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Title details for The Trouble with Chickens by Doreen Cronin - Available

The Trouble with Chickens

A J.J. Tully Mystery

#1 in series

by Doreen Cronin
Vinnie Penna
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available

J.J. Tully is a former search-and rescue dog who is trying to enjoy his retirement after years of performing daring missions saving lives. So he's not terribly impressed when two chicks named Dirt and Sugar (who look like popcorn on legs) and their chicken mom show up demanding his help to track down their missing siblings. Driven by the promise of a cheeseburger, J.J. begins to track down clues. Is Vince the Funnel hiding something? Are there dark forces at work—or is J.J. not smelling the evidence that's right in front of him?

Bestselling author Doreen Cronin uses her deadpan humor to pitch-perfect effect in her first novel for young readers. Heavily illustrated with black-and-white artwork from Kevin Cornell, this new series is destined to become a classic.

  • Creators

  • Series

    J. J. Tully Mystery

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    March 1, 2011

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780062032966
      • File size: 24072 KB
      • Duration: 00:50:08

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • ATOS Level: 3.8
    • Lexile® Measure: 570
    • Interest Level: K-3(LG)
    • Text Difficulty: 2-3

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from January 17, 2011
      Cronin, best known for her witty barnyard picture books, Click, Clack, Moo and its successors, brings her droll humor to the chapter book set with great success. After seven years as a search-and-rescue dog, J.J. Tully (possibly a German shepherd) has been rewarded with retirement in the country. Though he puts on airs, recalling "a parade in my honor after I pulled three tornado victims out from under a mountain of debris," he grudgingly agrees to help a mother hen find her two missing chicks (in exchange for a cheeseburger). Behind his hard-boiled persona, J.J. has some genuine detective smarts, but he faces a formidable foe in Vince the Funnel, the "inside" dog, who looks "like a cross between a dachshund and a lamp" (he's wearing a cone-shaped collar due to an ear infection). Fast-paced and funny, with interesting vocabulary and a well-constructed plot, this is terrific fare for readers who are ready to move beyond picture books, but are intimidated by longer works. Cornell's pencil drawings have a mix of energy and humor that adds to the fun. Ages 8–12.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Retired search and rescue dog Jonathan Joseph Tully, aka J.J., is enlisted by a distraught chicken to find her missing chicks. The promise of a cheeseburger seals the deal, and J.J. follows his nose right into the paws of Vince the Funnel (think vet's protective cone), who is bent on escaping a trip to the vet. Cronin is a master of tongue- in-cheek narrative, understatement, and one-line zingers. Vinnie Penna is well matched to this takeoff on vintage mysteries. He is clipped and tough as the veteran detective and superior and snide as Vince. He excels at delivering the one-liners--"life outside the shell not all it is cracked up to be"--in the deadest of deadpan. As mother Mooch, chick Sugar, and determined little Dirt, he shines. Penna uses pauses and speed to heighten the suspense, and jazzy music provides just the right background. A.R. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:3.8
  • Lexile® Measure:570
  • Interest Level:K-3(LG)
  • Text Difficulty:2-3

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