If she does the work, the bully promises to leave JT alone. Making matters worse, Kate is blackmailed into cheating for one of the bullies who torments JT. JT's mother suffers from depression, his sister, Kate, is worried about his return to school, and unspoken question hover over the reasons why he never wrote home during his incarceration. He must also return to school and face whatever social trials that still need to be convened. At 15, JT is now responsible for the workings of the family chicken farming and the upkeep of their farm. The original story comes full-circle in Cheating for the Chicken Man, the story of JT's release from juvenile detention nine months after his father's death. The storyline was so compelling, though, that I simply could not put it down, and I relished the thought of putting it in the hands of my students so they could contemplate the moral maze Brady had to make his way through after learning his friends, Digger and JT, had committed an act that led to the death of a toddler.ĭigger's story in the follow-up novel, The Journey Back, dealt with his troubled past and how he found some closure after escaping from the juvenile detention facility he was sent to after being convicted. Many years ago, I read The Red Kayak as I sat in the balcony at my sons' piano recital, videotaping their performances. I also think that if we saw Jt's perspective it would have given the story a better ending, rather than seeing Kates's POV.īut yeah, overall this was a short and sweet book, that can be read by all ages. All of her problems would have been resolved if she had just done that!! And also in the end she still kept her secrets even though everything was over. The only reason I gave this book 4 stars was because of how the MC kept all these "secrets" from her friends and family when she could have COMMUNICATED, such as talking to her best friend Jess. (Even though Curtis was the one bullying Kate's brother.) I also enjoyed Kate and Curtis's relationship, and how they related to each other by being overprotective over their brothers. It was really satisfying to see their character's situations solved in the end as well. At first glance, I thought the book was mainly about a girl taking care of chickens, but BOY was I wrong! (i probably should have read the summary tho) First I really liked how MC's father tied into the plot by causing lots of problems, such as her mother having agoraphobia. This book was not how I expected it to be. So I'd recommend this book for thirteen and up.ĥ stars. Although it does deal with suicide, animal cruelty, and extreme mental illnesses such as PTSD. There was no swearing, nothing crude or suggestive, it was so refreshingly clean. Kate, her mom, and her brother struggle to save the chickens and not get shut down by the companies as a side plot.įree range chickens is definitely something more people need to support.Īnd lastly, but most importantly, the innocence. I loved how the book showed the cruelty of chicken farms and the unhealthiness of raising chickens in that way, not enough people are aware of the conditions of meat chickens. Kate's family has their issues, with her brother returning from juvie with scars on his soul and reputation, and her mom suffering from depression and agoraphobia, but they all truly love each other, and I love how that is shown in the end.Ħ. I loved how the book showed that not all bullies are heartless human beings, and are, in fact, usually hurting themselves.ĥ. It even mentions her past friends at her homeschool group and the skills they learned.Ĥ. FINALLY A NORMAL HUMAN WHO JUST HAPPENED TO BE SCHOOLED AT HOME UNTIL HIGH SCHOOL. I get so annoyed when I read books about ex-homeschooled kids and how they can't seem to fit in in school because they are freaks and how they don't have any friends or a life, and they can't interact well, and blah, blah, blah, how lucky they are to have escaped homeschooling. Kate use to be homeschooled, and she is AMAZING. As someone who's family owns 30+ of these adorable creatures, I always freak out when I see a book with chickens.Ģ. 238)ĭespite the ugly cover, I knew I just had to read this when I came across it in my library, because, CHICKENS. Her mother, she thought immediately, although she didn't say so.' (pg. '"Did you ever know somebody who became a complete stranger?"
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