The House with Chicken Legs

by Sophie Anderson

★★★★

Review

I was sceptical when starting this book as it isn't something that I would usually pick up but I must admit, the title did catch my attention (I love chickens!) and the blurb really piqued my interest.

I was immediately intrigued by the concept of this book - a magical, loving house who can stand up and move anywhere across the world - and appreciate how unique it is. I loved that there was a spooky element to the storyline too, with Marinka building a wall out of human bones each night to guide the dead to her front door. In fact, the book has quite strong Halloween vibes about it!

Other things that I loved about the book were Jack (Marinka's pet Jackdaw), Benji (the adorable lamb that she rescues) and learning about Russia and Russian traditions (Marinka and Baba are Russian and there are therefore plenty of Russian words and culture shared in the text). I always love reading about other cultures and how they differ from my own, and Sophie Anderson presented the tale of Baba Yaga beautifully with lots of small details that really brought it to life.

I must admit, I did struggle to connect with the main character, Marinka, at the start of the book as I found her a little stubborn, but as the story went on I realised that she was a little more complex than a head-strong young girl. Thankfully, I kept reading with an open mind and enjoyed seeing her personal development as she begins to reflect on her actions and learn from her mistakes!

This is a great book for any reader who like stories about death and the afterlife, or simply like ghostly adventures with strong Halloween feels!

Dive Deeper

Key information

Author: Sophie Anderson

Illustrator: Melissa Castrilon and Elisa Paganelli

Release Date: 3rd May 2018

Book type: Chapter, 336 pages, paperback

Reader level: Growing reader (8+) / Shared read (7+) [Note: Contains Russian words]

Overview

The House with Chicken Legs follows the story of a young girl Marinka who is destined to be the next Guardian to the afterlife. Like her grandmother, Baba, Marinka must devote her life to being a Yaga and welcoming into her home before they return to the stars. However, Marinka's home is not like others'... it has chicken legs! When the time is right, the house runs across the world to a new location, ready to welcome those who have recently passed away.

Despite her unique home, Marinka longs to be an ordinary child and wishes to step beyond her front steps into the real world. She envies those who have friends, go to school and are free to live a normal life but her grandmother is adamant that she should stay at home. Slowly, Marinka's desire to leave the house and make friends becomes too much, and she decides to break every rule that Baba has put in place to reach freedom. Little does she know, these rules were there to protect Marinka from danger and the secrets of her past.

Faced with the realities of the real world and a growing anger towards her destiny to become Yaga, Marinka finds herself in the middle of a life-or-death situation and must work quickly to save herself and everyone she loves. Can she change her destiny? Or is she destined to live among the dead for ever more?

Spoiler Alert and Content Warning

Marinka's gradma, Baba, enters the afterlife to help a lost soul and does not return, Marinka is left on her own.

Also, Marinka learns that she died in a fire when she was a baby along with her parents, but refused to return to the stars like her parents did. She was therefore adopted by Baba, who is not her biological grandmother, who keeps her inside the house at all times in order to protect her and keep her spirit alive.