The Chicken Dance explores some pretty heavy topics such as abandonment, coming of age, self discovery, teen pregnancy and difficult family dynamics. Don is a kid who is trying to navigate school and feels unliked. He starts hanging out with the chickens in the yard and also begins learning about them. Don signs up for a contest in chicken judging and finds out that he has a natural aptitude for it and excels. The people around town recognize him for it and he gains self esteem. He also learns things about his family that lead him in search of more information about his mother. He learns about acceptance of himsef and those around him. He also has a life changing point where he goes from being taken care of to care taker in a sense. This book has a lot of adult topics woven into a children's story. It was at times hard to read because Don's life seemed so sad, but it migh give kids something to relate to that is a little different from other children's books. Not everyone has a white picket fence and loving parents, books like this are good for kids who might feel stigmatized by the fact that their families do not match the ones they see in other books written for their age group.

The book was in an appropriate size for the reader and while the topics are useful, it might be hard for a sensitive reader to get through. ( )

I went from loving this book to thinking it was ok. There were parts that were just so depressing and then the next chapter would make me laugh. It all averaged out to a solid three stars. ( )

an entertaining page-turner with an unlikely premise ( )

I just loved this bittersweet, poignant book about childhood and growing up. ( )

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 contest is only the beginning of the many changes in Don's life. He lives with his Mother and Father; they don't want him to ever call them Mom and Dad. They are an unusual family who always eat TV dinners. Mother even surprises Father and Don when having a dinner party, but it is quite a hassle getting all the potatoes out of those foil trays. Don is caught looking at some papers in his parents' room, and finds out that his real name is Stanley. Mother and Father are always talking about his sister Dawn, who disappeared around the time that Don was born. Don is always living in her shadow. No mention of whether she is dead or was kidnapped intrigues Don, so he decides to go search for her.

Don does such a great job at judging chickens that he is chosen to attend the regional chicken judging event in Baton Rouge. He learns from a dancer that Dawn has been seen dancing at a club in the same town. He enlists the help of one of his friends and the boys set out on the streets and find her. Its one discovery after another while on the trail of Dawn.

This is a very exciting book with its many twists and turns. There is a certain amount of mystery involved as well as an intriguing storyline with often times very humorous portions. This is a must-read for those tweens who enjoy a story where an ordinary boy makes himself known and sets his boring life on a more exciting track. This book would definitely be enjoyed by girls as well as boys, though. There will be portions where you will be cackling with laughter. You will never do "the chicken dance" the same way again. ( )