"As miserable as I was, I had a great way of not crying. Whenever a lump welled up inside my throat, I swallowed real hard and counted to ten and thought about things in this world that I hate, things like speed bumps and raisin pie and the smell of cat pee on carpet." Syd Callens moves to Augusta, Georgia, with her dying father and her mom. In her raw state of loss and loneliness, she resents the fact that he's the one who "got taken." Little does she know, high school misadventures await: on day one, she meets Megan and Ashley, who possess none of that southern charm but who seem to want to persecute Syd at every turn. Syd also meets Mel, a sarcastic oddball who shares a secret about an illegal wild animal she keeps in her bathtub. Then Mel disappears. "It's like she offered me friendship then yanked it away." Syd makes it her mission to find and save Mel.

Now an animated series on Disney Junior! They might be chicks, but they sure aren’t chicken, and they’re on a mission. And on this, their first (mis)adventure “in this delightful spinoff of the J.J. Tully series” (Kirkus Reviews), the Chicken Squad launches a galactic backyard expedition. Meet the Chicken Squad: Dirt, Sugar, Poppy, and Sweetie. These chicks are not your typical barnyard puffs of fluff, and they are not about to spend their days pecking chicken feed and chasing bugs. No sir, they’re too busy solving mysteries and fighting crime. So when Squirrel comes barreling into the chicken coop, the chicks know they’re about to get a case. But with his poor knowledge of shapes (“Big” is not a shape, Squirrel!) and utter fear of whatever it is that’s out there, the panicky Squirrel is NO HELP. Good thing these chicks are professionals. But even professionals get worried. Especially once they see that round, shiny, green, BIG thing in the yard. What if it’s a UFO full of aliens who want chickens as pets, or worse, dinner? It’s up to the Chicken Squad to crack a case that just might be out of this world.