Sophie Brown is doing her best to adjust to life on the farm her
father inherited from his uncle Jim, but it really doesn’t seem like much of a
farm. There are no crops, except for some grapevines in need of some TLC, and
no animals at all. But then Sophie finds a flyer in the barn, advertising “Unusual
Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer.” She writes to request a catalog.
Then she writes again, when no catalog arrives. But eventually, Sophie finds
herself taking care of some very unusual chickens, and the warning that someone
else wants them and is willing to steal them! How can a girl who has no experience,
but a lot of determination, protect her unusual chickens from a sneaky chicken
thief?
Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry
Farmer is a fun epistolary tale. Sophie’s
letters to her Great-Uncle Jim, her abuelita, and Agnes at Redwood Farm Supply
are filled with humor and heart, while the return letters she receives are
filled with information about (what else?) how to take care of chickens. The
story unfolds very naturally through the letters, and the ending has a fun (and
unusual) surprise that I didn’t see coming! I enjoyed this book and will be
adding it to my read-alouds for next year!
Themes:
Change
Change
Friendship
Responsibility
Age Appropriateness:
Any
Any
Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: none
Nudity/Adult Content: none
Violence: none
