, amusing black-and-white illustrations and lots of interesting chicken facts make this a great choice for animal-loving chapter-book readers. Children who hatch classroom chicks will nod in recognition every step of the way. Many municipalities are now allowing backyard chickens; this story will help explain poultry keeping. It's nice, too, to read about a mom who works outside the home and a father who works at home, taking care of day-to-day life. Chickens and children are lucky to live in this family. (Fiction. 6-10)

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March 1, 2012

Gr 2-4-A funny story with endearing characters both human and fowl, this is a great choice for readers just moving on to chapter books. Daniel's third-grade class is going to hatch chicks, and he hopes to take one home when the project ends. His mother reluctantly agrees to one, but Daniel ends up with five, setting up the family for lots of chaos. The Secret Chicken Society is, uh, hatched when Daniel realizes that one of the chicks is not a hen but a rooster, and roosters are forbidden within city limits thanks to their noisy nature. The club's purpose is to keep Peepers a secret from the police and a grumpy neighbor. After several flawed attempts to muffle the bird, Daniel's deceit comes home to roost, and the rooster is a sitting duck. The boy, though, comes up with a great compromise, and all's well that ends well. Humorous cartoons are scattered throughout the text. While it is descriptive and action-packed, the story is not dense, making it both accessible and rewarding.-Alyson Low, Fayetteville Public Library, AR

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2012
Grades 2-4 Like many adventures in life, this story begins with a third-grade science project. By promising to take very good care of it, Daniel receives permission to adopt one of the chickens his class has hatched. However, before his mom knows it, the family's menagerie of pets has increased bycount 'emfive. Fortunately, she quickly adapts and, along with Daniel's siblings and his environmentally friendly stay-at-home dad, comes to enjoy them, although the grumpy old man next door and his sneaky cat don't feel the same, especially as one of the young hens grows into something unexpected. The true-to-life siblings decide to form a club to protect their flock from the neighbors (and the Portland Police Department), but soon Peepersand the secretis out of the coop, and it takes some anxious moments and family ingenuity to make everything right. Lively vocabulary, a jaunty font, silly chicken cliches, entertaining black-and-white spot illustrations, and back-matter recommendations for at-home egg hatching support the success of this early chapter book.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)