The Trouble With Chickens

Chick-Chick-Hooray! I am egg-static to tell you about one funny book!

"J.J. Tully is a former search-and-rescue dog who is trying to enjoy his retirement after years of performing daring missions saving lives. So he's not terribly impressed when two chicks named Dirt and Sugar (who look like popcorn on legs), with their chicken mom, show up demanding his help to track down their missing siblings. Driven by the promise of a cheeseburger, J.J. begins to follow the clues. Is Vince the Funnel hiding something? Are there dark forces at work--or is J.J. not smelling the evidence that's right in front of him."

Doreen Cronin's new book, The Trouble With Chickens, is filled with laugh out loud moments! What terrific chicken humor! I even snorted a couple of times! Really! I am not eggs-aggerating! Check out the following lines:

"...this chick had already learned that life outside the shell was not all it was cracked up to be."

referring to Sugar, one of the chicks...She reminded me of a three-inch splinter I'd had once--it bothered me, and I was in a much better mood when it was gone."

Again, a quote about Sugar..."Sugar was coming at me as fast as those freaky little chickadee legs would take her. She hadn't just inherited her mother's eyes, she'd inherited her mother's crazy." HA! Love it!

"We have to be half strength, half perseverance, and half obedience. Do your own math, tough guy--I'm making a point here."

"Dirt was as good as scrambled egg if she slammed into that wall." Ah, yes. This read has fantastically funny writing with a good story line. The author does an eggs-cellent job telling about her book HERE. Come on, don't be a chicken. Go watch!

I won't be screaming 'fowl' on this one! I will be passing this book around the classroom! It is eggs-actly what my students like to read!

Happy Reading!

Mrs. T :)

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!

The London Eye Mystery

In The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd, Salim, the cousin of Kat and Ted, is about to leave London with his mother and move to New York. Before Salim and his mother make this big move, Salim wants to ride the London Eye, the biggest Ferris Wheel in Europe. (Google “London Eye” and see it for yourself! I would NEVER go on this as I am scared to death of heights!)

Salim gets a free ticket to ride the London Eye from a total stranger. Ted and Kate, who have ridden the London Eye before, look on as Salim gets on the ride. However, when his pod comes back to the ground, he does not get off with the other riders.

Where is Salim? What happened to him? Can Kat and Ted figure out the mystery?

Be careful...you could possibly get stuck on the English words and spellings in the book...for example, instead of tennis shoes, the British say ‘trainers’. Instead of spelling esophagus, it is spelled 'oesophagus'. There are many other instances in the book. This might throw some readers as they try to understand the story.

If you like mysteries and puzzles, you might want to give this one a shot.

Happy Reading!
Mrs. T :)

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!