The Unlikely Story of a Pig in the City

August 28, 2017
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.

August 1, 2017

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.

July 15, 2017
Pigs are happiest living on a farm. Just ask Wilbur.Life for white middle-schooler Josie is a definite mix of highs and lows. She loves being on a gymnastics team but worries that she has grown too tall and that her cash-strapped parents will not be able to pay her fees. Then Thanksgiving Day brings a wonderful present. Her college-student brother brings home a runt piglet named Hamlet, and it is love at first sight. But can a pig be part of a big family in a small town house in an (unnamed) Ohio city? Hamlet is an endearing pet but grows very fast, and Josie has until New Year's to find Hamlet a better home. Making the deadline even more serious is a city ordinance banning farm animals. With help from friends, an ornery but lonely old neighbor, and a sympathetic vet, Josie navigates her quandary. A gymnastics competition, an old family tradition of picking out a Christmas tree, and a new family event called Handmade Christmas fill her days. Not surprisingly, her favorite book is Charlotte's Web, and there are many references to it. Unfortunately, those references consistently beg comparisons to the classic. Kendall focuses on family and friends as Josie narrates her story with drama and a tendency toward italicized narrative interjections. A beloved classic is reworked but lacks charm and heart-tugging strings. (Fiction. 9-12)

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September 1, 2017
Grades 4-7 When Josie's older brother brings a piglet to their tiny Ohio row house on Thanksgiving, their father is adamant: the pig must go. But Josie is drawn to the cute, tiny pink bundle, and she makes a deal with her parentsshe'll take care of the piglet, named Hamlet, until New Year's Day, and in the meantime, she'll find it a good home. But a pig is a big responsibility, and Josie's small city home, her expansive family, and her parents' strained budget makes it even more complicated. Meanwhile, Josie is trying to focus on gymnastics, which has become a challenge since a growth spurt has made her feel awkward in her body. In her debut, Kendall weaves together a lot of threads, such as financial struggle, the difficulty of being the middle child in a large family, the realities of keeping a pig for a pet, and an appealing protagonist figuring out what's important to her. Though the conclusion relies on a few too many coincidences, Josie's solution to her Hamlet problem is heartwarming and satisfying.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)