
UNUSUAL CHICKENS FOR THE EXCEPTIONAL POULTRY FARMER
(UNUSUAL CHICKENS #1)
written by Kelly Jones, illustrated by Katie Kath
May 12, 2015, Knopf Books for Young Readers
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Prefer listening? There’s an audiobook too, narrated by Kyla García!
DESCRIPTION:
Twelve-year-old Sophie Brown feels like a fish out of water when she and her parents move from Los Angeles to the farm they’ve inherited from a great-uncle. But farm life gets more interesting when a cranky chicken appears and Sophie discovers the hen can move objects with the power of her little chicken brain: jam jars, the latch to her henhouse, the entirehenhouse….And then more of her great-uncle’s unusual chickens come home to roost. Determined, resourceful Sophie learns to care for her flock, earning money for chicken feed, collecting eggs. But when a respected local farmer tries to steal them, Sophie must find a way to keep them (and their superpowers) safe.Told in letters to Sophie’s abuela, quizzes, a chicken-care correspondence course, to-do lists, and more, Unusual Chickens is a quirky, clucky classic in the making.
See more and read an excerpt here!
School Library Journal 30-Second Booktalk Video
HONORS:
- ALA ALSC Children’s Notable Book – 2016
- 2016 MSRI/CBC Mathical Honor Book
- 2016 Washington State Book Award Finalist
- 2016 Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children’s Literature Honor Book
- 2020 Idaho Kids Vote Book Award Nominee
- 2018 Garden State Children’s Book Award Nominee
- 2017-2018 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award Nominee
- 2018 Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award Nominee
- 2018 Oregon Reader’s Choice Award Nominee
- 2018 Pacific Northwest Young Reader’s Choice Award Nominee
- 2017-2018 Arkansas Charlie May Simon Children’s Book Award Reading List
- 2018 Oklahoma Children’s Sequoyah Book Award Masterlist
- 2017 Read Across Lawrence, KS Children’s Selection
- 2016 Missouri State Teachers Association Reading List (Intermediate)
- 2017-2018 Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award Nominee
- 2017-2018 Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award Nominee (Intermediate Division)
- 2017 North Dakota Flicker Tale Award Nominee
- 2016-2017 New Mexico Land of Enchantment Book Award Nominee (Coyote Reading List)
- 2016-2017 Massachusetts Children’s Book Award (MCBA) Nominee
- 2016-2017 Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List
- 2016-2017 Georgia Children’s Book Award Finalist
- 2016-2017 Vermont Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award Master List
- 2016-2017 Maine Student Book Award Title List
- 2016-2017 North Carolina Children’s Book Award Junior Book nominee
- 2016-2017 Mukilteo Children’s Choice Chapter Book Award Nominee
- 2016-2017 Horned Toad Tales Nominee
- 2016 Children’s Choice Debut Author Finalist, Children’s Choice Book Awards
- Indie Choice Award Nominee for the E. B. White Read-Aloud Award
- Outstanding Merit, Best Children’s Books of the Year, 2016 Edition, Bank Street College Center for Children’s Literature
REVIEWS:

Unshelved Book Club review (in comic form!)
The Booklist Reader, April 3, 2015
Review of the Day, A Fuse #8 Production, June 1, 2015
CCBC Book of the Week, June 23, 2015
Libros Latin@s from Latin@s in Kid Lit, April 16, 2015 (with teaching tips!)
educating alice by Monica Edinger, May 4, 2015
Reading Through Life, April 19, 2015
Reads for Keeps, June 16, 2015
PRESS:
Best Books 2015, School Library Journal
Best Middle-Grade Books of 2015, Kirkus
Top 2015 Mighty Girl Books for Tweens & Teens, A Mighty Girl
100 Magnificent Children’s Books 2015, A Fuse 8 Production (School Library Journal)
We Need Diverse Books End of Year Middle Grade Recommendations
Best children’s books of 2015, The Kansas City Star
Favorite Titles of 2015, Latin@s in Kid Lit
Holiday Book Gift Guide, San Francisco Chronicle
2015’s Best Books for Children, The News & Observer
Oakland Public Library Holiday Gift Guide — Children’s Books
Q&A: We Need Diverse Books talks about Scholastic Reading Club collaboration
“50 Best Books for Summer,” Instructor Magazine
“Sublime summer reads for readers, from toddlers to teens,” Seattle Times, June 21, 2015.
“Hey, kids, warm up to summer reading with these 10 titles,” Kansas City Star, May 3, 2015
The Center for Fiction: Junior Edition: New Books for Younger Readers #25
“Summer reads: the kid edition,” Minnesota Public Radio, July 9, 2015
“What your kids (and you) should read this summer,” ParentMap
“Strange birds and a brave young girl,” The Daily Republic, June 15, 2015
“Book Recommendations from Books Inc.,” San Francisco Chronicle, June 3, 2015
“Which books to get your kids this summer,” San Francisco Chronicle, June 7, 2015
“Top 5 summer reads for children 8-12”, Cambridge Chronicle, June 12, 2015
Amazon’s Best Books of 2015: Ages 9-12
“23 Fun and Delightful Light Fantasy Novels,” Book Riot, August 7, 2020
INTERVIEWS & GUEST POSTS:
“Indies Introduce Q&A with Kelly Jones,” ABA, May 21, 2015
“4 Questions and 4 Sentence Starters with Kelly Jones”, Watch. Connect. Read. June 18, 2015
“The Debut Club: An Interview with Kelly Jones,” Sweet Sixteeners, May 9, 2015
“5 Amazing Middle Grade Novels Selected by Kelly Jones,” The Children’s Book Review, June 10, 2015
“Interview with Kelly Jones,” On the Verge, May 4, 2015
“Hey Kid! with Kelly Jones,” Heidi Schulz Books, May 14, 2015
“Q&A with Kelly Jones,” Reads For Keeps, July 20, 2015
