Book Reviews and More: The Chicken Doesn't Skate

Saturday, 29 March 2025

The Chicken Doesn't Skate - Gordon Korman

The Chicken Doesn't Skate

Scholastic

ISBN 9780545289252

The Chicken Doesn't Skate - Gordon Korman Reprint Edition

This book was originally published in 1996 by Scholastic, in has been through numerous reprint since then, the currently not in print. According to Goodreads there are 14 editions and versions format including paperback, hardcover, cassette and even CD. The covers have been through 2 rebranding’s. My introduction to Korman’s works was the 39 Clues back in 2009. Since then I have read 56 of his books. Just over half way thorough his canon, but with each one I read I am entertained and often challenged. And always entertained. I do plan on trying to read them all. My son, who is 17 often, reads these books to me or with me, and he still loves them.

A description of this volume states:

“What do a scientist, a screenwriter, and a hockey team all have in common? A chicken!

Milo has a problem. He's trying to do a project on the food chain, so he charts the growth of a baby chick, and makes arrangements to serve his specimen to the judges at the science fair. But he's baffled by the rest of his class. They name the chick Henrietta. They sign up to take her home on weekends. They claim that she's a good luck charm, a friend, even the new hockey team mascot!

Milo just wants to win the science fair to impress his dad. But when the class finds out that Henrietta will be cooked and eaten for Milo's project, everyone panics!”

This story is another excellent read and one that took me completely by surprise. I had figured out one of the major twists but did not know really what to expect. At first I thought the chicken would have been a new hockey player or even the new kid in town taking up the sport. I had not read the description and was unsure what to expect. But once I started reading I could just not put this book down. In some ways it reminds me of Tribes by Arthur Slade. And I really enjoyed the way the story was written. Like many of Korman’s books it is written in a series of first person narratives, but each voice has very different styles, one starts and or ends with screen play pieces, one is written like notes in lab books. One is a captain’s log. The chapters are by:

Captain Adam Lurie 7

Files of Zachary Gustafson 8

Experiment Notes Milo Neal 4

Psychology Talks Kelly Marie Ginsberg 3

Diary of Mrs Baggio 1

Secret Recordings Joey Sorrentino 1

Clipboard Coach Crenshaw 1

This story does a great job of capturing middle school or even early high school groups and feel. A chicken that is being raised for a school project takes on a larger than life role in the school and community. It becomes the team mascot. The hockey team wants to win the championship so they get to play a school from Canada. Milo Neal just want to understand what is going on, and to have more attention from his dad who is back in LA. Zachary want to be a screenwriter and is doing all he can to befriend milo. And Kelly Marie has fallen in love with the little animal. Oh and the title of the book appears three times in the text, it will make you smile, maybe even laugh.

This was the penultimate of Korman’s stand-alone books for me to read. I still have one to go and about 40 books from series left to read to have completed the canon of Korman’s works. I am grateful I gave it a read. It is a wonderful School Story and Korman is a master of the genre. If you can track it down pick it up and give it a read I am certain it will entertain and you will likely laugh out loud a few times!

Books by Gordon Korman:

MacDonald Hall Series:

This Can't Be Happening at Macdonald Hall (1978)

Go Jump in the Pool (1979)

Beware the Fish! (1980)

The Wizzle War (1982)

(formerly The War With Mr. Wizzle)

The Zucchini Warriors (1988)

Light’s Camera, Disaster (1991)

(aka Macdonald Hall Goes Hollywood)

The Jokes on Us (1995)

(formerly Something Fishy at Macdonald Hall)