The Trouble with Chickens: A J.J. Tully Mystery (J. J. Tully Mysteries) (2011 original; edició 2011)

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Asher and I are currently reading this and finding it to be hilarious. ( )

This book was interesting and i really enjoyed it ( )

I got this book from the library because I thought it might appeal to some of the Primaries, newly hatched readers who are now studying things that hatch. It seemed a perfect match, but this title, "The Trouble With Chickens: A J.J. Tully Mystery," like some of Cronin's other work, suffers from confusion of audience. In tone and language, this book wants to parody Raymond Chandler's "private dick on a case." However, I suspect that few children of Primary age are familiar with "The Long Goodbye," or other livres noirs. Consequently, unless this work is read aloud to children by a reader willing to commit to her best Humphrey Bogart impersonation, I suspect it will be lost on its intended audience.

In the 2nd chapter, after J.J. Tully, a retired rescue dog, meets Millicent "Moosh," a chicken who enlists his services, he meets her chicks.

"She called them Little Boo and Peep.

I called them Dirt and Sugar, for no particular reason."

Much is left to "no particular reason," as the writer torments an already convoluted plot in service of Chandlerisms bound to be lost on her readership. I no longer have a k-2nd grader in the house to serve as guinea pig for this kind of story, but plan to test this title with some Primaries tomorrow and see if they both like and "get" this title. If they don't, it won't be a mystery to me. ( )