Chickens come into this story in several different ways. Davy is made to feel a 'chicken' by three bullying classmates. His little sister Anna steals a chicken when her class goes on a farm visit, and older brother Colin plays a dangerous game of chicken involving bikes and cars when he gets involved with a gang of boys on their estate. The family has recently moved to Liverpool from a village in Yorkshire, and tensions run high with all the readjustments. Parents are prone to edginess, and each of the children faces his or her own predicaments. In Colin's case, a near tragedy finally convinces him that succumbing to peer pressure is unwise. Davy, the central character, learns to stand up to the worst bully when Anna is threatened: 'My problem hadn't been Webbo, but fear of Webbo'. In spite of the serious issues involved, the book is funny - laugh-out-loud funny - at many points and would make a first-rate class reader.