Two-Headed Chicken (Book 2): Beak to the Future by Tom Angleberger

Rating: Needs Parent Supervision

Reading Level: Middle school

A extremely wacky sci-fi tale about a two-headed chicken zipping through time.

Possible Concerns:

• Time travel where every decision creates a problem mixing up time. It seems theologically incorrect to me, but maybe there is a way it fits with Biblical theology where God is Lord over it all.
• Age of the earth. Conservatives on the age of the earth will not like a reference to millions of years.
• Humanism. A fish says, “The answers are in your heart.”
• Name Calling. “Dum dums”
• Potty humor. The chicken poops on buildings. The authoe even warns you that it’s potty humor and makes fun of how it might be too much.
• Bleeped Curses. “None of your !?#% business!”
• Potty humor. Poop jokes
• Biblical satire. A parody of the story of Adam and Eve. I’m not sure if it’s irreverent or just funny. You need to decide for your family
• Body humor. Discussion of the fig leaf not covering everything in the Adam/Eve story.

Things I liked:

• Making good-natured fun of Magic: The Gathering card game.
• A brilliant pencil mini-mini golf game that looks fun while waiting for food at restaurants.
• It’s just so darn funny in some places.

This is a tough one to rate. I laughed out loud a few times, but I’m also not sure if everything is age appropriate for young kids (or anyone). I bumped the age up to Middle school. Some people might not like or approve this book; others will think it is hilarious.

A safer choice is Angleberger’s Inspector Flytrap books, or his DJ Funkyfoot book, Butler for Hire.