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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
The House with Chicken Legs is the perfect book if you’re in the mood for something whimsical and heartwarming. It’s the story of Marinka, a 12 yr old girl destined to be something she never wanted to be. Marinka doesn’t know what it’s like to be a kid with friends you play with because she lives in a house with chicken legs that without warning, stands up and leaves where they’ve been living.
Marinka is one of those characters you can’t help but relate to. She dreams of a life for herself where she can see the world and meet friends, but she’s stuck in a house with only her grandmother Baba Yaga and her jackdaw. I love how strong willed Marinka is, because she’s not willing to go down without fighting. Sometimes she fights so hard she does things she isn’t supposed to and it’s frustrating, but I can’t help but care about her because I get it. That is good writing for me, when a character’s motivations are so clear and strong that it resonates with the reader and you want her to succeed even when you’re at the edge of your seat knowing something is about to go wrong.
I’m a fan of non-human characters and Sophie Anderson did a fantastic job with the House. It was its own character with a unique personality and way of expressing itself, reminding me of the castle in Dianna Wynne Jones’ Howl's Moving Castle (which I also adore).
Anderson writes about friendship, family, loneliness, death, and grief in the House with Chicken Legs and handles each with great care and sensitivity. I’m glad I caught sight of her book and instantly fell in love with it, because it’s now one of my favourites and I highly recommend it!
Marinka is one of those characters you can’t help but relate to. She dreams of a life for herself where she can see the world and meet friends, but she’s stuck in a house with only her grandmother Baba Yaga and her jackdaw. I love how strong willed Marinka is, because she’s not willing to go down without fighting. Sometimes she fights so hard she does things she isn’t supposed to and it’s frustrating, but I can’t help but care about her because I get it. That is good writing for me, when a character’s motivations are so clear and strong that it resonates with the reader and you want her to succeed even when you’re at the edge of your seat knowing something is about to go wrong.
I’m a fan of non-human characters and Sophie Anderson did a fantastic job with the House. It was its own character with a unique personality and way of expressing itself, reminding me of the castle in Dianna Wynne Jones’ Howl's Moving Castle (which I also adore).
Anderson writes about friendship, family, loneliness, death, and grief in the House with Chicken Legs and handles each with great care and sensitivity. I’m glad I caught sight of her book and instantly fell in love with it, because it’s now one of my favourites and I highly recommend it!
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was absolutely beautiful. I loved the fairytale-like take on the tale of Baba Yaga. I honestly didn't expect it to be as emotional as it was. It broke my heart a little more than once, and it put it back together.
Marinka, Jack and the house are so precious and must be protected at all costs. I want to live in a house with chicken legs and go on adventures so bad right now.
This is easily one of my favourite reads this year, if not ever.
Marinka, Jack and the house are so precious and must be protected at all costs. I want to live in a house with chicken legs and go on adventures so bad right now.
This is easily one of my favourite reads this year, if not ever.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Magical and mysterious, and a beautifully written folklore tale about a girl who wants to change her destiny. With elements of well known folk tales, Anderson has intertwined beloved stories with her own imagination and created something unique and fabulous.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In this book, we meet Marinka. Marinka is 12 years old and dreams of a normal life, but her house has chicken legs and moves on without warning. For Marinka's grandmother is Baba Yaga, who guides spirits between this world and the next. Marinka longs to change her destiny and sets out to break free from her grandmother's footsteps, but her house has other ideas...
I had so much fun reading this book. I wasn’t familiar with Russian folklore or the Baba Yaga story before I read this, so I was intrigued by its premise. And this book certainly did deliver.
What I especially loved, was the fact that the house was a character of its own, with a personality and its own backstory to go with it. The other side characters, like jackdaw Jack and Old Yaga also got plenty of page time and I love that.
Especially because I wasn’t the biggest fan of Marinka herself. Yes, she’s only twelve and no, it’s not fair to have your destiny forced upon you like that. But that does not gove you an excuse to act so self-centered all of the time and it certainly does not excuse you from taking responsibility for your actions.
I get that children sometimes make dumb decisions, but first of all, 12 years old isn’t that young, I know plenty of children that age who act way more mature. Making dumb decisions is fine, at least if you learn something from them. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case here and it made it difficult for me to feel sympathy for Marinka because it were other beloved characters who suffered for her mistakes.
I realise that these things may have been necessary for her growth, but the ending left me feeling like she got rewarded for being naïve and selfish.
Maybe the best part of this book, was the atmosphere it created, it was the perfect mix of magical, cosy and eerie that I absolutely adore.
All in all, it was a fun read, and I’ll definitely pick up other books by the author in the future.
(more 2.5 stars) a friend's kid recommended this to me, so I wanted to read it for her sake. The idea was interesting, but overall it fell kinda flat for me - I think it may have been too long for what it was, or it didn't go deep enough for how long it was. I would love to see a house running, though.