Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer

UNUSUAL CHICKENS FOR THE EXCEPTIONAL POULTRY FARMER (UNUSUAL CHICKENS #1)
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 entire henhouse….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:

Kirkus, February 1, 2015

“…A delightful protagonist, interesting fowl of various breeds and a cast of appealing second-string characters make this a top pick for young readers, poultry fanciers or not.” (starred review)

School Library Journal, February, 2015 (scroll down to Middle Grade)

“…Told in letters, quizzes, newspaper clippings, and delicious ink drawings reminiscent of Quentin Blake, this middle grade epistolary novel has a little magic and a lot of warm family humor. Jones delivers a dynamic Latina protagonist…Readers will cheer for Sophie and clamor for more of those amazing chickens. Exceptional, indeed.” (starred review)

Publishers Weekly, March 23, 2015

“Jones debuts with a comically poignant story composed of the letters that 12-year-old Sophie Brown writes…”

Booklist, April 1, 2015

“…Full-page illustrations work with the epistolary format to tell a story that is as much about the process of grieving as it is about supernatural chickens. The combination of real-life emotion and otherworldly farming makes for a comedic story with the right amount of pathos.“

The Horn Book, June 9, 2015

“…Sophie’s unique way of figuring life out on her own makes her easy to root for and provides entertainment beyond the inherent humor of chickens.”

Shelf Awareness, June 30, 2015

“Debut novelist Kelly A. Jones introduces brave, highly intelligent and resourceful Sophie Brown, a 12-year-old poultry farmer in the making…” (starred review)

Unshelved Book Club review (in comic form!)