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Zack and the Turkey Attack
A boy must outsmart a tormenting turkey and solve the mystery surrounding some missing jewelry in this feel-good middle grade novel from the Newbery Award–winning author of the Shiloh series.
Zack has a problem. A turkey problem. A TOM turkey to be exact. Every weekend Zack goes to his grandparents’ farm with his father. As soon as he and his dad pull up in the truck, that ol’ Tom turkey’s right there, waiting , ready to peck, peck, peck at Zack’s legs. Now, Zack isn’t usually a scaredy-cat but this is different. The bird is flat out mean, and has clearly got it out for Zack. His best friend Matthew thinks he’s exaggerating, so one weekend Zack brings him along and sure enough the turkey is laying in wait…this time for them both! The boys realize they need something to turn the tables, so they decide to build—in Rube Goldberg style—a giant LOUD contraption to scare the turkey away for good.
What the boys don’t count on is the seemingly know-it-all neighbor Josie’s news that there’s a mysterious robber prowling around the neighborhood. Bracelets, necklaces, and coins have gone missing, and the odd thing is that the robber leaves V-shaped footprints…
Zack has a problem. A turkey problem. A TOM turkey to be exact. Every weekend Zack goes to his grandparents’ farm with his father. As soon as he and his dad pull up in the truck, that ol’ Tom turkey’s right there, waiting , ready to peck, peck, peck at Zack’s legs. Now, Zack isn’t usually a scaredy-cat but this is different. The bird is flat out mean, and has clearly got it out for Zack. His best friend Matthew thinks he’s exaggerating, so one weekend Zack brings him along and sure enough the turkey is laying in wait…this time for them both! The boys realize they need something to turn the tables, so they decide to build—in Rube Goldberg style—a giant LOUD contraption to scare the turkey away for good.
What the boys don’t count on is the seemingly know-it-all neighbor Josie’s news that there’s a mysterious robber prowling around the neighborhood. Bracelets, necklaces, and coins have gone missing, and the odd thing is that the robber leaves V-shaped footprints…
176 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2017
1 person is currently reading
59 people want to read
About the author
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
201 books1,038 followersPhyllis Reynolds Naylor was born in Anderson, Indiana, US on January 4, 1933.
Her family were strongly religious with conservative, midwestern values and most of her childhood was spent moving a lot due to her father's occupation as a salesman.
Though she grew up during the Depression and her family did not have a lot of money, Naylor stated that she never felt poor because her family owned good books. Her parents enjoyed reading stories to the children--her father would imitate the characters in Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer--and her mother read to them every evening, "almost until we were old enough to go out on dates, though we never would have admitted this to anyone."
By the time Phyllis reached fifth grade, writing books was her favorite hobby and she would rush home from school each day to write down whatever plot had been forming in her head - at sixteen her first story was published in a local church magazine.
Phyllis has written over 80 books for children and young people. One of these books, "Shiloh," was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1992, was named a Notable Children's Book by the American Library Association and was also Young Adult Choice by the International Reading Association.
Naylor gets her ideas from things that happen to her or from things she has read. "Shiloh" was inspired by a little abused dog she and her husband found. The little dog haunted her so much that she had to write a story about him to get it out of her mind.
Her family were strongly religious with conservative, midwestern values and most of her childhood was spent moving a lot due to her father's occupation as a salesman.
Though she grew up during the Depression and her family did not have a lot of money, Naylor stated that she never felt poor because her family owned good books. Her parents enjoyed reading stories to the children--her father would imitate the characters in Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer--and her mother read to them every evening, "almost until we were old enough to go out on dates, though we never would have admitted this to anyone."
By the time Phyllis reached fifth grade, writing books was her favorite hobby and she would rush home from school each day to write down whatever plot had been forming in her head - at sixteen her first story was published in a local church magazine.
Phyllis has written over 80 books for children and young people. One of these books, "Shiloh," was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1992, was named a Notable Children's Book by the American Library Association and was also Young Adult Choice by the International Reading Association.
Naylor gets her ideas from things that happen to her or from things she has read. "Shiloh" was inspired by a little abused dog she and her husband found. The little dog haunted her so much that she had to write a story about him to get it out of her mind.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 23, 2023
This book looked very promising. Alas, that promise was broken. Zack is a whiny little wuss. His friend, Matthew, is a jerk. Josie is just plain stupid. I know they are all children, but gee whiz. The story may be about a turkey, but Zack and Matthew are chickens. These children spend the entire book working their collective butts off building a contraption to better assist them in abusing an animal. The whole premise is ludicrous. I can understand (maybe) the city boy that's afraid of the dark being frightened of a bird, but the other two? No way. Zack has been helping out on his grandparents' farm for quite some time and Josie is being raised on a farm. There's no chance that they would be that terrified of a single turkey. As far as the "mystery" element of the story, it is pretty much non-existent. The entire thing is just the overactive imagination of a not-so-bright kid. This book's only saving grace is that the author found a (mostly) non-violent solution in the end. The story is not even close to cute, funny, mysterious, or even entertaining. I finished the whole thing simply out of wanting to be able to honestly say I gave it every chance I could. I do not think this would appeal to kids. Especially today's kids. The story is boring, unreasonable, and centered around wanting to cause harm to an animal. I can find no good reason to buy this book. It's not even heavy enough to be a doorstop. And I wouldn't waste the gas to go to the library to check it out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2020
A good book to read with your third grader over Thanksgiving break. We will forevermore refer to any wild turkey we spot as “Tailpipe.”
July 3, 2017
Younger Than Indicated
This is a fun late chapter book, but struck me as way too young for middle grade readers. Early elementary? Sure.
Happily, while it's all very straightforward, there is a lot going on here. I wondered how we could do 176 pages, (even with big print and wide margins and drawings), just about a kid being afraid of a turkey. Well, not to worry.
We start with Zack being annoyed by the humongous turkey. But then we get a neighbor girl sidekick. Then we start designing a Rube Goldberg turkey scarer. Then best pal Matt starts joining Zack on his weekend farm visits. Then we get a rash of small burglaries and a whodunit mystery. O.K., that's enough plot to keep the pages turning.
The narrative is direct and unadorned. Short, clear sentences. No irony or edge. This is a straight up low-key farm adventure. Everyone is calm and pleasant. No villains and no angst. You get a nice bit of farm life views in the background, and gentle upbeat family bonding and cooperation. It actually is like a visit to Grandma's farm, which isn't a bad thing. There is a lot of gentle humor and some amusing slapstick. Just when the Zack's-afraid-of-the-turkey stuff starts to get a bit much we switch gears into the rest of the story, and the pace never lets up until the happy ending. The drawings are effective and nicely complement the action.
So, this struck me as a fun and engaging farm tale, with a family and friendship feel and a bit of mystery. A nice read for a younger reader. (Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
This is a fun late chapter book, but struck me as way too young for middle grade readers. Early elementary? Sure.
Happily, while it's all very straightforward, there is a lot going on here. I wondered how we could do 176 pages, (even with big print and wide margins and drawings), just about a kid being afraid of a turkey. Well, not to worry.
We start with Zack being annoyed by the humongous turkey. But then we get a neighbor girl sidekick. Then we start designing a Rube Goldberg turkey scarer. Then best pal Matt starts joining Zack on his weekend farm visits. Then we get a rash of small burglaries and a whodunit mystery. O.K., that's enough plot to keep the pages turning.
The narrative is direct and unadorned. Short, clear sentences. No irony or edge. This is a straight up low-key farm adventure. Everyone is calm and pleasant. No villains and no angst. You get a nice bit of farm life views in the background, and gentle upbeat family bonding and cooperation. It actually is like a visit to Grandma's farm, which isn't a bad thing. There is a lot of gentle humor and some amusing slapstick. Just when the Zack's-afraid-of-the-turkey stuff starts to get a bit much we switch gears into the rest of the story, and the pace never lets up until the happy ending. The drawings are effective and nicely complement the action.
So, this struck me as a fun and engaging farm tale, with a family and friendship feel and a bit of mystery. A nice read for a younger reader. (Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
July 1, 2017
Naylor has written a fun book for students in 3-6th grade. There is nothing complicated or emotional or controversial about Young Zach spending weekends at his grandparents helping with chores and desperately trying to avoid a huge, cranky turkey who loves to chase him down and peck at him. Zach determines to create a device that will so traumatize this pesky beast that he will never attack another person ever again and he gets some help in building this miracle machine from Josie and Michael. And the three also work together to solve the rash of some thefts plaguing area farms. My students will appreciate the descriptions of the turkey attacks and the anti-turkey device and the chuckles that come with both. (Review of digital ARC from EdelweissPlus)
October 3, 2017
Every time Zack goes to his grandparents’ farm, the big tom turkey attacks him. It charges at him, and if it catches him, it pecks him—and even sometimes makes him bleed!
Zack needs to come up with a solution to his turkey problem. He tries sneaking past the turkey, he tries following closely on his dad’s heels, and he tries squirting the turkey with water from a spray bottle.
In addition to his turkey concerns, Zack begins to work with his grandparents’ next-door neighbor, Josie, to solve another problem. Josie has discovered that there is a burglar in the neighborhood. Zack and Josie set out to catch the nighttime thief.
This is a chapter book for readers who have become a little more confident in their abilities. There are illustrations, but not on every page, so kids need to work a little harder to complete this book. The action is fast-paced and exciting, and will keep readers engaged from start to finish. Kids will be surprised at the ending!
I received an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.
Zack needs to come up with a solution to his turkey problem. He tries sneaking past the turkey, he tries following closely on his dad’s heels, and he tries squirting the turkey with water from a spray bottle.
In addition to his turkey concerns, Zack begins to work with his grandparents’ next-door neighbor, Josie, to solve another problem. Josie has discovered that there is a burglar in the neighborhood. Zack and Josie set out to catch the nighttime thief.
This is a chapter book for readers who have become a little more confident in their abilities. There are illustrations, but not on every page, so kids need to work a little harder to complete this book. The action is fast-paced and exciting, and will keep readers engaged from start to finish. Kids will be surprised at the ending!
I received an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.
August 30, 2023
I grabbed this book while straightening up the library shelves at work. I had received some difficult news the day before, so I felt I needed a little pick-me-up, no matter how silly. What's not to love about a boy who gets attacked by a turkey every time he visits his grandparents' place? This brought up not-so-fond memories of me being chased by random animals on a farm owned by family friends. LoL
Zack and his friends spend their weekends creating a turkey-blaster while trying to solve the mystery of who could be stealing miscellaneous items from the neighborhood. No one else knows about either endeavor, not even the mean old turkey named Tailpipe. Zack and the Turkey Attack contained just enough silly, innovative, smart-mouthed shenanigans to perk me up.
I found the story simple, witty, and easy to read for early middle-graders.
Zack and his friends spend their weekends creating a turkey-blaster while trying to solve the mystery of who could be stealing miscellaneous items from the neighborhood. No one else knows about either endeavor, not even the mean old turkey named Tailpipe. Zack and the Turkey Attack contained just enough silly, innovative, smart-mouthed shenanigans to perk me up.
I found the story simple, witty, and easy to read for early middle-graders.
October 29, 2018
Cute little story I decided to pick up while at the library, the cover really intrigued me! I like a good young adult story from time to time and it reminded me of my own adventurous and my Grandparents farm growing up! Nice innocent story for a grade school aged kid to enjoy!
November 14, 2017
Cute story but I wish the author included information about Rube Goldberg machines. Also I discovered an error in the story.
Want to read
April 2, 2021Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
November 21, 2021
Nice little chapter book with a great problem-solving angle.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews