Reviews for Spike, the Amazing Chicken: A Story from Out West

The average rating for Spike, the Amazing Chicken: A Story from Out West based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-11-25 00:00:00 Joel Killen *** Honeysuckle House is a delightful tale of friendship told through the voices of Sarah and Ting. Sarah is a Chinese American whose best friend, Victoria, abruptly moves away leaving her feeling alone. Ting (or Tina) has just moved to America from China. She is missing her best friend Mu Ying and is finding it hard to adjust to life in America. When Tina joins Sarah's class at school the two are paired together because they are both Chinese. Sarah is reluctant to forge a friendship with Tina since Tina speaks Chinese and Sarah does not. Sarah is also still clinging to the hope that Victoria will return. Tina is a shy girl who is having difficulty adjusting to life in America. She speaks some English but her parents do not. Tina misses her grandparents and uncle who are still in China. As time goes on both girls begin coming to terms with change and learn to nurture new friendships. This realistic fiction novel deals with friendship, immigration, change, family dynamics, heritage and traditions.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-08-18 00:00:00 Logan Cullen Here I am reading another Andrea Cheng book. Having reread my ratings/reviews for others I see that my opinions have varied. With the reading of this earlier work (2004) I see how certain themes come up again in Year of the Book. Here she has two different Chinese girls becoming acquainted after Sarah's neighbor friend Victoria moves suddenly. Victoria's story is confusing and troubling, and not written, but it seems like it will be on a happier path. Sarah is Chinese-American and speaks no Chinese. Ting is given the name Tina when she joins her parents in the United States. Both girls feel isolated in their school - the prejudice bubbles up without thought. Both are dealing with stress at home as Sarah's father travels a lot for work and Tina's father is away a lot trying to acquire a green card. The girls are wary of becoming friends. I really like the character development in such a short work.