In this book, a boy whose nickname is Nick (short for Ivan Itch), becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to Henrietta the Giant Chicken and the boy, Bobowicz, who adopted her. Nick, whose parents are just the sort of parents you wish you had but are lucky you didn’t, has just moved to Hoboken in the middle of a summer heat wave. While his parents redecorate their house, Nick befriends a couple of neighbor kids named Bruno and Loretta. Together, the kids enjoy comic book versions of classic novels, exploring a cave, talking to bums, listening to a pirate radio station, and unravelling the mystery of a bike-stealing phantom and (yes, of course) a giant chicken.

This is a deliciously absurd story about the kind of summer vacation that any big-city kid would be lucky to have – the kind that small-town kids can only dream of. Read it, enjoy it, be warmed by its good-fellowship. This is a book about accepting differences (including really profound oddness), enjoying experiences that most people miss, and above all, being kind to chickens.

Robbie Fischer
USA

Recommended Age: 10+

If you would like to contact Robbie, you may do so here.