Cricket Readers Recommend

This book is touching and very well written but also scary and heartbreaking. A poor girl lives in the country during a war. her brother joins the army just as two of her favourite chickens are stolen by the local fox, Flame. How can she know that one chicken is alive, her brother is badly wounded, the chicken december lays golden eggs, her cat really doesnt love her, and political unstability will result in deadly war?

A good book to read if you love the Underneath by Kathi Appelt.