The Fake-Chicken Kung Fu Fighting Blues

Lam, Aaron. The Fake-Chicken Kung Fu Fighting Blues. 2018. 2018. 149p. ISBN 978-1-4594-1272-9. Available at FIC LAM on the library shelves.

Anthony loves his neighborhood in Toronto, right in Chinatown. He and his best friend Jackson enjoy playing with Old Mr. Chan’s fish, and they make movies of just about everything. When he finds out that his whole family is moving to Berksburg, in the middle of Northern Ontario, right after Christmas, he is completely crushed. It means a new environment, making new friends, and an angry grandmother who only speaks Chinese and is now lost in a town where no other Chinese people live. Attached to her customs and traditions, Po Po, Anthony’s grandmother, insists that they hang a chicken on the front door to counteract the train tracks across the house, as they look like a giant caterpillar.

Anthony is able to make friends at school, and disarms a bully with his fake kung fu moves. Po Po begins to teach tai chi to Anthony’s friends, and the local Chinese restaurant, which is run by a Jamaican, serves decent food. One thing is clear. Everyone loves hockey here. Kids play hockey out on the ponds. There’s a large arena in town. Berksburg is hockey-crazy. Po Po is completely lost and never leaves the house. Anthony decides to film parts of Berksburg to show her, but as the project grows it turns into documenting the whole town. As he does so, he meets interesting characters with unique stories. With his movie done, he shares it with his family, but his friends all come in and soon the house is full. He sends a copy to Jackson, who uploads to Youtube and soon enough it becomes a viral hit. His movie is good enough to be entered in a film competition for amateurs. Held in Toronto, it’s an opportunity for Anthony and his new friends to meet his old friends.

A short book, Anthony’s story of adaptation in a new environment is one that anyone who has ever needed to change schools or move will relate to.