Pighearted
by Alex Perry (Author)
Charlotte's Web meets My Sister's Keeper in this charming story told from the alternating perspectives of a boy with a fatal heart condition and the pig with the heart that could save his life.
Jeremiah's heart skips a beat before his first soccer game, but it's not nerves. It's the first sign of a heart attack. He knows he needs to go to the hospital, but he's determined to score a goal. Charging after the ball, he refuses to stop...even if his heart does.
J6 is a pig and the only one of his five brothers who survived the research lab. Though he's never left his cell, he thinks of himself as a therapy pig, a scholar, and a bodyguard. But when the lab sends him to live with Jeremiah's family, there's one new title he's desperate to have: brother.
At first, Jeremiah thinks his parents took in J6 to cheer him up. But before long, he begins to suspect there's more to his new curly-tailed companion than meets the eye. When the truth is revealed, Jeremiah and J6 must protect each other at all costs--even if their lives depend on it.
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Publishers Weekly
Jeremiah, 12, is a cued-white Houston boy born with a bad heart; his need for an imminent transplant becomes apparent after a soccer field collapse. Jeremiah 6 (known as J-6) is a lab pig chimera injected with human DNA and growing a human heart, who doctors believe can save Jeremiah's life. When, three months before Jeremy's scheduled surgery, he receives J-6 as a gift from his parents, claiming the pig is a therapy animal, the boy has no idea of the newfound pet's fate. Predictably, the two soon bond and become loyal brothers as Jeremiah learns some of J-6's remarkable skills, including understanding human language, spelling, and reading. By the time Jeremiah realizes his beloved pet is going to die on the day he receives a new heart, he's willing to do anything to save J-6's life--even if it means risking his own. The parents' behavior feels a bit callous, but debut author Perry, exploring the ethics of animal experimentation, offers two compelling first-person perspectives, alternating between a dying boy and an anthropomorphic pig and providing a sweet, if slightly farfetched, resolution. Back matter includes an author's note and resources. Ages 8-12. Agent: Melissa Nasson, Rubin Pfeffer Content. (Oct.)
Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
"A heartwarming (and unsettling) reminder to never stop fighting for those you love."
—Kirkus ReviewsJUV019000 - Juvenile Fiction | Humorous Stories
JUV039050 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Emotions & Feelings
JUV029000 - Juvenile Fiction | Nature & the Natural World | General
JUV002200 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Pigs
JUV013000 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | General
Pigs
Swine
Brothers and sisters
Genetic engineering
Transplantation of organs, tissues, etc
Heart
Abnormalities
