Appealing and engaging, with a terrific pig.
Sixth grader Grace’s hoped-for Christmas puppy turns out to be a rescue miniature potbellied pig.
Grace is living in a new house with her busy mother and Nathan, the stepfather she still thinks of as Mr. Pine. She’s cautious about her behavior, believing that her exuberance and strong emotions are the reasons her father left. Grace warms to the pig fairly quickly despite her disappointment. But untrained Bernard’s behavior has Nathan regretting having given Grace the pig, and the unexpected arrival of Nathan’s 18-year-old daughter on Christmas adds to the many emotional challenges complicating Grace’s life. Emma has her own sorrows and resents her younger stepsister. Goebel’s voice for Grace is convincingly articulate, both sophisticated and likable, the narration of an observant and perceptive person whose innate empathy for and tolerance of others help her navigate multiple obstacles. A close lifelong friendship is finally reaching a turning point, but Grace’s kindness and genuine interest in other people allow her to expand rather than contract her social circle. Liam, the slightly odd boy from the school bus; a Polaroid camera; and a dose of theatrical costuming help Bernard contribute to the happiness of elderly residents of a nearby retirement community. Grace finds a way to turn her charming rescue pig into a fledgling therapy pig and to realize her own considerable capabilities. A White default can be assumed.
Appealing and engaging, with a terrific pig. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Dec. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-338-71640-5
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2021
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often...
A successful juvenile by the beloved New Yorker writer portrays a farm episode with an imaginative twist that makes a poignant, humorous story of a pig, a spider and a little girl.
Young Fern Arable pleads for the life of runt piglet Wilbur and gets her father to sell him to a neighbor, Mr. Zuckerman. Daily, Fern visits the Zuckermans to sit and muse with Wilbur and with the clever pen spider Charlotte, who befriends him when he is lonely and downcast. At the news of Wilbur's forthcoming slaughter, campaigning Charlotte, to the astonishment of people for miles around, spins words in her web. "Some Pig" comes first. Then "Terrific"—then "Radiant". The last word, when Wilbur is about to win a show prize and Charlotte is about to die from building her egg sac, is "Humble". And as the wonderful Charlotte does die, the sadness is tempered by the promise of more spiders next spring.
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often informative as amusing, and the whole tenor of appealing wit and pathos will make fine entertainment for reading aloud, too.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1952
ISBN: 978-0-06-026385-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1952
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
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