“Chicken” by Kathy Stinson

Review by Barros Paola, Gulin Rocío and Piceda Laura

“Chicken” by Kathy Stinson is a story taken from the book ‘101 ways to Dance’. This story is about a teenage girl who is painting a church and she finds herself alone with a boy who already has a child and is expecting another one. Although her mother warned her about being alone with a boy like him, she stays there anyway. When the boy suggests playing a game called “Chicken”, in which one puts a finger on the other person’s forehead and pulls away and the first one who says ‘stop’ is the chicken, she accepts and the game begins. This is an engaging story that has different purposes. It could be used to deal with sexuality, to practice English reading comprehension or it could be simply used for the purpose of entertaining.

This story deals with one of the most important topics related to adolescents: sexuality. Most teens have a lot of questions about this matter. This is normal and natural, and It is also normal to feel shy about rising these issues with adults. That’s why the text “Chicken” could serve as a way to teach teenagers not only about English, but also about sexuality. The development of a discussion and an analysis will help them to have this subject clearer. Moreover, they will be able to clear up doubts in a debate among mates.

Another good feature of the story is that it puts on words teenager’s feelings. Therefore, they will feel identified, because they are experiencing the similar frightening unknown emotions. What’s more, the use of simple sentences in this story makes it easy to follow the argument and it is catchy for adolescents, apart from the fact that it leads teenagers to create the scenes vividly in their minds while reading.

We think that, without any doubts, “Chicken” is a didactic story that should be used to work with teenage students. They will like the plot and feel identified with it. Highly recommended.