Into the Wild: Yet Another Misadventure (Chicken Squad #3)

Many illustrations and frequent word repetition (not to mention the giggle-inducing high jinks) make this series a great choice for those new to chapters.... Long may these clueless chicks cluck!

Gr 1-3--The short, fuzzy, yellow chick detectives are back for another misadventure in this lip-bitingly funny series entry by the author of The Trouble with Chickens (HarperCollins, 2011), which stars the chicks' ex-police dog pal, J.J. Tully. As in past installments, the hard-boiled Tully introduces readers to Barbara's backyard and the motley crew of pet chicks who spend their days investigating oddities, devising plans, staking out suspicious characters, and generally causing an adorable ruckus. Once again, know-it-all Sugar leads the way, roping her siblings into spying on a strange new box in the yard--could it be a shark?! Though levelheaded Dirt drolly deduces that their new neighbor is a rabbit, Sugar, Sweetie, and Poppy are convinced that the new creature is up to no good. When the hatch door is found open, the squad goes on a search-and-contain mission, armed with marshmallows. Gilpin's comically expressive black-and-white drawings pepper almost every page, and the typeface is generously sized, making this an ideal series for newly independent readers. The slight sarcasm, witty banter, and sly observations in the style of old-time noir films will have adults chuckling right alongside kid readers. VERDICT This volume, along with the previous books in the series, is an essential purchase for chapter book collections.--Kiera Parrott, School Library Journal

This third book in the Chicken Squad series finds the investigative team of Dirt, Sugar, Poppy, and Sweetie trying to solve a mystery involving a box made of wood and wire that has appeared in the yard. Dirt, whose mix of no- nonsense gruffness and utter incompetence offers big laughs throughout the story, is certain that it's a "top-secret maximum-security box" and that "we are all in imminent danger." Luckily, cooler (and more logical) heads prevail, and the truth turns out to be a lot fluffier. Gilpin's black-and-white spot illustrations adeptly replicate the look Kevin Cornell established in the previous books as Cronin humorously explores the differences between facts and speculation, spying and observing, and rain and other things that sprinkle. Ages 7-10. Author's agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. Illustrator's agency: Shannon Associates. (May)