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The Secret Chicken Society

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by Judy Cox, illustrated by Amanda Haley
Holiday House, 2012. 88 pgs. Intermediate.

Daniel loves animals and is out of his head with excitement when his third grade teacher announces that the class will incubate some eggs and try to hatch baby chicks. Only five chicks make it out of the twelve eggs, and Daniel gets to keep all five because everyone else's parents fish out on the idea of keeping chickens at home. Only problem is, Daniel's favorite hen chick is really a rooster--forbidden by the backyard chicken rules of his small town. How Daniel and his siblings save their chickens from Poison the Cat, keep them out of Mr. Grafalo's flower beds, and hide Peepers the Rooster from the neighbors and the police is the substance of this charming tale. Cox appends useful information about how to raise backyard chickens, and Amanda Haley's pictures perfectly communicate the frenzy of chicken farming.
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