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Chickenhare #1
Chickenhare
Chickenhare: half chicken, half rabbit, 100% hero!
What's a chickenhare? A cross between a chicken and a rabbit, of course. And that makes Chickenhare the rarest animal around! So when he and his turtle friend Abe are captured and sold to the evil taxidermist Klaus, they've got to find a way to escape before Klaus turns them into stuffed animals. With the help of two other strange creatures, Banjo and Meg, they might even get away. But with Klaus and his thugs hot on their trail, the adventure is only just beginning for this unlikely quartet of friends.
What's a chickenhare? A cross between a chicken and a rabbit, of course. And that makes Chickenhare the rarest animal around! So when he and his turtle friend Abe are captured and sold to the evil taxidermist Klaus, they've got to find a way to escape before Klaus turns them into stuffed animals. With the help of two other strange creatures, Banjo and Meg, they might even get away. But with Klaus and his thugs hot on their trail, the adventure is only just beginning for this unlikely quartet of friends.
160 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2006
12 people are currently reading
330 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
August 23, 2017
I am really not sure if this book is for children...!
October 13, 2014
Chickenhare and Abe the hairy turtle are captured and sold to a collector of rare animals. A collector who, ever since the escape of his beloved goat, likes to ensure his animals stay put by killing them and stuffing them. Chickenhare, Abe, and two other captive animals manage to escape, but the collector is hot on their trail.
This was...odd. It has a pretty straightforward plot for the most part, but then you throw in Chickenhare's random encounter with a ghostly goat, and the way the animals severely beat up Klaus and his henchmen...and it just comes off as an odd mix. I'm not sure who the target audience is supposed to be. The cutesy animals would seem to be more kiddy, but the content is not always the most kid-friendly.
Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. Three men are beat up rather severely. Numerous animals are portrayed as killed by Klaus. One man is thrown out a window. Another man is tricked into walking on thin ice and drowns. One ghost goat with a partially decayed body features in the story.
This was...odd. It has a pretty straightforward plot for the most part, but then you throw in Chickenhare's random encounter with a ghostly goat, and the way the animals severely beat up Klaus and his henchmen...and it just comes off as an odd mix. I'm not sure who the target audience is supposed to be. The cutesy animals would seem to be more kiddy, but the content is not always the most kid-friendly.
Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. Three men are beat up rather severely. Numerous animals are portrayed as killed by Klaus. One man is thrown out a window. Another man is tricked into walking on thin ice and drowns. One ghost goat with a partially decayed body features in the story.
April 26, 2015
I picked this book up at half price books out of pure curiosity. It ended up being a cute and somewhat bizarre middle grade graphic novel and I enjoyed it.
Chickenhare (yes, he is half chicken and half hare) and Abe (a turtle with a strange beard) are sold to an evil taxidermist named Klaus. Klaus is obsessed with strange animals and Chickenhare and Abe must escape before they are stuffed. They end up escaping with two other strange animals, Meg and Banjo, into a deep dark cave where they find that there are other dangers outside of Klaus that are just as deadly. Oh, and I should mention that Chickenhare is being haunted by the ghost of a goat...yes it all ties together eventually.
This is a well done but very bizarre graphic novel. The theme throughout is pretty morbid. Basically Klaus is a very emotionally damaged man who likes to snuggle with the dead animals he kills and stuffs...this man has serious mental issues.
It gets even weirder when Chickenhare finds the dead rotting body of the goat who has been haunting him. The goat, Buttons, decides to reinhabit his dead body and then for the vast portion of the story Chickenhare is dragging around a dead goat body.
All the above being said, despite the morbid oddness of this story I ended up liking it. I can honestly say I have never read anything like this book. It was well written and engaging...and just downright strange.
The illustration throughout is brightly colored, easy to follow, and very well done. However, I do have a bit of trouble figuring out what demographic this was written for. It’s targeted at a middle grade audience but I think it might be a bit too out there for most kids in that age group to really get it. That, and as I said, it’s pretty darn morbid.
Overall this was an entertaining and bizarre graphic novel. I ended up enjoying it and it’s very different from other middle grade fantasy graphic novels out there. I would recommend to fans of the Bones graphic novels by Jeff Smith or the Amulet graphic novels by Kazu Kibuishi. However, this graphic novel isn’t as good as either of those… That being said I will probably go ahead and read the next one in the series because it was well done and was strange enough to intrigue me.
Chickenhare (yes, he is half chicken and half hare) and Abe (a turtle with a strange beard) are sold to an evil taxidermist named Klaus. Klaus is obsessed with strange animals and Chickenhare and Abe must escape before they are stuffed. They end up escaping with two other strange animals, Meg and Banjo, into a deep dark cave where they find that there are other dangers outside of Klaus that are just as deadly. Oh, and I should mention that Chickenhare is being haunted by the ghost of a goat...yes it all ties together eventually.
This is a well done but very bizarre graphic novel. The theme throughout is pretty morbid. Basically Klaus is a very emotionally damaged man who likes to snuggle with the dead animals he kills and stuffs...this man has serious mental issues.
It gets even weirder when Chickenhare finds the dead rotting body of the goat who has been haunting him. The goat, Buttons, decides to reinhabit his dead body and then for the vast portion of the story Chickenhare is dragging around a dead goat body.
All the above being said, despite the morbid oddness of this story I ended up liking it. I can honestly say I have never read anything like this book. It was well written and engaging...and just downright strange.
The illustration throughout is brightly colored, easy to follow, and very well done. However, I do have a bit of trouble figuring out what demographic this was written for. It’s targeted at a middle grade audience but I think it might be a bit too out there for most kids in that age group to really get it. That, and as I said, it’s pretty darn morbid.
Overall this was an entertaining and bizarre graphic novel. I ended up enjoying it and it’s very different from other middle grade fantasy graphic novels out there. I would recommend to fans of the Bones graphic novels by Jeff Smith or the Amulet graphic novels by Kazu Kibuishi. However, this graphic novel isn’t as good as either of those… That being said I will probably go ahead and read the next one in the series because it was well done and was strange enough to intrigue me.
October 30, 2015
This book was just really, really funny but at some parts it was actually sad. There was a part where the evil tax collected Klaus lost his Pet goat named Mr. Buttons and Chickenhare divices a plan to catch Klaus. While making this plan they also had Mr. Buttons with them and he could speak just like the others. So what happened was Klaus went to them and they said they had Mr. Buttons and then when gets there's he gets on Thin ice and goes done with Mr. Buttons. This part made me a little sad. There were a lot of funny parts to like when Devil made fun of the girl saying " Ha Ha you and Turtle are dating". She got made and started to attack him which actully made me laugh pretty hard. I really love this book and I would recommend it to any type of reader that enjoys a lot bit of comedy mixed in with a little twist of sadness. Thanks for reading my review!
January 26, 2018
Strange, but engaging tale about a brutal master and the taxidermy obsession he has developed.
I didn't realize that it is the first book in a series until I started to input this review. But the story leaves off at a point that lends itself naturally to a sequel, if not many more books.
I didn't realize that it is the first book in a series until I started to input this review. But the story leaves off at a point that lends itself naturally to a sequel, if not many more books.
October 18, 2011
Chickenhare (a cross between a chicken and a hare of course) and his bearded turtle pal Abe have been abducted, and are on their way to be sold to Klaus. A rather insane taxidermist that doesn't like to let his pets go (hence the taxidermy.) That way he's always surrounded by them and they'll never, never leave him. Klaus's lair is in the middle of nowhere and it's freezing cold, but Chickenhare and Abe do their best to stand up for themselves, with the help of two new rather mysterious friends. But can they escape Klaus's evil lair? Or will the cold do them all in? Read on for an adventure like no other.
I picked this book up by chance, because the cover just looked...interesting. So I decided to give it a read and it's not a bad little story. It's got plenty of action and adventure to it with some snarky humor. And even though the one female character (an elf?) is shown on the cover kinda of hiding behind Abe she's really a rather strong individual and doesn't take gruff from anyone. My one complaint is that it feels like we're just tossed into the middle of the story. We never find out how or why Abe and Chickenhare got kidnapped. It's not a big thing, but I like to know...where did they come from? How did they get to wherever they are? Perhaps future volumes will share this info...but for now it remains unanswered. But if you imagine that you've already been told that part (just make something up) it's good adventure with some interesting characters. The simplistic artwork works well with the story and the characters are well designed.
I'd recommend this for kids middle school and up.
I picked this book up by chance, because the cover just looked...interesting. So I decided to give it a read and it's not a bad little story. It's got plenty of action and adventure to it with some snarky humor. And even though the one female character (an elf?) is shown on the cover kinda of hiding behind Abe she's really a rather strong individual and doesn't take gruff from anyone. My one complaint is that it feels like we're just tossed into the middle of the story. We never find out how or why Abe and Chickenhare got kidnapped. It's not a big thing, but I like to know...where did they come from? How did they get to wherever they are? Perhaps future volumes will share this info...but for now it remains unanswered. But if you imagine that you've already been told that part (just make something up) it's good adventure with some interesting characters. The simplistic artwork works well with the story and the characters are well designed.
I'd recommend this for kids middle school and up.
Read
February 25, 2016I decided to read the book because of its interesting yet unusual appearance. I had never seen a book as different as the "chickenhare". From the moment i saw the book I knew I had to read it. I like this book because of its creative ideas and thoughts. The creativity was limitless. It was about a chicken crossed with a hare and his friend , the bearded turtle. Something I learnt from this book would be to keep on pushing forward no mater how hard it might get, to never give up. I also learnt to overcome your obstacles using what ever you have , to think of a solution rather then giving up. A character that I found rather interesting would be the dead goat Mr Buttons. Mr buttons was a character that was abandoned. He was tortured . I found him interesting because his ghost was different from everyone. He help guild the heroes to victory. Even if he was not he main character he showed great courage . Later on in the book he comes back to life and then dies again to save his friends. This bravery is what I found interesting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2015
Chickenhare
By
Chris Grine
I really liked Chickenhare a lot because I don’t read books like this that often. Most of the book takes place outside in the wild but some of the book is inside of a big house A.K.A. a mansion. The four main characters in the book are Chickenhare, Abe ,Banjo, and Meg. Since all of them are animals there is a man trying to fill them with fluff. In the and they stop him and then continue on their adventure. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes graphic novels because it is filled with funny comments, action, and some just moments that you can’t help but laugh at.
By
Chris Grine
I really liked Chickenhare a lot because I don’t read books like this that often. Most of the book takes place outside in the wild but some of the book is inside of a big house A.K.A. a mansion. The four main characters in the book are Chickenhare, Abe ,Banjo, and Meg. Since all of them are animals there is a man trying to fill them with fluff. In the and they stop him and then continue on their adventure. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes graphic novels because it is filled with funny comments, action, and some just moments that you can’t help but laugh at.
March 13, 2014
The artwork is beautiful. This is a pretty slight adventure and the characters are pretty thinly developed. I suspect the story becomes more interesting as the saga continues.
I know some boys in my class who will love this book and I am excited to hand it off to them.
I know some boys in my class who will love this book and I am excited to hand it off to them.
November 8, 2021
It’s a cold dark night when Chickenhare, whose top half belongs to the order Lagomorpha (rabbits and hares) but his legs are definitely Galliformes (ground feeding birds) and Abe the bearded turtle are sold to the evil taxidermist Klaus as exotic pets. Klaus loves his pets so much that he never wants to lose another one. His solution to avoid the grief he felt when his beloved goat ran away years ago is to kill and stuff all his subsequent acquisitions. So, when Chickenhare and Abe find themselves in birdcages along with two other new inmates Meg and Banjo in the tower of Klaus’s drafty castle, the quartet comes up with a plan. In the words of monkey shaped Banjo, “WE GOTTA GET OTTA HERE!”
Which they do in a daring and dramatic dash which leaves them outside in a dark freezing arctic wilderness of snow and ice covered peaks, a wilderness filled with the Shromph, “nasty creature with razor-sharp teeth,” and an occasional ghost with Klaus and his evil crew of servants in pursuit.
Will they survive their chilling plight? As in Grine’s other adventure comic, Secrets of Camp Whatever Vol. 1, sometimes you can’t be sure from where help might arrive, or who to trust, especially if one of your party turns out to be
Which they do in a daring and dramatic dash which leaves them outside in a dark freezing arctic wilderness of snow and ice covered peaks, a wilderness filled with the Shromph, “nasty creature with razor-sharp teeth,” and an occasional ghost with Klaus and his evil crew of servants in pursuit.
Will they survive their chilling plight? As in Grine’s other adventure comic, Secrets of Camp Whatever Vol. 1, sometimes you can’t be sure from where help might arrive, or who to trust, especially if one of your party turns out to be
March 30, 2022
Chickenhare is a one of a kind being, with the body of a rabbit, legs of a chicken, and fur and feathers all over. Which is why he finds himself, along with his bearded box turtle friend Abe, being taken to Klaus, a fan of the bizarre…in taxidermed form. In the snowy path to Klaus’ mansion, though, a mysterious goat ghost speaks to Chickenhare. So begins a journey of twisted taxidermy, eventful escapades, ghastly ghosts, and contrary colleagues.
In increasing the number of Chris Grine’s works that I have read, I am discovering more and more how interesting his supernatural/bizarre beings/creatures can be, and am thoroughly enjoying their creativity and diversity. Even the more creepy ones (yes, I’m looking at you, Mr. Buttons). This story introduces us to the aforementioned Chickenhare and Abe, but also the shrimps, Banjo the monkey (?), and Meg the…witch? Let’s just say they’re all equally fantastical creatures, just trying to survive Klaus and his servants Fingerbones, Plumms, Beef and Patty.
At times it’s a bit wild, just right for an active middle grade reader, and other times gave me slight pause at wondering why Grine did that (you’ll know it when you get to it with Mr. Buttons) – but it did work out, in the end. It does make me curious about the movie Chickenhare, though, and what the studio did with the story for that – guess I should start by reading the second volume, though!
In increasing the number of Chris Grine’s works that I have read, I am discovering more and more how interesting his supernatural/bizarre beings/creatures can be, and am thoroughly enjoying their creativity and diversity. Even the more creepy ones (yes, I’m looking at you, Mr. Buttons). This story introduces us to the aforementioned Chickenhare and Abe, but also the shrimps, Banjo the monkey (?), and Meg the…witch? Let’s just say they’re all equally fantastical creatures, just trying to survive Klaus and his servants Fingerbones, Plumms, Beef and Patty.
At times it’s a bit wild, just right for an active middle grade reader, and other times gave me slight pause at wondering why Grine did that (you’ll know it when you get to it with Mr. Buttons) – but it did work out, in the end. It does make me curious about the movie Chickenhare, though, and what the studio did with the story for that – guess I should start by reading the second volume, though!
January 27, 2024
This was in the juvenile fiction section at our library. I am cool with my 11 year old reading it but I would probably gear it more towards a YA audience.
The creepy taxidermist wants to kill and stuff the cute animals so they can’t ever leave him. The cute creatures escape after they cause a henchman to fall out a window. The taxidermist and his henchmen persue them. After becoming separated from the group Chickenhare befriends the ghost of a goat, Buttons, who leads him to the goat’s partially decayed body. As he drags the body through the cave it defrosts enough that the ghost can reanimate it. Meanwhile, the other creatures become captured by a tribe of little creatures who wish to eat them. They all team up to stop the taxidermist who the trick into walking out onto some ice where he falls through, with the ghost goat, and dies. The other creatures celebrate and head on their marry way thanking the tribe of cave creatures for the hospitality (food and warm cloaks) only to find out they ate the henchmen.
It was a quick read but rather dark for the juvenile section.
The creepy taxidermist wants to kill and stuff the cute animals so they can’t ever leave him. The cute creatures escape after they cause a henchman to fall out a window. The taxidermist and his henchmen persue them. After becoming separated from the group Chickenhare befriends the ghost of a goat, Buttons, who leads him to the goat’s partially decayed body. As he drags the body through the cave it defrosts enough that the ghost can reanimate it. Meanwhile, the other creatures become captured by a tribe of little creatures who wish to eat them. They all team up to stop the taxidermist who the trick into walking out onto some ice where he falls through, with the ghost goat, and dies. The other creatures celebrate and head on their marry way thanking the tribe of cave creatures for the hospitality (food and warm cloaks) only to find out they ate the henchmen.
It was a quick read but rather dark for the juvenile section.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 3, 2017
Genre - Graphic Novel
Grade Level -4-5
Unique - This is my first graphic novel ever read, and I didn't know what to think at first. It was a strange to me at first and at times it was hard to enjoy the reading, but I began to get used to the book. The most unique part of this book was the graphics and how they told the story with minimal writing. I understand this is the goal of a graphic novel, but with this being the first I've read it was unique.
Grade Level -4-5
Unique - This is my first graphic novel ever read, and I didn't know what to think at first. It was a strange to me at first and at times it was hard to enjoy the reading, but I began to get used to the book. The most unique part of this book was the graphics and how they told the story with minimal writing. I understand this is the goal of a graphic novel, but with this being the first I've read it was unique.
December 26, 2017
There's some good stuff in here, but ultimately it feels like a super tiny piece of something bigger. We don't know anything about Chickenhare or his turtle friend including where they came from or how they ended up in the situation we find them in at the beginning of the story. The entire story takes place on a snowy mountain or in a snowy cave on the mountain (with a brief scene inside a castle/mansion and its dungeon) and thus we aren't clear about what's normal and what isn't within the context of this world. It was kinda funny and weird, but as a story it was really lacking a lot.
January 8, 2018
its cool and good with action and is funny
September 3, 2018
Little weird but a good action book
September 9, 2018
I'm reading graphic novels to push myself out of a reading slump. This was a page turner . Chickenhare and turtle escape and rescue animals from an evil taxidermist.
December 28, 2018
Funny, kooky and a little bit gross - this was not for me but I’m pretty sure the kids will love it
November 18, 2019
Great story with cool characters
March 14, 2020
Hehe this book has a lot of secrets.
November 25, 2020
This definitely falls into the “what the heck did I just read” category. My middle schools students will love it though.
January 25, 2022
Intresting story, with a cliffhanger and great art. Its got my attention.
December 22, 2022
Really dark
February 15, 2023
Kinda not suitable for kids. I enjoyed it nonetheless.
March 28, 2023
Weird little graphic novel, but overall a good time.
February 10, 2017
Chickenhare
Chickenhare (he is half chicken and half hare) and Abe (a turtle that wears a hat and has a beard) are sold to an evil taxidermist named Klaus. Klaus is obsessed with strange animals and Chickenhare and Abe must escape before they are stuffed. They end up escaping with two other strange animals, Meg and Banjo, into a deep dark cave where they find that there are other dangers outside of Klaus that are just as deadly. Oh, and I should mention that Chickenhare is being haunted by the ghost of a goat...yes it all ties together at the end.
This is a well done but very weird graphic novel. The theme throughout is pretty strange. Basically Klaus is a very crazy man who likes to snuggle with the dead animals he kills and stuffs...this man has serious issues.
It gets even weirder when Chickenhare finds the dead rotting body of the goat who has been haunting him. The goat, Buttons, decides to reinhabit his dead body and then for the vast portion of the story Chickenhare is dragging around a dead goat body which is pretty sad and sick.
All the above being said, despite the morbid oddness of this story I ended up liking it. I can honestly say I have never read anything like this book. It was well written and had that feeling that keeps you on your toes...plus just downright strange.
The picture throughout is brightly colored, easy to follow, and very well done. However, I do have a bit of trouble figuring out what the picture was written for. It’s great for kids from 7-9 grade in my opinion, but I think it might be a bit too hard for most kids in that age group to really get it. That, and as I said, it’s pretty darn dark and creepy.
Overall this was an entertaining and weird graphic novel. I ended up enjoying it and it’s very different from other graphic novels out there. I would recommend to people who liked the bone series the Bones graphic novels or the Amulet graphic novels. However, this graphic novel isn’t as good as either of those… That being said I going to leave it there so I hope you liked my review.
Chickenhare (he is half chicken and half hare) and Abe (a turtle that wears a hat and has a beard) are sold to an evil taxidermist named Klaus. Klaus is obsessed with strange animals and Chickenhare and Abe must escape before they are stuffed. They end up escaping with two other strange animals, Meg and Banjo, into a deep dark cave where they find that there are other dangers outside of Klaus that are just as deadly. Oh, and I should mention that Chickenhare is being haunted by the ghost of a goat...yes it all ties together at the end.
This is a well done but very weird graphic novel. The theme throughout is pretty strange. Basically Klaus is a very crazy man who likes to snuggle with the dead animals he kills and stuffs...this man has serious issues.
It gets even weirder when Chickenhare finds the dead rotting body of the goat who has been haunting him. The goat, Buttons, decides to reinhabit his dead body and then for the vast portion of the story Chickenhare is dragging around a dead goat body which is pretty sad and sick.
All the above being said, despite the morbid oddness of this story I ended up liking it. I can honestly say I have never read anything like this book. It was well written and had that feeling that keeps you on your toes...plus just downright strange.
The picture throughout is brightly colored, easy to follow, and very well done. However, I do have a bit of trouble figuring out what the picture was written for. It’s great for kids from 7-9 grade in my opinion, but I think it might be a bit too hard for most kids in that age group to really get it. That, and as I said, it’s pretty darn dark and creepy.
Overall this was an entertaining and weird graphic novel. I ended up enjoying it and it’s very different from other graphic novels out there. I would recommend to people who liked the bone series the Bones graphic novels or the Amulet graphic novels. However, this graphic novel isn’t as good as either of those… That being said I going to leave it there so I hope you liked my review.
January 13, 2017
Ten Second Synopsis:
When Chickenhare and his friend Abe are sold by their owner to the local crazy taxidermist, they are forced to join forces with two other captives, a monkey and a pixie-girl, in order to escape. Along with the corpse of a goat and a cave-full of mini-troll monsters, they must battle the crazy taxidermist and win back their freedom.
I've had this one on my TBR shelf for about four months or so after I impulse bought it because it sounded wacky. Wacky it certainly is, and I didn't quite expect how dark it would get in some places. I'd have to say that while middle graders could certainly read and enjoy this, it's probably more suited to slightly older readers who aren't easily shocked (or grossed out).
So Chickenhare and Abe are sold to a taxidermist and in order to affect an escape, they must team up with a mad monkey (or is he?) and a strange girl creature with horns. All is not so simple as it seems however, because Klaus, the taxidermist, has vowed never to let any of his "pets" escape since he lost his most beloved animal, a goat called Mr Buttons. Whacking and falling out of windows ensues (on the part of the enemy) and while our heroic quartet manage to escape, it is out of the frying pan and into the fire as the team tries to navigate pitch dark tunnels that are plagued with Shromph, little trollish creatures with big pointy teeth.
And this is where the goat corpse comes in. I don't want to spoil it for you, but just be warned that the half decomposed corpse of Mr Buttons plays a major role in the denouement of this adventure. I will readily admit that it is easily the best characterisation of a deceased goat that I have yet seen in children's literature.
The story ends on a mild cliffhanger and while there were certainly parts of this that had me going "Eeergh", "Blaaagh" and "Oooh, that's not cricket!" respectively, I do actually want to know what happens to our four friends because there is a bit of a suggestion that at least two of them may not be exactly what they seem.
Again, even though the art style is quite colourful and cartoonish, the content and tone of the book is probably best suited to the YA aged reader and above.
When Chickenhare and his friend Abe are sold by their owner to the local crazy taxidermist, they are forced to join forces with two other captives, a monkey and a pixie-girl, in order to escape. Along with the corpse of a goat and a cave-full of mini-troll monsters, they must battle the crazy taxidermist and win back their freedom.
I've had this one on my TBR shelf for about four months or so after I impulse bought it because it sounded wacky. Wacky it certainly is, and I didn't quite expect how dark it would get in some places. I'd have to say that while middle graders could certainly read and enjoy this, it's probably more suited to slightly older readers who aren't easily shocked (or grossed out).
So Chickenhare and Abe are sold to a taxidermist and in order to affect an escape, they must team up with a mad monkey (or is he?) and a strange girl creature with horns. All is not so simple as it seems however, because Klaus, the taxidermist, has vowed never to let any of his "pets" escape since he lost his most beloved animal, a goat called Mr Buttons. Whacking and falling out of windows ensues (on the part of the enemy) and while our heroic quartet manage to escape, it is out of the frying pan and into the fire as the team tries to navigate pitch dark tunnels that are plagued with Shromph, little trollish creatures with big pointy teeth.
And this is where the goat corpse comes in. I don't want to spoil it for you, but just be warned that the half decomposed corpse of Mr Buttons plays a major role in the denouement of this adventure. I will readily admit that it is easily the best characterisation of a deceased goat that I have yet seen in children's literature.
The story ends on a mild cliffhanger and while there were certainly parts of this that had me going "Eeergh", "Blaaagh" and "Oooh, that's not cricket!" respectively, I do actually want to know what happens to our four friends because there is a bit of a suggestion that at least two of them may not be exactly what they seem.
Again, even though the art style is quite colourful and cartoonish, the content and tone of the book is probably best suited to the YA aged reader and above.
April 16, 2013
Joint review with L, age 11
L: This was a great book, full of action and fighting. My favourite characters were Abe and Banjo because they were funny. Chickenhare was a cross between a chicken and a hare (a rabbit) and it's kind of a weird mix, but it works. My favourite part was when they were fighting the evil taxidermist, Klaus, in the cave because there was a lot of fighting and there were lots of pictures about it. This book is good for boys and girls, ages 11 and up, because it's really adventurous. 10 year olds might like it too. This is especially good for people who have read Bone or Amulet or other graphic novels.
Banjo and Meg fight all the time, and it was funny at times, but sometimes it was annoying. Overall, though, I really liked the book, and I really want to read another book in this series. The end is kind of a cliffhanger, so beware if you don't like those kinds of things, but I really want to read another. I hope that the next book has the boat sinking and everyone gets stranded on an island because that would be cool.
J: This is a great graphic novel that talks about friendship and the value of sticking together, but not in any kind of preachy way. The illustrations are easy to follow, and draw the kids in quickly. L was completely engaged in this book, and read it in one sitting. The concept of the taxidermy may be frightening for some younger readers, but, in L's words, it just gets a little weird at times. Klaus isn't really a bad guy; instead he's just kind of a creepy guy who likes animals so much that he wants to keep them forever. Listen, it's a book about a chicken and hare cross, so we're already looking at something out of the norm!
HIghly recommended read - can't wait for book 2 .
L: This was a great book, full of action and fighting. My favourite characters were Abe and Banjo because they were funny. Chickenhare was a cross between a chicken and a hare (a rabbit) and it's kind of a weird mix, but it works. My favourite part was when they were fighting the evil taxidermist, Klaus, in the cave because there was a lot of fighting and there were lots of pictures about it. This book is good for boys and girls, ages 11 and up, because it's really adventurous. 10 year olds might like it too. This is especially good for people who have read Bone or Amulet or other graphic novels.
Banjo and Meg fight all the time, and it was funny at times, but sometimes it was annoying. Overall, though, I really liked the book, and I really want to read another book in this series. The end is kind of a cliffhanger, so beware if you don't like those kinds of things, but I really want to read another. I hope that the next book has the boat sinking and everyone gets stranded on an island because that would be cool.
J: This is a great graphic novel that talks about friendship and the value of sticking together, but not in any kind of preachy way. The illustrations are easy to follow, and draw the kids in quickly. L was completely engaged in this book, and read it in one sitting. The concept of the taxidermy may be frightening for some younger readers, but, in L's words, it just gets a little weird at times. Klaus isn't really a bad guy; instead he's just kind of a creepy guy who likes animals so much that he wants to keep them forever. Listen, it's a book about a chicken and hare cross, so we're already looking at something out of the norm!
HIghly recommended read - can't wait for book 2 .
May 27, 2013
As I was entering this book into my database I discovered that it had been published previously by Dark Horse. No mention of this is made on the copyright page. Fortunately sample pages of the original, still in print, are available online for viewing and after comparing them I can see that the new edition by Scholastic has first and foremost been colourized (the original is b/w) and secondly been edited to make it more suitable for children. I get the feeling the original was written for an older audience. Example of edits from the sample: "idiots" becomes "fools"; "You suck" becomes "You smell like cheese". I liked this book; it is a dark, creepy story that deals with abuse though the subject matter may fly over the heads of the publisher's recommended age group 8-12. A more mature mind readily sees the sometimes implied dark world and violence hiding very close to the surface. There is a dead animal who comes back to life complete with broken legs and rib bones visible. The animal ran away because he was abused but blames himself for his tormentor's now murderous evil ways ... if only he had stayed!? All the bad guys meet their fate at the end in quite gruesome ways. So, overall the story is quite deceiving from the cute cover and artwork found within. Now, personally, I like dark, creepy stories and read this very quickly in one sitting finding it's black humour witty, seeing the message below the surface, and a fun read. However, I'm not sure I would recommend it to Scholastic's audience. I let my 13yo read it and he didn't get it. His verdict was "weird" as he handed the book back to me.
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