Tag: letters

BONUS REVIEW: The Unusual Chickens series by Kelly Jones

BONUS REVIEW: The Unusual Chickens series by Kelly Jones

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of Are You Ready to Hatch an Unusual Chicken? from Netgalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer – SUMMARY

Sophie and her family have inherited her great-uncle Jim’s farm. And Jim at one time had some very special chickens. Now those chickens belong to Sophie – but someone is trying to steal them! Sophie shares the story of her family’s adjustment to the farm and her own learning curve when it comes to chickens in general as well as her unusual chickens through letters to her dead great-uncle, her Abuelita who has also passed away, and a farm supply catalog company.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

Are You Read to Hatch an Unusual Chicken? SUMMARY

Sophie continues to care for her unusual chickens, and now she gets to hatch a batch of her own for the very first time. She has a lot to learn – about the hatching process and also about caring for the farm she inherited in book 1 (a different farm than Great-Uncle Jim’s). The biggest lesson of all, though, is learning to ask for help. Sophie is a bright girl who loves her chickens. She’s committed to doing whatever it takes to care for them. And that’s good because her new chicks are a whole new level of “unusual.”

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

Review

I adore this series! I read book one from the library in  preparation for reading book 2. It was adorable! I loved Sophie. She’s got a great “voice.” The format – letters to deceased relatives and an unknown person at the catalog – is clever. It’s like a journal, but it keeps Sophie connected to family, which is important to her and to the story.

In the second book, Sophie continues to tell her story in letters to the dead and also emails to the living. Her letters and emails are where Sophie pours out her heart about the ups and downs of family, friends, a new school, and being a farmer with unusual chickens. There are illustrations and chicken facts throughout the book, which were fun to read. There are general illustrations for the story, too, which I loved. Henrietta is my favorite chicken from the illustrations!

The bulk of this story is anchored in reality – Sophie’s family is trying to find their way on a farm when they are city folks, and they have little money to put into the farm while they get it up and running. Sophie is making new friends and starting at a new school – pretty typical activities for kids her age. The Brown family is becoming part of the community around their farm, especially as Sophie meets people who can help her with chicken tasks. The unusual chickens are the only fantasy elements in the books. I read a lot of fantasy where the whole WORLD around the story is fantastical. This is a lovely change of pace. It reminds me of the author’s YA book that I read last year.

I thoroughly enjoyed both books in this series, and I recommend them highly!!

REVIEW: Breakout by Kate Messner

REVIEW: Breakout by Kate Messner

Posted on by Jaymie

[Thanks to the folks at Netgalley and Bloomsbury Children’s Books for the opportunity to read an electronic review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Nora is breaking out her journalism skills for the Wolf Creek Time Capsule project. Five letters for the time capsule will get her extra credit for 8th grade English class in the fall.

Elidee and her mom just moved to Wolf Creek from New York City to be closer to Elidee’s older brother who is in the prison at Wolf Creek. Elidee hates being the new kid for the last two weeks at school. If that doesn’t make her stand out enough, she’s also only the second African American in her grade. It doesn’t take long before the whispers start following her down the school halls.

All of Nora’s expectations for writing about Wolf Creek Traditions like the Middle School field day vanish when two inmates break out of the maximum security prison that employs most of the folks in town.

The prison break changes everything. Nora’s dad, the prison supervisor, is under a lot of pressure to explain what happened. Elidee and her mom are cut off from her brother when the prison goes into lock down. The whole town is on edge, afraid the inmates are still in the area, armed and dangerous. The break out shows Nora, her friend Lizzie, and Elidee things about the “quiet, friendly town” they never experienced before.

Review

This was exceptionally good! The three main characters were a delight. Elidee has a great perspective on life in her new town. Her affinity for Hamilton and poetry was a great piece of the story. I loved Lizzie’s humor and her satirical news articles. But I connected the most with Nora. The “stages” she goes through regarding the racial issues in the story – oblivious to questioning to wanting to change – felt a lot like my own experience over the last couple years. It’s honest, and I loved it.

The time capsule is the vehicle that makes the story possible. It gets the kids writing – something else I loved about this story. The whole story is told in letters and transcripts of conversations or news reports. It’s such a fun format! The escaped inmates are hardly in the story, but they impact every character as well as the town’s sense of self.

This is the perfect sort of middle grade book for me. There are fantastic characters learning and growing through challenging life experiences. There’s an emphasis on writing as well as great pop culture tie ins. And the story makes me think.  This would be a great fit for any 5th to 8th grade classroom and school library as well as home collections. I highly recommend this book.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥