Tim thinks he has the most boring family in the world. There’s no way that the sparkly Sophie in his class is ever going to look at him. School is boring too, because they all have to follow a very boring timetable, insisted on by Mr Dedman, the head. All Tim can do is invent the most amazing fantasy stories in which he is a superhero, rescuing Sophie from dreadful danger. And then … the graffiti starts appearing in school – and it’s all about chickens: THIS BUILDING IS FULL OF CHICKENS, DEDMAN’S CHICKEN FACTORY and so on. Who is writing them? Why is Mr Dedman so apoplectic about chickens? As if the mystery at school wasn’t enough, Tim discovers his father dressing up as Wonder Woman … Suddenly, boring starts to look very good indeed.

Chicken School is a glorious romp, with some telling sideswipes at school regimentation.