Two-Headed Chicken: Beak to the Future (Two-Headed Chicken, #2) by Tom Angleberger. Walker Books, 2023. 9781536223224
Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 3
Format: Hardcover graphic novel
Genre: Humor/adventure
What did you like about the book? In their first adventure, the titular two-headed chicken was able to travel throughout the multiverse by means of the Astrocap. In this new installment, they have a new magic hat – the Timecap – which allows them to move back and forth in the chronoverse (a timestream which they have named Tammy). Before going back in time, they are warned by their mentor, Duckter Whooo, that anything they do may alter the events of the future. It’s not long before they learn the truth of this warning, and must spend the remainder of the book going back and forth in time to fix their mistakes. The two-headed chicken assumes a different persona in every time period, from snakes to dragons to Emily Dickinson (yes, the Emily Dickinson). They are reunited with their nemesis, an evil green moose named Kernel Antlers, as well as a mustachioed fish who is a self-help guru. New characters are introduced as well, including Professor Gatorbrain and Larry the Apple-Loving Giraffe; even a young Tom Angleberger appears in a section in which the chicken tries to prevent the book from being banned.
A fitting follow-up to the hectic first book, Beak to the Future is wacky, fast-paced, and a bit convoluted. Tom Angleberger does a great job providing context from the first book for those who haven’t read it, but he also includes lots of inside jokes for those who have (e.g., when the two-headed chicken zips off to another time period, the sound effect is poozb instead of bzoop, and one of the heads’ ongoing quest for the perfect knock-knock joke). There are plenty of nods to nerdy pop culture; references to the Avengers, role-playing games, and the science fiction film canon abound, interspersed with nonsensical quizzes and puzzles. Recurring themes and repetitive jokes add to the fun, as does the colorful comic book style of the layout, but can make the whole experience a bit overstimulating.
Anything you did not like about the book? Aspects of metafiction and a well-meaning subplot about banned books will likely go over the heads of the target audience.
To whom would you recommend this book? It won’t be for everyone, but it’s a quick funny read for Angleberger fans; kids who enjoy Mac Barnett, Dav Pilkey, and Jon Scieszka fans will like it too.
Who should buy this book? Public and elementary school libraries
Where would you shelve it? Graphic novels
Should we (librarians) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? No
Reviewer’s Name, Library (or school), City: Leigh Russell King, Lincoln Street School, Northborough, Massachusetts.
Date of review: November 20, 2023
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