Twelve-year-old Margie is convinced that Momma's gone to the International Poultry Hall of Fame, in search of additions to her precious flock of chicken memorabilia. And it's up to Margie to bring her home. So she commandeers her daddy's Faithful Ford, kidnaps her nine-year-old sister, Peep, and takes to the open road.

Reviews

"An adventure with a heart." --"Kirkus Reviews" "to younger people (ages 7-9) it would be perfect....It seemed like a sequel may be in the works (if there is that would be great!)" --"Flamingnet.com"

Gr 4-6-Twelve-year-old Margie and her nine-year-old sister, Peep, come home from school to find their whole world suddenly knocked askew. Momma is gone, and her note on the fridge says only, "I HAVE TO GO." Margie assumes quickly that her mother, who is obsessed with chicken memorabilia, has gone off to the Annual Rooster Romp at the International Poultry Hall of Fame in a town nearby. The sisters tear off to World of Tires, where their father works as a salesman, to enlist his help in bringing her back. But when he's too busy, Margie decides that the only solution is for her and Peep to take his car and bring her back. Character development is the strongest element in this short novel. Clever, annoying Peep, who is so smart she was "shoved" to Margie's grade, works well as a foil to her stalwart, determined sister. The dialogue rings true and carries the story along. However, not enough attention is given to the parents' relationship to make the woman's departure believable, and Aunt Blanche, proprietor of the International Poultry Hall of Fame, is too quick to gather these runaway chicks under her wings and instill wisdom. Still, this novel will hold readers' interest.-Corrina Austin, Locke's Public School, St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.