Chicken

by Alan Gibbons

Davy's too chicken to stand up to bullying at school. He's been singled out as an easy target. His family aren't much help—they're all chicken too. Mom's frightened of learning to drive, big brother Carl is terrifying himself trying to impress his new friends. And Dad has too many problems of his own to be sympathetic. But in the end it's his little sisters strange secret which spurs Davy on—and surprises the whole family as well.

96 pages, Paperback

First published April 29, 1993

About the author

Alan Gibbons is an author of children's books and a Blue Peter Book Award. He currently lives in Liverpool, England, where he used to teach in a primary school. His father was a farm laborer, but was hurt in an accident when Alan was eight years old. The family had to move to Crewe, Cheshire where Alan experienced bullying for the first time. He began to write for his pupils as a teacher, but never tried to get any of his work published.

Gibbons trained to be a teacher in his mid-thirties and starting writing short stories for his students. Later, he began to write professionally. In 2000, he won the Blue Peter Book Award in the category "The Book I Couldn't Put Down" category for Shadow of the Minotaur. He was a judge for the 2001 Blue Peter Book Awards. He was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal in 2001 and 2003 and shortlisted twice for the Booktrust Teenage Prize. He has also won the Leicester Book of the Year, the Stockport Book Award, the Angus Book Award, the Catalyst Award, the Birmingham Chills Award, the Salford Young Adult Book Award and the Salford Librarians' Special Award.

Reviews

[The Styling Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chicken by Alan Gibbons - Really enjoyed the character development in this story. Beautiful characters all harboring fear of some sort. The bullying was a powerful poignant part of the story that was a little painful to read.

[Tanja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bullying is always a topic that engages kids and adults alike. Davy is a very likeable character and his actions are so easily understood: the fear of making the situation with a bully worst by asking for help or the (wrong) impression that the bullying is justified. I felt so much for Davy, cheered for him, felt and feared for him. The ending seemed almost a bit too good to be true...