This was a cute mystery for kids! I really liked the perspective of J.J. a retired search and rescue dog.

Never judge a book or a little fluff of a chicken by its looks . . . especially in this humorous romp in search of some missing chicks. The outcome will turn retired search and rescue dog, J.J. Tully's world upside down. He has his paws full with these cheeping, clucking cohorts. Definitely a great read for reluctant readers and early chapter book lovers. - Jennifer K.

I read this a long time ago but forgot to add it. It's good for kids around second grade who want a mystery and like animals. Fans of Butler's Buddy Files series will also like this.

The Trouble with Chickens is a chapter book by Doreen Cronin, who is the author of a bunch of hilarious picture books, including Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type. In this, her first longer book for kids, she introduces us to J.J. Tully, a retired search-and-rescue dog, who despite his suspicion of chickens, is roped into helping Millicent, whom he calls Moosh, find her lost baby chicks. The story is told in the first person, mainly from J.J.'s point of view, and includes lots of humor, interest...

This was a short and fun read with all the elements of a typical mystery novel. The story is told from JJ's hard-boiled point of view, and involves a cast of characters made up of dogs and chickens. There's a lot of humor here, and I recommend this for all ages. There are many illustrations, and the story takes place over 4th of July weekend, so this could be a fun, shared read to while away a hot summer afternoon. The spoilers below are character notes for our OBOB team.(view spoiler)[Jonathan

I received an Advance Reader's Copy of The Trouble With Chickens by Doreen Cronin through Librarything's Early Review program. I was not compensated for my review.I was both excited and wary about reading this book. I love Doreen Cronin's picture books: Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type and Diary of a Worm are two of my favorites. Yet, I wasn't sure how her creative picture book style would translate to chapter book format.She handles the transition beautifully. This is a book that will have appea...

J.J. is a retired search-and-rescue dog that now spends his days lazing about on the farm with his trainer, Barb.  This is far from his idea of a perfect life, and he finds himself frustrated and bored more often than not.Enter Moosh, a mama chicken with a mystery to solve, and her two feisty chicks -- all birds that won't take no for an answer.  What follows is a fast-paced whodunnit style mystery complete with an intriguingly named villain (Vince the Funnel) bent on causing problems for everyo...

Doreen Cronin, author of Diary of a Spider, breaks into chapter books with the fast-paced, funny The Trouble with Chickens. J. J. Tully is a retired search-and-rescue dog now living out in the country with his trainer who finds retirement less than restful when a chicken named Millicent drags him into a case. Two of her chicks are missing, and Millicent is insistent J.J. find them even if the mother chicken doesn't have a clue what a dog charges for work (A hint is that chicken feed won't buy a

Easy read in one sitting. Cute illustrations.

Read aloud to S and D.

The genius of Doreen Cronin is her ability to write a book for kids with a layer of humor that also appeals to adults. In this case, J.J. Tully operates like a detective in a Raymond Chandler novel (G-rated, of course). I listened to this on audio and there were many times I had to laugh out loud over puns and observations that Tully makes. Would make a fabulous selection for a family road trip. Hank the Cowdog lovers will love J.J. Tully, too. Highly recommended. *Reviewed by Darla from Red Bri...

Just as Click Clack Moo (as brilliant as I find that book) raised questions about how many young readers would be familiar with typewriters, so this novel raises the question with regard to detective fiction (a question it shares with the Chet Gecko series). I don't necessarily have a problem with parodying adult genres in children's lit, but it seems like you'd want to pick a genre kids are likely to be familiar with through TV or movies. Nevertheless, I don't have that problem - I've read Raym...

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,...

The genius of Doreen Cronin is her ability to write a book for kids with a layer of humor that also appeals to adults. In this case, J.J. Tully operates like a detective in a Raymond Chandler novel (G-rated, of course). I listened to this on audio and there were many times I had to laugh out loud over puns and observations that Tully makes. Would make a fabulous selection for a family road trip. Hank the Cowdog lovers will love J.J. Tully, too. Highly recommended.

The Trouble With Chickens by Doreen Cronin is an adorable children’s chapter book. J.J. Tully had a fantastic career as a search and rescue dog, and from the start of the story, he is currently enjoying retirement. As this is a story, we know things don’t stay quite so peaceful for J.J. One day two chicks, Dirt and Sugar, and the mother hen, Hazel, come to J.J. asking for help in tracking down the missing siblings with the promise of a cheeseburger for a reward.Read the rest of my review by clic...

The Trouble With Chickens (J.J. Tully Mystery #1) by Doreen Cronin is such a cute story that even I enjoyed it. It is about a retired search-and-rescue dog that lives on a farm now, chickens that have him on a mission to find lost chicks, and a sneaky inside dog. It is clever, funny, and very witty. I couldn't help but smile several times throughout the book. Well written, fun book for kids. This should be a movie for kids! It would be adorable.

This is a fun mystery for kids. The narrative is entertaining and has a bit of a hardboiled edge to it, with some acerbic wit and wry commentary. The story is told from two perspectives, the detective (J.J. Tully) and his foe (Vince the funnel). The first time we noticed the change in perspective, we were a bit confused, but then we realized that the icon at the top of the page at the beginning of each chapter marked the switch in narrator and we were better prepared for the shift as we continue...

A hard-boiled detective novel for young middle-grade readers--funny, if a bit of a one-trick pony. I'm pretty sure I would have liked this a lot when I was a kid (if I had deigned to read it, which I wouldn't have--animals, you know). Curious to get some kid perspectives on it. I saw this mentioned in early Newbery discussion; sure, why not?

First sentence: It was a hot, sunny day when I met that crazy chicken. Premise/plot: J.J. Tully is a former search-and-rescue dog who is kept busy by his owner's "crazy" chickens. In this one, readers meet Moosh (Millicent) and her four chicks (Dirt, Sugar, Poppy, and Sweetie). Two of her chicks have gone MISSING. Can J.J. find them? Are they in danger? My thoughts: I met J.J. Tully and the chicks not through this one but through a later book series, the Chicken Squad series. That series is narr...

Jonathan Joseph Tully, a retired Search and Rescue dog, is hired by worried mother Millicent to find her two missing chicks, Poppy and Sweetie – but this SAR mission is not as simple as it seems. The Trouble with Chickens is the kind of book that will make you stop and read aloud hilarious sentences to anyone nearby. Cronin has taken a very simple missing-child mystery and turned it into something much denser. Younger readers may not fully appreciate all the humor of J.J.’s detective style, but