FernFolio

For twelve year-old Tobin McCaully, seventh grade begins pretty much as every other grade, even though he’s now attending a middle school. He’s still saddled with the reputations of his hell-raising older brothers and sister, he’s still the butt of Cody Peters’ jokes, and he’s still trying to lay low enough to fly under the radar of his teachers, his school mates, and his family.
Since his mother’s death from cancer, Tobin’s family has lost its centre; his older brothers and sister are rarely home, stopping in only long enough to catch a quick night’s sleep or change their clothes, and his father, a construction worker, puts in long hours on the job, followed by longer hours in the local bar. Dishes don’t get done, laundry isn’t washed, the trash piles up for weeks on end and, for a young boy the worst thing of all, the house is frequently devoid of anything edible. Every chance he gets, Tobin heads to his grandmother’s house. His granny loves her truck, though it’s debatable whether she ought to be allowed to drive it, her endless string of “boyfriends”, fishing and Tobin.
When Tobin tackles Cody Peters after he makes lewd remarks about their English teacher, another boy, Henry Otis, jumps into the fight to help, and Tobin reluctantly discovers that he has landed himself a friend, one who ignores rebuffs and eagerly shares his passion for chickens. Tobin finds himself drawn into Henry’s extra-credit science project on chickens, listening with growing interest to his new friend’s daily lectures on the art of raising chickens, and his musings about the chicken soul. He meets Harrison, Henry’s younger brother, and a tycoon in the making, who is determined to make the boys’ fortune selling the eggs produced by their flock of five, and then ten, birds.
With Henry as his friend, it isn’t so easy, anymore, to ignore homework assignments and daydream in class. Tobin finds himself taking an interest in school, and making friends among his classmates for the first time in his school career. He approaches his grandmother about coming to live with her, but she tells him she’s too old to look after a young boy.
But, when his grandmother reports his father to children’s aid and social workers arrive to inspect the state of the house and interview Tobin, the tension between her and his father explodes into anger, and Tobin finds himself torn between his unconventional grandmother and his negligent father. In the end, it’s Henry and the chickens who offer Tobin solace and hope.
Chicken Boy is a wonderful tale about a family who loses its way following the death of a loved one, and about a boy who simply needs the love and companionship of a friend and five chickens to turn himself, and his family, around. A moving story, beautifully told by Frances O’Roark Dowell. Not to be missed.
FernFolio Editor