Meet Taylor McNamara. She’s twelve. She’s a city girl. But her parents have just moved her onto a sheep farm in the middle of nowhere. She’s trying to get into the spirit of farming, but things aren’t going very well. Meet the farm animals: 40 chickens, 20 sheep, 10 ducks, and 4 goats, one of which can pee on his own head. Taylor’s job is to collect eggs every morning, which she can only do using an umbrella to catch the chicken poop. Meet the principal and kids in Taylor’s new school: Taylor inadvertently breaks rules such as “A skirt must be a full one inch longer than your fingertips.” Kids tease her about her ugly barn boots and the chicken poop in her hair, yet they admire her pluck. Taylor struggles to adapt to her new life, but finds it hard to adjust to the farm’s daily surprises, especially those that prove to be embarrassing at school. With the help of her friend Megan, Taylor embarks on a nearly disastrous plan to move her family back to the city. But one lonely night, in the barn, Taylor discovers that farming isn’t all bad.
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"This book was so stinking cute, I would have appreciated it more though if I read it in middle school... It just made me want baby goats even more, even though the focus was more on baby sheep..."
— Elizabeth (4 out of 5 stars)
" This book makes you pay attention all the way to the end this book helped make my sister like reading. "
— Amanda, 10/14/2013" For the genre (contemporary "tween" fiction) it is great. Short, sweet, some drama, lots of funny moments included book. "
— Bekah, 9/7/2013" Cute. Predictable, but something I think kids will like. I know I would have as a 10 year old. "
— Janssen, 9/3/2013" This book is so good--delightful! It is marketed for 8-12 year old girls, so I bought it with sharing it with some of the young girls in my life. I know they would really enjoy it! "
— Gloria, 8/1/2013" Mark Twain Nominee 13-14. Audiobook. Cute read and good city girl learns about farm life story "
— Sarah, 3/3/2013" This was an awesome and fun and quick read for any age as long as you like animals and adventure! "
— April, 12/14/2012" From author of one of my favorite picture books, The Perfect Nest. Stupendously funny and featuring plenty of the gross farm stuff (such as chicken poop in the hair). "
— Katie, 11/20/2012" A cute, non-threatening book that I could easily hand a fourth or fifth grade girl. "
— Heather, 11/16/2012Catherine Friend left a career in technical writing in Minneapolis to move with her spouse to a small farm in southeastern Minnesota. Her adult memoirs, Hit by a Farm and Sheepish, chronicle her many adventures and mishaps in the country. Her children’s picture book, The Perfect Nest, was chosen by the Wall Street Journal as one of the best read-aloud books of 2007.
Kate Rudd, actress and Earphones Award–winning narrator, has appeared in several independent films and shorts, as well as in multiple episodes of the television show Perks. As an audiobook narrator she has been a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for best narration.