Looking for Bobowicz: A Hoboken Chicken Story [Hardcover]

There is much to be said in praise of any book that revolves around a giant rampaging chicken. It's one of those images that sticks so nicely in the brain. In the case of "Looking For Bobowicz", this is just the latest in author Daniel Pinkwater's poultry chronicles (the first being, "The Hoboken Chicken Emergency", of course). In this tale you may meet delightfully eccentric adults, sane reasonable children, a mysterious phantom, and the memory of a chicken who rocked a town with its flutter.

To his chagrin, Nick (real name Ivan Itch) has moved from comfortable Happy Valley to uncomfortable urban Hoboken, New Jersey. Nick is not pleased with the move (his mother didn't want him growing up with bad suburban influences) but quickly finds some like-minded pals living next door to his new home. He also gets his bike stolen by a mysterious phantom. Before he knows it, he and his friends Loretta and Bruno are rushing to the library to solve the mystery of the phantom and to get back what once was theirs.

In a lot of ways, this book definitely harkens back to Avi's, "No More Magic". Same reading level. Same mysterious being stealing the main character's bike right at the start of the story. Same otherworldly feel to the tale and peculiar kids banding together to solve the crime. And like Avi's book there's a slightly disjointed feel to the narrative. This isn't to say I didn't enjoy the book, though. I mean, a book has won my instant admiration if it contains, at some point, a father telling his son (who is going to try to capture a bat), "if you should get bitten, tell me at once so I can arrange for the series of painful shots". And there was much to enjoy in the tale as well. What kid can't relate to the wonders of exploring a basement full to brimming with mysterious junk? Or reading comic books (of literary classics, no less) while munching on sandwiches and Dreamsicles? Or following a series of clues to a mysterious cave deep below the earth?

There were definitely some odd choices in the story though. The mom of Nick often remarks on the wonderful influences of the big city on kids, which I assumed was a play on those mothers who think that way about the suburbs. The book doesn't dwell much on details and has some of the shortest chapters I've ever encountered. Also, adults' actions are left somewhat mysterious without reason. And there are some definite inconsistencies between the text and the pictures drawn by Jill Pinkwater. Little niggling things like the books saying the chicken was riding on a tricycle when it is CLEARLY riding a two-wheeled bike. But these are tiny matters. In the end the real question is whether or not this book successfully enthralls. And the answer is yes. Yes indeed it does.

So if you are looking for a work of fiction that is a little older reading than your average "Cam Jansen", but you don't want to hand your children something as complex and high-handed as "His Dark Materials", "Looking For Bobowicz" is an excellent alternative. For any kid that loves his or her average chicken mystery, this one takes the cake. It's sly, inventive, and cocky. Ha ha.

I yelped with delight when I saw this on the shelf, and tore into it without further ado. Two minutes in, I was wearing a wide grin-- this is classic Pinkwater.

Pinkwater's Hoboken, like his Hogboro, is a dream city, one that opens itself up to explorers, revealing eccentric locals, funky hangouts and esoteric eats and drinks along the way (Avocado-Lime Soda, anyone?). Books, comics and pirate radio abound-- and there's nary a website in sight. In Pinkwater's hands, Hoboken has a timeless, shopworn feel, grounded in history (fictional and not) but glowingly alive.

The story's not much-- mostly a means of propelling the protagonists through the city-- but it provides a strong framework on which Pinkwater hangs his characteristically sharp dialogue, insightful kid's-eye observations, and obscure cultural references. Figures from previous Pinkwater stories appear here, sometimes with altered names. And you may want to consult your local Blockbuster's collection of Italian Neo-Realism when you're done reading.

Bobowicz certainly feels like late Pinkwater. The book starts with the narrator's family moving out of the suburbs and back into the city, and the characters from The Hoboken Chicken Emergency loom in the background as hazy figures from the past. Still, it's nice to know that, at least in Hoboken, Classic Comics will always be read in basements and librarians will always provide useful, if loopy, assistance to questing urbanites.

Nick Itch's mom wants him to have "an urban experience" so the family moves from Happy Valley to an old house in the waterfront city of Hoboken. Nick bonds with the kids next door over over bottles of Dr. Pedwee's soda and Classic Comics. Soon the friends get caught up in a search, not for meaning, but for Bobowicz. Delivered in Pinkwater's seemingly effortless, jazz-like prose style, this sequel to his classic HOBOKEN CHICKEN EMERGENCY is a delight.