Name: maitha mana's review of The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson
Item: The House with Chicken Legs
Rating: 5
Author: maitha mana

Sophie Anderson

A breathtaking reimagining of the Russian fairy tale of Baba Yaga, The House with Chicken Legs is the award-winning, spellbinding story of one girl's adventure to find her destiny. Shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Awards Shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal Shortlisted for Children's Fiction Book of the Year at the British Book Awards Shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award Marinka dreams of a normal life, where her house stays in one place long enough for her to make friends. 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... "Enticing, a little bit dangerous, and thrumming with possibilities." Kiran Millwood Hargrave "A magical tale... a captivating and original retelling of a traditional story straight out of folklore. Beautiful escapism." Sunday Express

The House with Chicken Legs

Marley 

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...

maitha mana

A light-hearted children's book that manages to tackle important themes such as grief, freedom, loss, and desires.

Nessa Luna

I didn't like this one as much as I liked the Girl Who Speaks Bear, unfortunately. I just didn't really like Marinka as a main character, and I thought the story was a bit lacking. I still really enjoyed her interaction with the house and learning more stuff about the Baba Yaga Legend, but yeah not my favourite of Sophie Anderson's books.

Jacqueline Englund

This was such an amazing journey. This is a heartwarming, magical folklore story, that transported me into a different world. This was so well crafted and I also loved the beautiful illustrations. Great middle grade read!

Un livre très agréable à lire et à l'histoire intéressante. Le personnage de Marinka ne m'a pas particulièrement touchée mais l'histoire belle, avec une jolie fin. 

Noa 

Kim Tyo-Dickerson

Entrancing, timeless adventure story of a young Yaga who isn't sure she wants her destiny to guide the souls of the dead through the Gate into the next world. Marinka lives with her grandmother who is Baba Yaga, an ancient being who rejoices in her ability to guide the dead. Marinka just wants a normal life, one with friends besides her jackdaw, Jack, and fun outside the human bone fence of their house with chicken legs, a house that has thoughts and feelings of its own and who can at any moment jump up and run to a new location where the dead need guided. Filled with longing and frustration, Marinka grudgingly learns the ways of the Yaga to make Baba happy, but secretly hopes to have a different future. She experiments with rebellion and breaking the Yaga rules, making friends with a local boy at one spot, sheltering a lonely ghost at another, until Marinka pushes both herself and Baba to the breaking point. 

A beautiful story I didn't want to end, with illustrations that evoke a timeless sense of wonder. Perfect for reading aloud G5 and up.

Kirsty

I can’t believe this one sat on my shelf for over a year when I knew I’d love it.

It was the easiest 5 stars I’ve given in a while. The magic and whimsy of the story had me captivated from start to finish, the story had me on the edge of my seat needing to know more and making me feel all the feels and those characters will forever have a special place in my heart. 

My favourite ever middle grade? Quite possibly.

Jelke Lenaerts

Reading books like this just sometimes makes me want to travel in time to my younger self and push this book into her hands because I would have absolutely adored this book back then. I still really enjoyed this book though. The worlds Sophie Anderson creates are just very magical and fairytale-esque. I also quite like the characters and the overall story. The story also went into a couple of directions I wasn't expecting but really liked. The illustrations absolutely added to the magic of this book as well. The only complaint I have for this book is just that I'm not as pulled into it as I would have liked and just felt a bit distant from everything that was happening. Still highly recommend though.

Abby Hoggatt

I absolutely loved this sweet, charming little book about death and life. I would recommend this for people of all ages.

Lily D

I went into this with no expectations, I was surprised. It wasn't a five star but I really enjoyed it! The lesson Marinka learned was a great lesson to learn. (I also love Benjamin and Benji)

An extraordinary retelling of the Baba Yaga myth, this debut novel will wrap itself around your heart and never let go.

Renee Delcourt

I had such high hopes for this book. To be fair it wasn't necessarily bad or good. I think that Marinka's character was extremely frustrating. I felt horrible for everyone around her. The last 30 pages or so I think that the story improved. I really loved the integration of the Baba Yaga story especially since it's one that isn't told in books very often. Overall it's just meh book to me.

Mousumee

4.5 stars
•
If you've been around here following my page for sometime, you'd know that I am a huge fan of Russian (indeed, pan-Slavic) folklore. I have been harping on and on about my love for the Winternight Trilogy and the older Naomi Novik books from the early days of lockdown. So when Amazon suggested I read Sophie Anderson's 'The House with Chicken Legs', I was intrigued, to say the least. A lot of things about the book ticked my boxes from the get-go. A Baba Yaga retelling with a twist aimed at middle grade readers was always going to be a win in my book. I read it for the fun it promised me. What I didn't expect was for the book to have so much heart! 

I loved the voice of our 12-year-old protagonist, Marinka. Her story had chutzpah and heartbreak in equal measures while retaining the vulnerability of someone her age. Marinka's choice bordered on selfish and even downright reckless at times but her heart was in the right place. She behaved how a 12-year-old who had her destiny decided by circumstances against her freewill would and the writer got the feelings and nuances down pat. 

Baba Yaga is one of the best-known characters of Slavic folklore. What I like best about her is the fact that she defies the Western archetype of the bad witch of the forest. Baba is as fierce as they come and yet, she is also gentle and nurturing. To me, she is the true embodiment of mother nature. The Baba Yaga of Marinka's story, too, is a multi-layered personality who is at once loving, quirky-endearing, a witch who guides the dead, and a fiercely protective grandmother who resorts to distorting facts just to keep the one she loves safe in the best way she knows. In other words, she is flawed but relatable and is very much alive in the pages of this beautiful story. 

Apart from Marinka and her Baba, the other characters to pull at your heartstrings are a jackdaw named Jack, Benji the lamb, Benjamin and the house itself! The house itself with a personality was such a lovely whimsical touch, it hit the right spot for me. 

The House with Chicken Legs is a very atmospheric book that is eerie but never ventures into the territory of abject terrifying. As is customary for a book aimed at middle graders, the language is simplistic which why the beautiful imagery of the Steppes down to the Morocco-inspired bazar town is all the more noteworthy. And finally, the food descriptions! Some wonderful Slavic as well as desert delicacies danced on the pages and made me rather hungry. This was a stellar read recommended to the young and the not-so-young alike.

Melea Mullican

This book is such a wholesome read. While Marinka often drove me crazy with her "logic" and decisions, I also felt like it was a very accurate representation of how a 12 year old would rationalize and think. I enjoyed the message this book brought and thought it was very well written. Definitely recommend for kids and adults alike.

Tania Joana da Silva Monteiro

This was emotional and whimsical and beautiful.

Manon van Heumen

An amazing book, with an amazing message.

Stefie 

4 stars

The second I know this book about Baba Yaga retellings. I know I have to read it. And I am glad I did. I have this thing for meany witch that hate children, even though I love children haha. I am weird in that way, but oh well. No shame :D 
The House with Chicken Legs are a story of family, love, friendship, self discovery, loss, grief, bravery, and hope. Yeap, everything in one! 

Marinka is a girl who feel lonely because she and her grandmother, Baba Yaga live in a house with Chicken Legs. They move a lot, so it's hard for Marinka to make real friends. Plus, she was destined ti be a Yaga one day, so there are boundaries that Marinka have to follow. She is not happy with it, and she may have break the rules without thinking about the consequences. 
And the story goes from there. 

I love this book. But there are times where I am a little annoyed with Marinka's behaviour. And when I thought she will learn her lesson. She did not until something bad happened. Ughh Marinka, why?? However, I am glad that I get to see her progress and change in her character.

I love the ending, the twist and the atmosphere of this book. It somehow gives me the cozy feeling :) I think The House with Chicken Legs are perfect to be read in autumn and winter, when days are dark and cold outside. 

*Thank you to publisher for the review copy

nikki 

Becca West

Christina Berry 

Joana Guerreiro 

Melanie Knight

Marloes

Isobel 

All 12-year-old Marinka wants is a friend. A real friend. Not like her house with chicken legs. Sure, the house can play games like tag and hide-and-seek, but Marinka longs for a human companion. Someone she can talk to and share secrets with. But that's tough when your grandmother is a Yaga, a guardian who guides the dead into the afterlife. It's even harder when you live in a house that wanders all over the world . . . carrying you with it. Even worse, Marinka is being trained to be a Yaga. That means no school, no parties--and no playmates that stick around for more than a day. So when Marinka stumbles across the chance to make a real friend, she breaks all the rules . . . with devastating consequences. Her beloved grandmother mysteriously disappears, and it's up to Marinka to find her--even if it means making a dangerous journey to the afterlife.

Marley &
The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson

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Marley &The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson

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