Tobin McCauley does not have an easy time of it. His mom died five years ago, his father is hardly ever around (not even enough to keep groceries in the house), he doesn't have any friends, he doesn't even try to do more than pass his classes at school... But all that changes when he gets into a fight in gym class defending the honor of his English teacher. It's then that he meets Henry Otis, a charismatic boy who, for some reason, wants to be Tobin's friend. Henry talks Tobin into helping him raise chickens for an extra-credit project and somewhere along the way Tobin finds that things start falling into place. Little does he know how fragile that peace can be, though, and when something happens that tests his family, Tobin's not sure if they'll come through or be torn to pieces in the process.

This book is about chickens. But on a deeper level it's about family. And love. And what keeps a family glued together. And what can tear them apart. From the book's description I was expecting something funny and light. This book certainly has its funny moments, but I would definitely not call it light. There's a lot of substance here.

Readalike suggestions: For more about feisty youngsters trying to find a family, try "The Great Gilly Hopkins" by Katherine Paterson.