Kelly Jones did it again. The Unusual Chicken books are great for young readers but also interesting and such fun! My experience with this book was similar to the first one: I love the mix of genres (letters, lists, observation notes, etc.). It is like reading an archive which actually makes me think it would be a great book for budding researchers to think about how to craft a researcher journal, too. I can't wait for the next installment and perhaps I will raise some unusual chickens myself one day!

This One's A Bit of a Challenge

This is the second book in the "unusual chickens" series, and that makes all the difference. In the first book we met our delightful heroine and learned about the history and nature of the unusual chickens. (One can turn invisible, one is telekinetic, and so on.) The book is great fun, is fast paced and well written, features a large and engaging cast, and wraps up nicely.

This second book picks up more or less where the first one ended. If you haven't read the first book, you probably should. Otherwise, it will be challenging to get up to speed on who's who and what's what, even though the author tries to fill in the reader on the fly. The problem with that is that after reading the first book , which I enjoyed a great deal, I felt that one was enough. The story had been told, and told well, but I didn't need more.

Since this second book is basically just more it feels like it would appeal mostly to hard core fans of the unusual chickens. That's fine, but it's worth making note of. I still like the characters, and the whole setup, and the gentle way the story unfolds, but at least for me it's time to move on.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

I kind of vacillated between 4 and 5 stars, but I was a little put off by the frequent references to skin color (and calling one of the teachers "a white guy"). If you really enjoyed the humor and epistolary style of writing in the first one, I think you'll enjoy this one, too. The sense of community and support present throughout the book was uplifting. Many of the kid characters are imperfect but kind and hardworking, and positive relationships between girls, and girls and boys, is also nice to see. No real drama, even though the kids are at the right age for it. Hand this to your readers looking for a funny book or a little magical realism.

If you loved Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer this sequel does not disappoint! Sophie is learning how to be an Exceptional Poultry Farmer and finds out she needs to do things her own way. With the help of her friends, the exceptional poultry community, and a few trusted neighbors, Sophie learns how to hatch her own chicks, one of which is extra exceptional.
Sophie finds time between school and her hard work raising chickens to write letters to her deceased Abuela, Uncle Joe, and Agnes, the original owner of the farm Sophie inherited. These letters tell the story along with her correspondence to a few exceptional poultry farmers who guide her through a few mishaps.
Sophie is still caring and loyal. Her commitment to her chickens make her a very likable character while the surrounding cast all have their own depths.

4.5 stars. This is a delightful addition to a great series! I love Sophie and all of her unusual chickens. This is a great series that is anchored in reality - with family pieces and friendship pieces and learning to be part of a new community - except for the fun and "unusual" chickens. This is about learning to ask for help and allowing others to be part of your life. I love all the things Sophie learns in this one. Highly recommend.

"This laugh-out-loud sequel to Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer has EVEN MORE MAGIC CHICKENS!

Twelve-year-old Sophie Brown is finally settling into her new home and her new role as keeper of some highly unusual chickens - chickens with secret superpowers!

But the arrival of two new magical chickens for her flock and some unusual eggs to be incubated and hatched (what will their superpowers be?), plus an impending inspection from the Unusual Poultry Committee (who even knew this existed?) has Sophie feeling pretty stressed out. Her older cousin, Lupe, is coming to stay with her family, which is great - but will Lupe like chickens too? And on top of it all, Sophie's first day at her new school is rapidly approaching!

In this wildly funny and quirky novel told in letters and lists and quizzes, Sophie learns that even an exceptional poultry farmer can use some help."

Another fabulous author I found due to my love of Regency Magic. PS I also love chickens.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first installment of Kelly Jones’ Unusual Chickens series back when it was nominated for the Texas Bluebonnet Award. It was also my pleasure to meet the very sweet and unassuming author at the Texas Library Association conference that year. Book 2 starts right after book 1 ends as Sophie, her parents and her friends are beginning to get a handle on raising chickens and living in a rural farm community. Sophie is going to try her hand at hatching her own unusual chickens and hopes to begin fill the coops at Redwood Farm. The tale is told predominantly through letters and emails to the departed Uncle Jim, Agnes and her beloved abuela and to new fellow unusual chicken farmer Hort along with some lists, descriptions of chicken breeds, and awards given to the same. Added bonus—terrific sketches by Katie Kath that accompany and enrich the story every step of the way. I look forward to purchasing this one for both my Intermediate libraries and will be able to recommend it without any content warnings issued. Even Jones’ reference to a same sex couple who provide support to Sophie and her family shouldn’t ruffle too many feathers. Librarians looking to increase the representation of books with positive Hispanic main characters or strong, hard-working girls will find this one fitting those needs nicely.

As usual, a story written completely in letters isn't my normal style, but I so enjoyed the first Unusual Chickens that when I saw this title on Netgalley I requested it immediately.

I LOVE the story of Sophie and her super chickens. I love it even more because Sophie is brown and talks about being brown and how it makes her feel, without making this a Cause Book. She just is, and this is her life. More kids need this kind of story. There's even a [small] passage about racism she encounters and how she feels after. I think it's a little glossed over, but the story is told in letters, so we aren't in Sophie's head.

In this installment of Sophie's Unusual Chickens Sophie is receiving a clutch of new eggs to hatch. She has to start from scratch with hatching her chickens from learning what an incubator is to discovering what their superpowers are and how to cope. It's a fun read and would be great for a class hatching chickens while they read. There are a lot of little life lessons snuck in- how you can't go it alone, how to ask for help, etc. but they aren't super obvious and they don't beat you over the head. 100% recommend.

Last year my daughter and I read the children's middle grade book Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer about 12 year old Sophie Brown who has just moved with her parents from L.A. to a farm they inherit from a great uncle Jim.  Sophie finds a small flock of hens on the farm and learns rather quickly that these are no ordinary chickens... they have powers!  Sophie is both determined and resourceful as she learns about chickens and how to care for them (and handle their unusual abilities).

When I found the sequel here on NetGalley recently, I had to request an ARC to find out what happens next in Sophie's adventure!

In Are You Ready to Hatch an Unusual Chicken?, Sophie is settling in at Blackbird Farm and adding new magical chickens to her flock.  She has inherited Redwood Farm from Agnes, an exceptional poultry farmer who raised and sold unusual chickens for many years.

To continue Agnes's work with unusual chickens, Sophie is sent a batch of eggs to hatch all by herself in an incubator and she's excited to learn what their super powers will be!  Since the new flock cannot be added to her existing flock (because of the pecking order), Sophie needs to prepare Redwood Farm for its first new flock of chickens in ages!

With her friends and her cousin Lupe (who has recently moved in to attend a nearby college) they clean up Redwood Farm with the help of their community.

It isn't long after the eggs have hatched that Sophie finds one chicken has an alarming power that could be dangerous!  While navigating her new school, new and exisiting friendships, Sophie also has to learn how to care for baby chicks, keep up with her chicken chores and Redwood Farm, and face her first inspection with the Unusual Poultry Committee!

This was another fun and quirky novel in this children's middle grade series told in letters/e-mails, lists, and quizzes.  I enjoy the chicken facts and the information included (brief but accurate descriptions on molting, incubating/hatching, etc.) and my daughter loves the funny powers the chickens have.  Young readers can also learn a great deal from Sophie, who is enthusiastic, determined, and caring.  I look forward to seeing what happens next at Blackbird and Redwood Farms!

Thanks to Knopf Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!  Are You Ready to Hatch an Unusual Chicken? is scheduled for release on November 6, 2018.

When I was young, I used to go visit my grandmother’s farm in the Sierra foothills. She had chickens, and crops. It was not a large farm. Only five acres. But we learned how to grow food, and pluck chickens, and even how to milk the neighbors cow.

The area that Sophia finds herself in, when she and her family move to her great uncle’s farm, reminds me of that area. And it is true that it was very white. And I can imagine how she would feel slightly out of place and worry about racism.

There are covert and overt instances of racism, and Sophie deals with them well, with the help of her cousin Lupe.

This is not the main focus of the book though I am glad that it is there. Kids love to see themselves in books, and this is good for them, to be seen in books.

Mainly, though, this is a book about chickens. This is a book about a young girl who is new to the area, who is raising these chickens. This is a book about a girl raising unusual chickens.

We were introduced to these unusual chickens in the first book, and in this second book, we get to meet two other types. Along the way, we learn about chickens, and how to hatch them. I love how this is woven into the story. My hens hatched their own chicks, so I didn’t have to turn eggs, but I know about having to watch the baby chicks, when I first started raising chickens.

You know a book is good when you miss it when you are done. That is how it is with this book. There is a hint that there will be another book, and I am thoroughly looking forward to it.

Sophie has a good sense of humor, and thinks things through, and tries to do what is right. A good, strong female protagonist.


Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

This is an absolutely darling follow up to Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer. I think it would be possible to read as a stand-alone, but I think readers would be well-served to read the first one first, or they might be rather lost. Though that's said from an adult perspective - kids tend to get on board easier than adults, so it might not matter to them. The epistolary format of the first novel continues here, and maybe I'm misremembering, but it feels like there are even more of the delightful illustrations.

Fun continuation of the series. Sophie is an interesting character and narrates the story through letters, emails, and illustrations.
Her newest chicken breathes fire -so she is forced to figure out a way to keep it, as well as the coop and the other chickens, safe. She gets help from Gregory and her friends and relies on Hortence to offer expertise.

Would make a good read aloud as it would lead to discussion and show scientific method, problem solving, note taking.