The Unlikely Story of a Pig in the City (The Unlikely Story of a Pig in the City #1)

Gr 4-6—Josie Shilling is somewhere in the middle of her very big family. Neither the oldest nor youngest of the clan, she feels overlooked at times. Her family has nearly outgrown their small city house filled with noise and toys and people and stuff. To top it off, her father doesn't believe in cable TV or the Internet. Though generally a happy-go-lucky type, Josie feels invisible in her family and worries about not achieving her goals in gymnastics. Things seem to change when her brother Tom brings home a little surprise in the form of a runt piglet called Hamlet. Josie is immediately smitten and makes it her goal to care for the pig, and to convince her dad to let her keep Hamlet—despite their agreement that she'd help find the pig a proper home. But, as it turns out, caring for a piglet is no easy task; especially one. that eats a lot and is a tad on the naughty side. As Josie grapples with raising Hamlet, achieving success in her gymnastics routine, and finding her place in the world, she comes to the realization that Hamlet deserves the type of home that she cannot provide. The tone and characters are reminiscent of classics like The Moffats, where the family's relationships are imperfect but charming. In the Shilling family no one has a cell phone, the Internet is something the family must go to the library to use, and the children actually put up paper fliers for Hamlet's adoption. The pacing is somewhat leisurely; the focus is on character relationships and funny situations rather than rollicking action. VERDICT A charming tale, ideal for fans of Jeanne Birdsall's The Penderwicks, Dana Alison Levy's The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher, and classics by Eleanor Estes.—Patricia Feriano, Montgomery County Public Schools, MD

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Eleven-year-old Josie Shilling immediately falls in love with the piglet her college-age brother, Tom, rescues and brings home at Thanksgiving. She recruits her friends to persuade her family that the pig, named Hamlet, should stay permanently at the Shillings' cramped city home in Ohio. But it isn't long before Josie realizes that although her family loves Hamlet, the city isn't where he belongs; simultaneously, she comes to see that her future in gymnastics may be fleeting and that another interest might be as rewarding. The members of the large, chaotic Shilling family are full of entertaining quirks and idiosyncrasies, but it's the growing understanding between the Josie and her sisters that steals the show, particularly her recognition that one of her older sisters, Sarah, feels just as lonely and overlooked as she does. Debut author Kendall's treatment of the more mature concerns in Josie's life, including her family's financial worries, are handled lightly, but with care. With echoes of Charlotte's Web, Kendall's sweet story of family, friendship, and growing pains should charm a broad range of readers. Ages 8-12. Agent: Alexander Slater, Trident Media Group. (Oct.)

Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

"Jodi Kendall's utterly charming, heartfelt story of the unlikely bond between a girl and a pig just goes to show that sometimes it takes a little pig with a big heart to bring a family together again. Move over Wilbur, there's a new pig in town!"—Bobbie Pyron, critically-acclaimed author of A Dog's Way Home