The Chicken Dance

By Jacques Couvillon

Book Overview

On his birthday, Don Schmidt spends the day waiting patiently for his big surprise-- a cake, presents, maybe a Chinese clown . . . . But instead, his batty parents get into their monthly argument. This time it's because his mother has to feed the chickens. It ends with her shouting the same thing as always about their Louisiana chicken farm: "I hate it here " What follows is Don's journey from obscurity to fame and back again, when he becomes the youngest kid to ever win the Horse Island Dairy Festival chicken-judging contest. Gradually, his mom notices that something strange is going on--everyone knows her son --but once she realizes that Don has become the town celebrity, she sees that there may be benefits to living on a chicken farm. What she doesn't seem to see are the benefits of having a son like Don. For Don, the contest is the beginning of a big, big adventure. It involves trips to New Orleans and Baton Rouge, fair weather friends, a missing sister, and one big secret. Readers will cheer for Don, who goes out of his way to see the good in everything.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1599900432
• ISBN13: 9781599900438
• Release Date: August 2007
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
• Length: 326 Pages
• Weight: 1.02 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 1.1" x 4.9"
• Age Range: 10 to 15 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 9

Customer Reviews

A new, younger Catcher in the Rye?

Couvillion's first book is like Colonel Sanders visiting the Twilight Zone: nothing is what it seems to be, except for chickens. For starters, the Chicken Dance song we all know wasn't about chickens (the Swiss original was about ducks), the 11-year-old protagonist in this story is not Don as he believes (his real name is Stanley), and his mother is really his grandmother. There are so many metaphors and contradictions in this book, it reminds me of Catcher in the Rye, but Don is a kinder, gentler Holden Caufield. Couvillon's characters are rich and ironic, and his setting (Horse Island, LA) gives the reader a peek into a unique small-town setting. As the book opens, Don is unpopular and frequently bullied and his family's small poultry flock becomes his friends and his focus. Don studies the American Poultry Association standards obsessively and manages to take first place in a poultry-judging contest, which catapults Don and his family into local stardom. His bipolar mother and alienated father react to this in some very funny ways, including hosting a dinner party and using TV dinners as entrees. Mystery and intrigue is added, as Don discovers multiple family secrets. The drama is told through the eyes of Don, who emerges as a lovable and wise character. While chickens hardly seem the focus of this story, there are several subtle poultry allegories that tie it all together: the courage of a hen, the fact that chickens can fly, and that fate, like chickenpoop, is often random. Appealing to both tween girls and boys, this book would be a marvelous classroom read, as it would prompt a lot of interesting discussions.

Can't wait for the movie!

The Chicken Dance is a great first novel and is full of wonderful details and mystery. Very well written and geared to a 15 year old boy. I think it will make an excellent movie and can't wait for the sequel novel.

The Chicken Dance

I totally enjoyed this book. Once I got started, I couldn't put it down. If was as if I knew the people and places the author was writing about. I never expected the story to end like it did. I've already recommended "The Chicken Dance" to friends. I can't wait for his next book!

Great Book for Boys!

This book is both fun, fascinating, and well-written. Don is a well-developed character with a strong voice that boys, especially twelve-year-old boys, will love. The setting is fabulous and full of interesting details about chickens which could only come from a writer who has lived on a chicken farm. Highly recommend this book for boy readers! And the plot keeps the reader turning the pages until the very end.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

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. Reviewed by: Lori P.