Are You Ready to Hatch an Unusual Chicken?

Sophie and her parents have settled into farm life on the place inherited from their Uncle Jim. Now Sophie, only 12, has inherited a farm of her own from Agnes, who raised unusual chickens— chickens with superpowers. Sophie has to learn all about the chicken business and is starting middle school in her new town. Her older cousin Lupe comes to stay with their family while attending college nearby. With Lupe’s help, Sophie has a work party at her inherited farm to get it ready for new chickens. Sophie realizes that, even though she and Lupe have both faced racism at their schools, they have also made good friends.

This sequel to the very popular Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer suffers a bit as a stand-alone and readers will wish they had read the prior book if they haven’t. Author Kelly Jones has written a fun story, mostly told through emails to Sophie’s friends and letters to people who have passed away. The letters show Sophie facing difficult and interesting problems and learning to solve them. Illustrations by Katie Kath are charming and support the text. One doesn’t need to be a chicken lover to enjoy this romp.