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Mr. Chickee #2
Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission
Steven and his best friend Russell are back!
When Russell's dog, Rodney Rodent, jumps into a mural to chase a demonic-looking gnome and disappears, the Flint Future Detectives are on the case. With the secret password (Bow-wow-wow yippee yo yippee yay!) Steven, Richelle, and Russell enter the mural too, only to find the mysterious Mr. Chickee on the other side. To find a way out, the detectives must complete a mission—finding Rodney Rodent. And that means they're in some wild adventure!
As Steven says, "I second that emotion."
When Russell's dog, Rodney Rodent, jumps into a mural to chase a demonic-looking gnome and disappears, the Flint Future Detectives are on the case. With the secret password (Bow-wow-wow yippee yo yippee yay!) Steven, Richelle, and Russell enter the mural too, only to find the mysterious Mr. Chickee on the other side. To find a way out, the detectives must complete a mission—finding Rodney Rodent. And that means they're in some wild adventure!
As Steven says, "I second that emotion."
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 23, 2007
7 people are currently reading
152 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Paul Curtis
51 books1,233 followersCurtis was born in Flint, Michigan on May 10, 1953 to Dr. Herman Elmer Curtis, a chiropodist, and Leslie Jane Curtis, an educator. The city of Flint plays an important role in many of Curtis's books. One such example is Bucking the Sarge, which is about a fifteen year old boy named Luther T. Ferrel, who is in a running battle with his slum-lord mother. Curtis is an alumnus of the University of Michigan-Flint.
Curtis is the father of two children, Steven, an ensign in the United States Navy, and Cydney, a college student and accomplished pianist. His third child is expected to make an appearance in 2011. Christopher modeled characters in Bud, Not Buddy after his two grandfathers—Earl “Lefty” Lewis, a Negro league baseball pitcher, and 1930s bandleader Herman E. Curtis, Sr., of Herman Curtis and the Dusky Devastators of the Depression.
Curtis moved to Detroit, Michigan in January, 2009
Curtis is the father of two children, Steven, an ensign in the United States Navy, and Cydney, a college student and accomplished pianist. His third child is expected to make an appearance in 2011. Christopher modeled characters in Bud, Not Buddy after his two grandfathers—Earl “Lefty” Lewis, a Negro league baseball pitcher, and 1930s bandleader Herman E. Curtis, Sr., of Herman Curtis and the Dusky Devastators of the Depression.
Curtis moved to Detroit, Michigan in January, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
July 20, 2017
After the excitement and fame of surviving a two-hundred-and-fifty foot dive off a dam, Steven Carter’s father still expects him to do his chores. This included shovel the snow off his sidewalk and drive and do the same for his neighbors on either side of his house AND get up at four in the morning to get started on it! If that wasn’t bad enough his Presidency of the Flint Future Detective Club is being challenge by the newest member, the smartest girl in his elementary school, Richelle Cyrus-Herdon. The humiliation is almost unbearable.
Fortunately, there’s a thrilling distraction. Club Secretary Russell Woods’s new dog Rodney Rodent has disappeared into an alternate universe beckoned on by the evilest looking winking gnome on the famous Vernor's Ginger Ale mural next to the Halo Burger in Flint, Michigan. The Flint Future Detectives are on the case and on the chase right through mural and into what they discover is called Ourside by its residents. The first resident they meet is their old friend, Mr. Chickee!
It’s another marvelously silly adventure from the pen of Christopher Paul Curtis, and I wish he’d write some more.
Fortunately, there’s a thrilling distraction. Club Secretary Russell Woods’s new dog Rodney Rodent has disappeared into an alternate universe beckoned on by the evilest looking winking gnome on the famous Vernor's Ginger Ale mural next to the Halo Burger in Flint, Michigan. The Flint Future Detectives are on the case and on the chase right through mural and into what they discover is called Ourside by its residents. The first resident they meet is their old friend, Mr. Chickee!
It’s another marvelously silly adventure from the pen of Christopher Paul Curtis, and I wish he’d write some more.
March 24, 2024
Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission by Christopher Paul Curtis continues the adventures of Steven and his best friend Russell in this imaginative and creatively interconnected story.
When Russell's dog, Rodney Rodent, disappears into a mural while chasing a demonic-looking gnome, the Flint Future Detectives leap into action to solve the mystery. Guided by the secret password, the trio enters the mural and encounters the enigmatic Mr. Chickee. To find their way out, they must embark on a wild adventure to locate Rodney Rodent.
While the book is filled with creative concepts and humorous moments, most of the humor may miss the mark for its intended audience. Additionally, as the second book in the series, it sets up expectations for a third installment that has yet to materialize, leaving readers wondering about a resolution to the story.
Despite these shortcomings, Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission offers a fun and easy read for children and middle-grade readers who enjoy fantastical adventures and quirky characters and plenty of ridiculousness. Christopher Paul Curtis delivers a blend of fantasy, humor, and mystery that could entertain the right young readers, even if the series concludes with unresolved threads. But there are so many better books out there.
When Russell's dog, Rodney Rodent, disappears into a mural while chasing a demonic-looking gnome, the Flint Future Detectives leap into action to solve the mystery. Guided by the secret password, the trio enters the mural and encounters the enigmatic Mr. Chickee. To find their way out, they must embark on a wild adventure to locate Rodney Rodent.
While the book is filled with creative concepts and humorous moments, most of the humor may miss the mark for its intended audience. Additionally, as the second book in the series, it sets up expectations for a third installment that has yet to materialize, leaving readers wondering about a resolution to the story.
Despite these shortcomings, Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission offers a fun and easy read for children and middle-grade readers who enjoy fantastical adventures and quirky characters and plenty of ridiculousness. Christopher Paul Curtis delivers a blend of fantasy, humor, and mystery that could entertain the right young readers, even if the series concludes with unresolved threads. But there are so many better books out there.
September 23, 2018
I was quite disappointed by this book. This is the first I've read by the award-winning author, and the description sounded delightfully zany, but it seemed very 5th-grade humour level to me. And the ending was a wrap-up of the plot line and the beginning of the next book in the series, which I am not willing to put effort into finding or reading. But a 5th-grader might like it.
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November 29, 2020This book is just as ridiculous as the first one (and that's a good thing!). I made it to 48% before the library snatched the audio back from Libby. I plan to finish, though, once the book becomes available again.
May 11, 2009
"...one of the more beautiful things about having ignorance erased is that it leads to many more questions being asked. "
—Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission, P. 97
I've got to hand it to the magnificent Christopher Paul Curtis; he sure can write a unique story!
I really have never read anything else that was like this book, not even counting the first in this series (?), "Mr. Chickee's Funny Money". Judging by the quality of the writing and the remarkably few books that the author has produced since having his first book published in 1995, Christopher Paul Curtis clearly lends his full imaginative powers to each manuscript that he creates, and is willing to take his time to get it just right before assenting to publication.
"Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission" is superbly funny, bursting at the seems with strikingly unique humor at every possible turn. The author's comedic abilities are so marvelous and SO totally unique that it is almost impossible to describe them; a read of the pages in this book for oneself could do a much better job of it than I ever could.
I greatly enjoyed once again following the crazy, fantastic adventures of Stephen, Russell, and the new President of the Future Flint Detectives, Richelle. Writing another book about this trio inevitably brings about comparison to "Mr. Chickee's Funny Money", and that is a hard level to measure up to, but Christopher Paul Curtis makes a nobly impressive effort with this tome. I think that I did slightly prefer the first volume, but I feel confident in highly recommending "Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission" to anyone who likes smartly funny books, and I believe that the readers of this story will find it to be as charming and delightful as did I.
All I can say now is...I really, REALLY hope that Christopher Paul Curtis publishes a third one! "Mr. Chickee's Funny Money" was published in 2005, and "Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission" came out in 2007. Does that mean that we are perhaps due for another installment of the series this year?
"Tell 'em I had the greatest luck, did something for a living that I loved. I actually wrote books. Made whole bunches of kids smile and go 'Oooh!' or 'Wow!' or 'I can do that too!'
Doesn't get much better than that."
—Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission, P. 206
October 15, 2013
This book is laugh out loud funny at times, but also makes good points about friendship, persistence, self-awareness. The 10yo really enjoyed it (although some of the laugh lines were beyond his awareness of the world / pop culture), and wants to go to Flint to see the mural. So we went online to find pictures of the giant Vernor's mural. I found one page where all these people were waxing nostalgic about how as kids they loved their parents to park in front of it, etc etc. - which is ironic, given that the FEAR kids have of it was drummed into us as we read :-)
This is the second Mr Chickee book, and refers at times to some incident in the previous one (Bucko going over a dam), but I don't feel that we missed crucial aspects of this book by not having read the first. Some of it seemed superfluous (like parts at the beginning about the FBI(?) agent) but perhaps they are important to the series? And if Russell and Richelle's names were more different, it would be easier to read aloud :^)
A couple of examples of how rapidly the text can change from serious to silly:
Ms. Tiptip said, "... Through many years of flum-flubbing we've recognized that one of the more beautiful things about having ignorance erased is that it leads to many more questions being asked. You discover that knowledge, instead of causing you to be satisfied with what you've learned, causes you to hunger for more and more knowledge."
Russell said, "Hey! That sounds like how I feel if I eat just one Triple chocolate Double Butter Extra Sugared Candy Delight---I want more and more. Mmm! Like the commercial says, 'Obesity isn't such a bad price to pay after all.' "
Mr. Chickee said, "Well . . . it's sort of like that, Russell."
He blinked rapidly again, then said, "You know what? It's nothing at all like that." .... [p 97]
Russell felt a glow in his heart. A spreading warmth. It was the fact that someone he'd admired for years admired him too. It was an acknowledgment of one of the strongest desires in human beings, the desire to be accepted. To be understood. To feel as though you are a part of a family.
It was that or the first twinges of severe heartburn caused by the incredibly filthy habit of eating bloodsucking parasites. [p 195]
This is the second Mr Chickee book, and refers at times to some incident in the previous one (Bucko going over a dam), but I don't feel that we missed crucial aspects of this book by not having read the first. Some of it seemed superfluous (like parts at the beginning about the FBI(?) agent) but perhaps they are important to the series? And if Russell and Richelle's names were more different, it would be easier to read aloud :^)
A couple of examples of how rapidly the text can change from serious to silly:
Ms. Tiptip said, "... Through many years of flum-flubbing we've recognized that one of the more beautiful things about having ignorance erased is that it leads to many more questions being asked. You discover that knowledge, instead of causing you to be satisfied with what you've learned, causes you to hunger for more and more knowledge."
Russell said, "Hey! That sounds like how I feel if I eat just one Triple chocolate Double Butter Extra Sugared Candy Delight---I want more and more. Mmm! Like the commercial says, 'Obesity isn't such a bad price to pay after all.' "
Mr. Chickee said, "Well . . . it's sort of like that, Russell."
He blinked rapidly again, then said, "You know what? It's nothing at all like that." .... [p 97]
Russell felt a glow in his heart. A spreading warmth. It was the fact that someone he'd admired for years admired him too. It was an acknowledgment of one of the strongest desires in human beings, the desire to be accepted. To be understood. To feel as though you are a part of a family.
It was that or the first twinges of severe heartburn caused by the incredibly filthy habit of eating bloodsucking parasites. [p 195]
May 11, 2008
I was disappointed in Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission. The beginning had me hysterically laughing, but as the plot moved along it became more and more uneven to me. Perhaps my imagination is just not what it used to be, but I had a hard time getting into the better part of the Ourside section.
April 5, 2008
Strangely this got reviewed as appropriate for YAs. No, no, no! I think Curtis should stick with what he does best, historical fiction or true YA novels.
April 13, 2008
Love Christopher Paul Curtis, hate this book.
July 16, 2010
This one was even better!!!
November 4, 2011
Fun and really creative! I really enjoyed it! A page turner
August 30, 2012
This book centered on Russell's character development and was decidedly more fantasy based than the first.
This series is so great for young boys! The author does a wonderful job.
June 3, 2014
Cute story, loved the land of unfinished characters.
July 14, 2014
This was such a very, very strange book. I liked it, but I didn't love it. Still, I marveled at the author's imagination. He did a great job building an alternative world with a bit of humor.
April 10, 2015
Did not care for this at all. And there's a hint of another one at the end of this book. I guess I prefer his historical fiction better than his humor.
June 13, 2015
This was a very well written story. I would recommend this one.
October 15, 2015
funny, kids book
April 3, 2017
Steven and his best friend Russell are back!
When Russell's dog, Rodney Rodent, jumps into a mural to chase a demonic-looking gnome and disappears, the Flint Future Detectives are on the case. With the secret password (Bow-wow-wow yippee yo yippee yay!) Steven, Richelle, and Russell enter the mural too, only to find the mysterious Mr. Chickee on the other side. To find a way out, the detectives must complete a mission—finding Rodney Rodent. And that means they're in some wild adventure!
As Steven says, "I second that emotion."
When Russell's dog, Rodney Rodent, jumps into a mural to chase a demonic-looking gnome and disappears, the Flint Future Detectives are on the case. With the secret password (Bow-wow-wow yippee yo yippee yay!) Steven, Richelle, and Russell enter the mural too, only to find the mysterious Mr. Chickee on the other side. To find a way out, the detectives must complete a mission—finding Rodney Rodent. And that means they're in some wild adventure!
As Steven says, "I second that emotion."
April 21, 2017
Family opinion was low - we loved the first Mr. Chickee's book and were very excited to find another. However, the beginning of the book seemed headed in a very different direction than it ultimately took (we'd've like to stick to where it initially seemed to be going). We stuck it out, and then were appalled to find that there was no solid conclusion, and no apparent follow-up book (which we probably wouldn't risk anyway). Wish Mr. Curtis had stuck to his original premises.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews