On his birthday, Don Schmidt spends the day waiting patiently for his big surprise--a cake, presents, maybe a Chinese clown . . . . But ins...
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Jan 04, 2008
Edith
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This is a wonderful book about an ignored little boy who lives on a chicken farm and has crazy mean parents. So he turns to the chickens for companionship. I am so happy to see they changed the cover of this book to something more exciting. The copy I got from BEA just had boring chickens on it. Sooo, this book would be a 5 star book if the ending hadn't just dropped off. Literally it was like the author realized he was writing a kids' book & that it was getting too long, so he decided to stop.
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Feb 20, 2009
Sam
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Don Schmidt has spent much of his young life trying to live up to the standards his parents set while his extremely talented deceased sister Dawn was alive. Don finds his niche in chicken judging- hardly as impressive as Dawn's dancing skills but enough to bring him some notariaty and an escape from a hostile home environment. After winning a major contest Don slowly gains the respect of his uptight mother and peers, only to stumble upon the roots of a massive family secret that seemed to be tea
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Dec 30, 2011
Barky
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Jun 20, 2009
Tasha
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Don Schmidt lives on a chicken farm in Horse Island, Louisiana. He is unpopular at school (he has absolutely no friends and everyone refers to him as "new kid," even though he has lived on Horse Island since kindergarten) and at home (where his mother constantly refers to his dead sister Dawn, and thinks the world revolves around herself). Out of loneliness he befriends the chickens living in his backyard and they become his best friends. Don's luck soon changes when he becomes the you
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Dec 29, 2008
Sandy
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In his first novel, Jacques Couvillon presents teens with a heartfelt story about love, family and, of course, chickens. Eleven-year-old Don is instantly transformed from "the new kid" who nobody notices or cares about to a local celebrity when he becomes the youngest person ever to win his town's chicken judging contest. Finally, Don has friends who want to spend time with him and a mother who seems interested in what's going on in his life. Everything is turned upside down, however,
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Sep 29, 2010
Lavender911
rated it:
The Chicken Dance is a book about a ingnored boy named Don who lives on a chicken farm on Hose Island, his love of chickens,his crazy parents, and his dead sister Dawn. One day, Don heard his parents yelling at each other because his mom has to watch the chickens. Since Don loved chickens, he told his mom that he would watch the chickens. He learned so much about chickens that when he entered a chicken-judging competition, he won! This competition leads to a giant chain of events, which leads h
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Jun 16, 2011
Lara
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This book is terrific. I came to the same conclusion that the main character is very Napoleon Dynamite-esque: a withdrawn senstive kid who is really good at judging agricultural-events (remember the milk judging competition?). There are tons of great details, like the dog and pig who are best friends and roam around town, coming into the schoolyard three days a week so they can let the kids chase them.
There are a lot of mature themes here, adult-type relationships, infidelity, teen p More...
There are a lot of mature themes here, adult-type relationships, infidelity, teen p More...
Jan 09, 2009
Karla
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I never knew chickens could be so interesting...or at least Don, the eleven year old protagonist of the story makes them interesting. Don's mother is a self-absorbed former Vegas showgirl who hates living on a chicken farm in a po-dunk town on Horse Island. Don's father is mostly absent. Neither pays Don any attention until he becomes the youngest person to win the local chicken judging contest. Suddenly, he is a minor celebrity. Don is such a charming, funny, sincere boy that you just fi
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Jun 14, 2011
Tracie
rated it:
The only thing I didn't like about this book was the ending. Really, readers deserved better because the story and characters were so engaging.
Don lives on Horse Island with his distant parents (they don't even remember his birthday). His joy in life comes when he is finally allowed to take over care of the flock of chickens his mother despises and fears. Once Don finds this calling, things in his life begin to change and so do the people around him as secrets from the past More...
Don lives on Horse Island with his distant parents (they don't even remember his birthday). His joy in life comes when he is finally allowed to take over care of the flock of chickens his mother despises and fears. Once Don finds this calling, things in his life begin to change and so do the people around him as secrets from the past More...
Dec 20, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
Reviewed by Lori P. for TeensReadToo.com
How do you go from being an unknown in Horse Island to becoming famous? It's simple -- win a chicken judging contest. The minimum age for entering the contest has been lowered to eleven this year. Don Schmidt sees this as his opportunity to become more well-known and to make a difference in his normal ho-hum life. He rents all kinds of different books from the library and becomes a chicken "expert."
The chicken judging con More...
How do you go from being an unknown in Horse Island to becoming famous? It's simple -- win a chicken judging contest. The minimum age for entering the contest has been lowered to eleven this year. Don Schmidt sees this as his opportunity to become more well-known and to make a difference in his normal ho-hum life. He rents all kinds of different books from the library and becomes a chicken "expert."
The chicken judging con More...
Feb 24, 2011
Dana
rated it:
I really enjoyed this odd, funny, and often sad story but the ending was too abrupt and open-ended for my taste. This story had great characters and while the plot revolved around Don's love for chickens there were very interesting side stories that dealt with lots of issues including the loss of a family member and fitting in with peers.
I just wish it had a real conclusion and would have been happy to read another 100 pages about young Don and his chickens!
I just wish it had a real conclusion and would have been happy to read another 100 pages about young Don and his chickens!
Oct 04, 2009
Riley Jane
rated it: 
It was between Ok and liked it. I thought it was a bit confusing, but it was a good book. The bad thing was that it left you hanging, and it was kind of a boyish book.
It was about a boy who lived with his parents and was the lame kid at school that played with chickens. He suddenly becomes popular because he won a chicken judging contest. He goes on a search for his long lost sister, a secret is revealed then the end.
I wouldn't reccomend it to anyone, really.
It was about a boy who lived with his parents and was the lame kid at school that played with chickens. He suddenly becomes popular because he won a chicken judging contest. He goes on a search for his long lost sister, a secret is revealed then the end.
I wouldn't reccomend it to anyone, really.
May 12, 2010
Suzanne
rated it:
Don is a lonely boy who is an outcast at school. That is until he wins the chicken contest. Now he and is a local celebrity. Although the book is filled with some good chicken facts a large portion of the book deals with Don's family life. His parents are always fighting and his mom seems obbessed with his dead sister. These bits of life untangle as Don finds out his sister is alive and not his sister at all.
Apr 21, 2010
Kate
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Apr 06, 2009
AM
rated it:
This book is very good, but probably has trouble finding an audience. The voice is young reader, the are topics/themes that are most likely what landed it in Teen. But, the constant references to KC and The Sunshine Band, Three's Company, etc...sort of date it. I enjoyed it enough to keep an eye out for the author's second book.
Jun 08, 2008
Jorge
rated it:
Eleven-year-old Don Schmidt leads a lonely and solitary life. Trained early for complete submission by his aloof parents, Don never speaks unless spoken to. That includes everyone, even other children. Any attention he receives is limited to screeching criticism from his mother and harsh teasing from the kids at school, especially popular Leon. His father goes to work and then comes home to stare at the TV, basically ignoring him. There is one exception to Don’s lonely world --- the chickens.
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Jan 06, 2010
babyhippoface
rated it:
I think I'm in the minority here, but this book bothered me. It was just so sad. I kept waiting for good things to happen to this boy, but even when they did, the depressing in his life took over and just overshadowed everything.
Don had a highly-developed fantasy life because his social skills were stunted by neglect and indifference. Even though he remained hopeful and caring, as evidenced by the selfless choice he made in the end, I couldn't help but think about how he would proba More...
Don had a highly-developed fantasy life because his social skills were stunted by neglect and indifference. Even though he remained hopeful and caring, as evidenced by the selfless choice he made in the end, I couldn't help but think about how he would proba More...
May 16, 2011
Karen
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I really disliked this book--not so much because of any defect in the writing (which there wasn't), but because I hated so many of the characters so much! Especially the "mom". I liked the main character, but I kept waiting for someone to come along who wouldn't use him. Very frustrating. Too painful to be funny.
Aug 19, 2011
Jess
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Given to me for one of my birthdays, other than that i wouldn't really say that i would pick it up to read. It was however, a charming little story about a small boy who battles with his life upon a chicken farm (hence the title) and the decisions he has to make while there. :)
Feb 15, 2011
Lillian
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Story of a sweet kid whose family is a real mess, and who just wants to love and be loved. The addition of chickens only makes it sweeter. I loved the main character and his matter-of-fact approach to life. He deserved a better family than he got, but he proved that a good soul shines through, even in the weirdest situations. Also, chickens really do make good listeners, in case you wondered.
May 22, 2010
dragon_cat:)
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Mar 12, 2011
Tiffany
rated it:
Maybe I was just in a bad mood when I read this but I didn't get very far in it. It was really sad. When a mother tells her son "I hate your father" and forgets his birthday and tries to make excuses for it and is totaly selfish, it just doesn't make for good reading.
Jul 29, 2010
ShortShanks
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It was interesting for a little while, but then it was hard to keep my intrest in it. I skimmed ahead a lot to find out what happened. I must say though that the ending was very unsatisfying. I had hoped it would end better than it did.
Feb 25, 2010
Shushlibrarian
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I only made it about 1/4 through. I would have possibly continued if reading material was scarce, but I wasn't as amused as I should have been by this book. The kid's household was a definite downer and I couldn't stick with it.
Feb 09, 2009
Cinhon
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While I liked Don ( I think it's more like I wanted to bring him home and take care of him ) the story was sadly lacking, and in parts just utterly ridiculous. It's a black comedy, and they just aren't my thing.
Aug 10, 2010
Beth
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I loved this bizarre book right up until the last two pages. I hated the ending and wonder what kind of mother issues the author has. But overall, an excellent book unlike any other I've ever read.
May 24, 2010
Dreamcrusher21
rated it:
A fun, lighthearted book about a boy trying to find his sister. It is not in a world of its own intellectually but it is still a good book to read when your not in the most serious mood.
Aug 22, 2011
Kali
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I absolutly loved this book it was the best i ever read i reccomend this book to everyone. It does not have to do anything with dancing chickens.
Apr 25, 2008
Anne
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It took me a little while to decide if I liked this book. At first it was almost painful to read because of how terribly Don is treated by his parents and by the other children in his school, but the more I read, the more interested I became in the character. He's a strange little boy who sings KC and the Sunshine Band songs to himself, talks to his imaginary twin brother or to his chickens (who aren't imaginary) when he's feeling down. He's smart, funny, compassionate naive and sometimes sta
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