The House With Chicken Legs

Sophie Anderson. Usborne. (352p) ISBN 9781474940665

The House with Chicken Legs

The Baba Yaga was always one of my favourite myths and she is part of the world-wide myth cycles of the wise, old woman. The woman who prepares the dead for the afterlife, the ones close to death themselves who have given life and are completing the cycle.

Marinka is a young girl who lives with her grandmother and is being trained in the ways of the Baba Yaga but she dreams of more, the land of the living and making friends being some of her dreams.

We follow her adventures as she makes some big discoveries and friendships. I felt that the theme of celebration of life rather than the sadness of death was dealt with in a way that would be understandable for the age range this was aimed at, but the book also touches on family, friendships, and honesty.

The House with Chicken Legs was a book I couldn’t put down until I had finished it, a 2am finish, but well worth it.