Chicken Boy by Frances O'Roark Dowell

I just finished Chicken Boy by Frances O’Roark Dowell. It is another Rebecca Caudill 2008 Nominee. Tobin McCauley, a somewhat troubled seventh grader who has remained on the outside circle in school, is changed after he makes a new friend, Henry, who thinks that chickens hold the key to the meaning of life. Tobin’s family life is not exactly the greatest: his mother died from cancer five years earlier, there is barely ever food in his house, and his dad and grandma do not get along. Tobin’s life is about to take an interesting turn, and will he be prepared for it?
At first, I thought the book was a little slow, but after getting to know the characters in the book, especially Tobin, I really enjoyed it.
Have you read Chicken Boy? Did you like it? Why or why not?
If you liked reading Chicken Boy, you might want to read other books by Frances O’Roark Dowell, including: Dovey Coe, The Secret Language of Girls, and Where I’d Like to Be.

A couple other good farm-related fiction reads are: Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock, Taking Wing, by Nancy Price Graff , Tough Nut to Crack, by Tom Birdseye

Boy Proof

Lots of books written for teens are about geeky kids in high school who don't fit in. Boy Proof by Cecil Castellucci is another one, but a good one. In this story, Egg, as she calls herself, has made herself friend-proof and boy-proof. How this plays out is fun and interesting and worth the read... You might also enjoy the fact that Egg- and author Castellucci- are big Sci-fi fans and this comes into play often. If you've ever stood in line at the theatre for hours in the cold to see the next Star Wars movie dressed as Princess Leia, you'll get it! :)

The Ranger's Apprentice

Hi fellow book bloggers: Here's a good read: Ranger’s Apprentice: Book One: The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan
Will has always waited for the day that he can be a battlemaster’s apprentice. Not knowing much about his father, except that he think he died as a heroic knight in the war against Morgarath, it has been Will’s dream to follow in his father’s footsteps. On that fateful day, when they will find out what apprenticeship they will go into, he never dreamed that he would be the ranger’s apprentice. Halt, a master ranger, is a quiet and mysterious man who he has only seen from a distance. Now, Will will become his apprentice. Will is reluctant at first, wishing he had made it into Battleschool. As Will learns more about what a ranger’s duties are, he grows to like the life that was chosen for him.
At the time when Will is learning the life of a ranger, the exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is planning a surprise attack on the kingdom. Can Will help Walt and the other rangers stop the attack?

This is an exciting read once you get past the first few chapters. There are also sequels to this one including: The Burning Bridge, The Icebound Lake, and The Oakleaf Bearers.

The Arrival by Shaun Tan

The Arrival by Shaun Tan is a wordless graphic novel that is, in my opinon, absolutely beautiful. It is about an immigrant who sails to a strange land filled with strange little creatures. It seems to me to be a fantastic version of WWII era immigrants coming to New York. How strange everything must have seemed to them. There is not a whole lot of plot in this book and no words, so it doesn't take long to get through. I could spend all day just looking at the wonderful pictures, though. Good for fans of The Invention of Hugo Cabret.