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Attack of the Giant Robot Chickens
Winner of a 2015 Scottish Children's Book Award Why did the chicken cross the road? TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!! The city of Aberdeen is being terrorized by giant robot chickens who want to peck out every last sign of human resistance. The streets are empty, the adults have vanished -- and those left behind are fighting for survival. Jesse and his friends are desperate to save their families and stop the feathered fiends. They hatch a master plan... but can a gang of kids REALLY defeat an army of angry robot chickens? A hilarious, weird and wonderful adventure from a cracking new author.
208 pages, Paperback
First published February 13, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 11, 2016
A Clever Parody, yet also a Perfectly Earnest Action/Adventure
This actually is a book about a gang of kids who have survived an attack from giant robot chickens and who are mounting a resistance effort against said giant robot chickens. But here's the beauty and appeal of the book - it is both a gentle and good humored parody of apocalyptic invasion fiction and an exciting, action filled, tense and suspenseful story in its own right.
It may be that the author makes this work because of his choice of protagonists. Jesse is a loner who hooks up with Rayna, an even more alone loner, as they work together and with other gangs of kids to figure out how to bring down the giant robot chickens who have wiped out all adults and have left Aberdeen a ghost town. Jesse has a cool, calm and knowing presence. He tells chicken jokes to break the tension in tight spots; he always seems to see and hear a bit more than the others; he is smart and resourceful; he has a very calm, controlled, rueful and grounded presence. He is both a careful survivor and a bigger than life con man. As a result he can sell both the outrageous comedy of the setup and the outrageous action of the setup, and make the reader go along with both.
Secondary characters aren't especially well developed, and the chicken villains never really come out of their shells, but there is authentic chemistry between Jesse and Rayna, and it powers an interesting story arc as they come to know and trust each other. Rayna starts out both tougher and yet more vulnerable than Jesse, and the way they develop into a team would shame many of the adult-oriented "buddy" novels and films that have come out recently.
The writing is crisp. Descriptions of abandoned Aberdeen, or of how much the lost kids miss their families, or of tense rounds of hide and seek conducted between the kids and their robot chicken pursuers, are surprisingly effective and actually establish an atmosphere of menace and uncertainty. This is punctuated from time to time by equally effective comic set pieces, (Jesse's attempt o fool a chicken worshipping cult into thinking he is the Chosen One is honestly funny.) It's not manic or flowery or over-the-top and the dead pan observations and delivery, again, help sell the premise. Here's the exchange between Jesse and Rayna after they are captured and held by that nutty gang of chicken worshippers: "Are you all right? You really don't seem yourself." She shook her head. "Of course I'm not all right, idiot. I'm tied to a chair and being held captive by a cult who want to give me to their chicken overlords. Who would be all right with this?" This is restrained, spirited stuff. It is tight and accomplished, without any wacka-wacka look-how-silly-and-clever-I-am showboating.
The upshot is that a middle grade reader ends up with a good story, interesting heroes, quality writing, some obvious laughs, some understated chuckles, and a very engaging and satisfying reading experience. I can't ask for more than that.
Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
This actually is a book about a gang of kids who have survived an attack from giant robot chickens and who are mounting a resistance effort against said giant robot chickens. But here's the beauty and appeal of the book - it is both a gentle and good humored parody of apocalyptic invasion fiction and an exciting, action filled, tense and suspenseful story in its own right.
It may be that the author makes this work because of his choice of protagonists. Jesse is a loner who hooks up with Rayna, an even more alone loner, as they work together and with other gangs of kids to figure out how to bring down the giant robot chickens who have wiped out all adults and have left Aberdeen a ghost town. Jesse has a cool, calm and knowing presence. He tells chicken jokes to break the tension in tight spots; he always seems to see and hear a bit more than the others; he is smart and resourceful; he has a very calm, controlled, rueful and grounded presence. He is both a careful survivor and a bigger than life con man. As a result he can sell both the outrageous comedy of the setup and the outrageous action of the setup, and make the reader go along with both.
Secondary characters aren't especially well developed, and the chicken villains never really come out of their shells, but there is authentic chemistry between Jesse and Rayna, and it powers an interesting story arc as they come to know and trust each other. Rayna starts out both tougher and yet more vulnerable than Jesse, and the way they develop into a team would shame many of the adult-oriented "buddy" novels and films that have come out recently.
The writing is crisp. Descriptions of abandoned Aberdeen, or of how much the lost kids miss their families, or of tense rounds of hide and seek conducted between the kids and their robot chicken pursuers, are surprisingly effective and actually establish an atmosphere of menace and uncertainty. This is punctuated from time to time by equally effective comic set pieces, (Jesse's attempt o fool a chicken worshipping cult into thinking he is the Chosen One is honestly funny.) It's not manic or flowery or over-the-top and the dead pan observations and delivery, again, help sell the premise. Here's the exchange between Jesse and Rayna after they are captured and held by that nutty gang of chicken worshippers: "Are you all right? You really don't seem yourself." She shook her head. "Of course I'm not all right, idiot. I'm tied to a chair and being held captive by a cult who want to give me to their chicken overlords. Who would be all right with this?" This is restrained, spirited stuff. It is tight and accomplished, without any wacka-wacka look-how-silly-and-clever-I-am showboating.
The upshot is that a middle grade reader ends up with a good story, interesting heroes, quality writing, some obvious laughs, some understated chuckles, and a very engaging and satisfying reading experience. I can't ask for more than that.
Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
August 20, 2017
Not sure I want to hear or read any more chicken jokes for a while... so many but some made me chuckle or is that cluck....
June 6, 2018
Very funny
September 22, 2016
This was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I started reading this with my little reluctant reader. He didn't like it. Somewhere towards the middle he just checked out. I, however, loved the absurdity of giant robot chickens attacking and taking over the world. That and all the chicken jokes! I never realized how many chicken jokes and puns one could come up with.
Perhaps the story didn’t interest my son. Maybe it moved too slowly for him. I’m not sure why he didn’t like it and I didn’t press it. The idea of reading with him is to interest him in various styles and genres, and to introduce him to something he might not otherwise pick up because it looked intimidating. He will read a book at, or slightly below, his reading level on his own. Not because he wants to, but because his teacher says he has to.
I’ve read that the best thing to do with reluctant readers is not to make reading a chore. It should be fun and appealing. It shouldn’t turn a child off to reading completely. Reading should be a pleasant experience, inviting and rewarding in the journey.
Okay, so it wasn’t something he wanted to invest time in even if I was reading it to him. I thought he would like the story. I mean, who wouldn’t like to read about chickens, giant robot ones at that, taking over the world? Maybe, it’s just me.
This was one of many books I checked out of the library. He doesn’t browse for books unelss he is at the bookstore or a book fair, so I do the browsing at the library for him. I wonder why that is. Maybe it has something to do with purchasing a book and being able to claim it as oppose to having to return it. If anyone can shed some light on this I am happy to listen.
Anyhow, this is not a book I would normally pick up for myself. As I liked it so much, I am going to read the sequel. There is a lot to the story than one would expect. It is well written, unpredictable, and funny, but still serious enough to tackle the problem of ridding humanity of the chickens. The characters, their situations, and their journey drew me in. Though written for children there was a lot I could appreciate as an adult and that is the mark of a great children’s book: everyone can enjoy it. Well, at least with the exception of my son.
I do recommend this book for readers of all ages for the pleasure of it. As for my reluctant reader, there are other books out there to try. Maybe we’ll revisit this one later; maybe we won’t. But I, for one, am glad to have read it.
Perhaps the story didn’t interest my son. Maybe it moved too slowly for him. I’m not sure why he didn’t like it and I didn’t press it. The idea of reading with him is to interest him in various styles and genres, and to introduce him to something he might not otherwise pick up because it looked intimidating. He will read a book at, or slightly below, his reading level on his own. Not because he wants to, but because his teacher says he has to.
I’ve read that the best thing to do with reluctant readers is not to make reading a chore. It should be fun and appealing. It shouldn’t turn a child off to reading completely. Reading should be a pleasant experience, inviting and rewarding in the journey.
Okay, so it wasn’t something he wanted to invest time in even if I was reading it to him. I thought he would like the story. I mean, who wouldn’t like to read about chickens, giant robot ones at that, taking over the world? Maybe, it’s just me.
This was one of many books I checked out of the library. He doesn’t browse for books unelss he is at the bookstore or a book fair, so I do the browsing at the library for him. I wonder why that is. Maybe it has something to do with purchasing a book and being able to claim it as oppose to having to return it. If anyone can shed some light on this I am happy to listen.
Anyhow, this is not a book I would normally pick up for myself. As I liked it so much, I am going to read the sequel. There is a lot to the story than one would expect. It is well written, unpredictable, and funny, but still serious enough to tackle the problem of ridding humanity of the chickens. The characters, their situations, and their journey drew me in. Though written for children there was a lot I could appreciate as an adult and that is the mark of a great children’s book: everyone can enjoy it. Well, at least with the exception of my son.
I do recommend this book for readers of all ages for the pleasure of it. As for my reluctant reader, there are other books out there to try. Maybe we’ll revisit this one later; maybe we won’t. But I, for one, am glad to have read it.
March 24, 2014
My review of: “Attack of the Giant Robot Chickens” by Alex McCall
Who loves zombies? Everyone! How can you not? I mean, zombies are wicked cool and there are so many movies and books about them. You just can’t go wrong with zombies…unless you’re in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Well, then, that would kind of suck.
Jesse’s big brother had a plan for everything. When the world ended, the apocalypse came—no matter what form in came in—he was ready. Even if it was his favorite, and my favorite too, zombies! But when the world as we know it ended it wasn’t zombies that took it down, nope. It was something far more terrifying…
Giant Robotic Chickens.
No one suspected. No one was prepared. No one knew what to do to stop them. So the chickens took us down.
I think “Attack of the Giant Robot Chickens” is one of the cutest books I’ve read in a long time, and I have three school aged kids so I’m reading, and reading and reading and then maybe, if I’m really, really lucky, I get to read a grown-up book.
My daughter who is starting to read chapter books loved “Robot Chickens.” She laughed at parts, she became worried in parts, and she developed a relationship with the characters as she read the book. I could see it in her expressions as she read and I could hear it in the changes in her voice.
This is a well though-out, very well written post-apocalyptic with a HEA for young readers. It teaches them the importance of building bonds, working together, and thinking of others’ needs. I highly recommend.
Who loves zombies? Everyone! How can you not? I mean, zombies are wicked cool and there are so many movies and books about them. You just can’t go wrong with zombies…unless you’re in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Well, then, that would kind of suck.
Jesse’s big brother had a plan for everything. When the world ended, the apocalypse came—no matter what form in came in—he was ready. Even if it was his favorite, and my favorite too, zombies! But when the world as we know it ended it wasn’t zombies that took it down, nope. It was something far more terrifying…
Giant Robotic Chickens.
No one suspected. No one was prepared. No one knew what to do to stop them. So the chickens took us down.
I think “Attack of the Giant Robot Chickens” is one of the cutest books I’ve read in a long time, and I have three school aged kids so I’m reading, and reading and reading and then maybe, if I’m really, really lucky, I get to read a grown-up book.
My daughter who is starting to read chapter books loved “Robot Chickens.” She laughed at parts, she became worried in parts, and she developed a relationship with the characters as she read the book. I could see it in her expressions as she read and I could hear it in the changes in her voice.
This is a well though-out, very well written post-apocalyptic with a HEA for young readers. It teaches them the importance of building bonds, working together, and thinking of others’ needs. I highly recommend.
June 8, 2018
Fast paced action with an unusual twist. What if the chickens which we keep as battery hens actually managed to rise up and take their revenge!!!
January 16, 2022
giant robot chickens, what's not to like?
May 7, 2014
The Chickens are Coming! The Chickens are Coming! Imagine waking up to find a giant, mechanical, robot chicken pecking into your window. Imagine that your parents and many of your loved ones have disappeared because these giant robot chickens have somehow landed in your town, Aberdeen, Scotland, and are running amok chomping up everything in their mad path. Imagine this, and you have Jesse, Sam, Noah, Rayna, Lizzie, the Library Gang, and a few other young survivors on a quest to destroy this fowl plague that has attacked not only your town, but other places around the world as well. And that is Attack of the Giant Robot Chickens by Alex McCall.
Prepare to embark on a journey both serious and ludicrous as this intrepid band - with one adult who thinks he can figure out how to diswing (disarm) these vicious dumb clucks - take on a foe that is larger than life. Better than zombies, better than aliens, better than a poison gas miasma that wipes out everything in their wake, these chickens pose a corny threat to every living thing. In fact, they have managed to co-opt some children into the Brotherhood of the Egg and dressed them in chicken costumes to do their bidding.
Can Jesse and his pals vanquish the giant robot chickens and bring order back to their part of the world and the world at large? Well, of course. HOW they do it is what makes this book, and you have to read it for yourself, because no review could do justice to the story that Alex McCall tells in this tail.
This book is for middle-schoolers, but this adult who loves a good chicken joke was rolling on the floor of her coop clucking her sides in hysterics. Read it and cheep.
WARNING: Contains bad puns, chicken jokes, and fowl language.
And, there are no spelling errors in this review.
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
Prepare to embark on a journey both serious and ludicrous as this intrepid band - with one adult who thinks he can figure out how to diswing (disarm) these vicious dumb clucks - take on a foe that is larger than life. Better than zombies, better than aliens, better than a poison gas miasma that wipes out everything in their wake, these chickens pose a corny threat to every living thing. In fact, they have managed to co-opt some children into the Brotherhood of the Egg and dressed them in chicken costumes to do their bidding.
Can Jesse and his pals vanquish the giant robot chickens and bring order back to their part of the world and the world at large? Well, of course. HOW they do it is what makes this book, and you have to read it for yourself, because no review could do justice to the story that Alex McCall tells in this tail.
This book is for middle-schoolers, but this adult who loves a good chicken joke was rolling on the floor of her coop clucking her sides in hysterics. Read it and cheep.
WARNING: Contains bad puns, chicken jokes, and fowl language.
And, there are no spelling errors in this review.
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
July 14, 2014
When I saw the title and read the snippet of this book, I thought it would be a fun and ridiculous book along the lines of Captain Underpants or Frannie K Stein. Unfortunately, I was mistaken. Alex McCall has certainly come up with a ridiculous plot line, even her characters think so. (Jesse, the main character, spends the entire book telling chicken jokes) And it is ridiculous, after all the apocalypse comes about because we are attacked by giant robot chickens?!? But then half way through she seems to forget she is writing a fun story and tries to turn it into a middle grade dystopian novel where the characters have to work out politics between different groups of kids. Then to top it all off she cuts of the ending. Right after the final battle, the book ends with the government (who we have not seen or heard from at all) coming on and basically saying, “don’t worry folks, it’s all gonna be ok.”
To be perfectly fair, I did enjoy about the first third. Jesse is funny and his first person narrative is a great view to see the world from and his early discussions with Rayna are sweet. They both share a little about themselves in a world gone absurd. But then they got into one situation and had to get into another situation to get out of it and another… It was just too much. It wasn’t a terribly long book but it was still too long. I just couldn’t stay with the “we are all still being taken over by chickens “and take it seriously enough. I was never concerned for the characters. I couldn’t get past even the characters saying, “is this really happening?!?” It was as if McCall could not decide if she was writing seriously or tongue in cheek. 2/5 stars.
To be perfectly fair, I did enjoy about the first third. Jesse is funny and his first person narrative is a great view to see the world from and his early discussions with Rayna are sweet. They both share a little about themselves in a world gone absurd. But then they got into one situation and had to get into another situation to get out of it and another… It was just too much. It wasn’t a terribly long book but it was still too long. I just couldn’t stay with the “we are all still being taken over by chickens “and take it seriously enough. I was never concerned for the characters. I couldn’t get past even the characters saying, “is this really happening?!?” It was as if McCall could not decide if she was writing seriously or tongue in cheek. 2/5 stars.
March 21, 2014
Jesse is alone in the city of Aberdeen, hiding with a few other kids in an abandoned train car from.....GIANT ROBOT CHICKENS! Yes, that's right GIANT ROBOT CHICKENS! Giant robot chickens invaded Aberdeen one summer and ate up all of the adults, especially the armies, but left all the kids to fend for themselves. Jesse is enlisted by the head of the train station gang to help a girl called the Ambassador with her plans to destroy the chickens once and for all.
This is a pretty solid middle grade action adventure. I know lots of kids who would be thrilled with a story of giant robot chickens. While I wasn't rushing through this, it did keep my attention for longer periods of time than I would like to admit (hey, everybody wants to know what happens to the giant chickens). My only question at the end of it all was did the chickens kill all the adults or were they in hiding in a different place? The world may never know.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.
This is a pretty solid middle grade action adventure. I know lots of kids who would be thrilled with a story of giant robot chickens. While I wasn't rushing through this, it did keep my attention for longer periods of time than I would like to admit (hey, everybody wants to know what happens to the giant chickens). My only question at the end of it all was did the chickens kill all the adults or were they in hiding in a different place? The world may never know.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.
February 23, 2014
So you’re an average kid trying to hide out with a bunch of other kids from what may be the end of the world! How is the world ending? It’s being taken over by…chickens!
This cracked me up! Laugh out loud funny and satiric too of all those
end of the world books that have come along – yup, it seems like the
end of the world all right – why? Because giant chicken robots are taken over, piloted by what you may have eaten last night!
This is a fast read, suspenseful and will keep you laughing – a must!
This cracked me up! Laugh out loud funny and satiric too of all those
end of the world books that have come along – yup, it seems like the
end of the world all right – why? Because giant chicken robots are taken over, piloted by what you may have eaten last night!
This is a fast read, suspenseful and will keep you laughing – a must!
March 1, 2016
the is one of the best books i have ever read in my life it had such a gripping storyline and i could not stop reading it like it was that i could not go to sleep knowing that i was so close to finishing it because towards the end it got so intense that i could not just stop, it had to be finished if you are reading this book and you have just started and you dont like it just keep reading and it will get better.
May 14, 2014
A funny exciting adventure story for middle grade readers. Suspenseful but no one dies (at the end of the final battle, the kids are at worst a little bruised) so good for kids who are sensitive to violence. Also no bad language and good messages about the strength of working together and not giving up.
July 31, 2014
The world is taken over by metallic chickens - can a group of children save humanity?
I thought this was a crazy idea for a story but it worked reasonably well, it could have done with being more sharply written but overall it was an entertaining read.
I thought this was a crazy idea for a story but it worked reasonably well, it could have done with being more sharply written but overall it was an entertaining read.
August 2, 2014
My daughter did not like this story. She normally likes storys about zombies and Robots and stuff. I dunno she just didnt enjoy this book.
December 17, 2016
good plot, great humour, fast moving.
October 11, 2016
Very good
It was a funny-action packed book and i really like the way he wrote the book. I keep on reading it every day.
It was a funny-action packed book and i really like the way he wrote the book. I keep on reading it every day.
April 4, 2015
Great for Adam Rex fans
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews