Reviews

Saving Marty by Paul Griffin

iceangel32's review against another edition

4.0

This book was good. I don’t know if I can say great. It was a good story of growing up, learning responsibility, heart break, friendship and plan old life as unpredictable as it is. Don’t worry it all works out in the end.

lizaroo71's review against another edition

3.0

A pig that thinks it's a dog. What's not to like? I'm afraid this one didn't start out strong for me. Lorenzo adopts Marty who is the runt of the litter. Marty quickly becomes bigger than the family can manage and Lorenzo's mother is pushing for Marty to be sold.

The first third of this books feels a bit rushed and underdeveloped. There are big gaps in time. I understand that this is aimed at younger kids, but I don't believe the plot line has to be sacrificed as a consequence.

I am glad I stuck with it, as the story pays off in the final third of the book.

shinesalot's review against another edition

5.0

Looking for wholesome? You found it. I feel like it's been a while since I read a book with innocent protagonists just trying to get through the thick of it. Lorenzo doesn't have it easy. His single mom works her tail off to make ends barely meet. He spends a lot of time reading the letters of his dad who passed away before he was born and thinks of living up to what would have been his dad's expectations of being true. Lorenzo has one friend until a runt of the pig litter turns up in his barn after the mamma has been sent off for meat. Marty changes everything for Lorenzo and everyone he comes in contact with. From the ornery, rich town land owner to Lorenzo's mom who is adamant they cannot keep a 300 pound pig as a pet, Marty and Lorenzo change the way everyone sees the world, if even just a little bit.

Great characters, the plot moves, excellent story about coping with the struggles of middle school and life. Excellent for middle school.

beths0103's review against another edition

3.0

Lots of parallels to Charlotte's Web.

hereisenough's review against another edition

3.0

Eh, I reeeeeally thought this would be better. Instead, it seemed a little haphazard and had these weird unnecessary lines (who tells an 11 year old to watch their weight? Did that police man really threaten to shoot someone in the heart? Why does Lorenzo assume such things about Hana? Idk. Just weird.)

compass_rose's review against another edition

3.0

Kid and Dad read together. They thought it was too depressing.

cogsofencouragement's review against another edition

3.0

The kids and I read this YA together. I needed tissues.

textpublishing's review against another edition

5.0

‘Saving Marty is a gentle read about coping with horrendous news, surviving against the odds, and love in all its forms. It’s a keeper.’
Kids Book Review

‘Warm, sweet, funny and heart-warming…A unique story; fresh and contemporary, it will bring a lump to your throat but you’ll finish it with a smile.’
Magpies

purpleskyrising's review against another edition

5.0

I received an advanced copy of this book to enjoy and review. Saving Marty by Paul Griffin is an adorable and witty book about a boy who saves a runt pig and a runt pig who brings together a family trough his hijinks. Renzo is a pre-teen growing up in Pennsylvania on a farm. His best friend Paloma and him bonded as children who have lost a parent. They spend their days on the farm making music and dreaming of making it big in hollywood. As a child, I lost a parent quite similarly to the way Renzo lost his father. This book though for pre-teens struck home for me. When Renzo finds Marty (the pig) in with the litter of puppies his dog just had, he almost instantly has a connection with him. Marty who grows up thinking he is a dog is comical and sweet. He comes into Renzo's life when he needs him most. Their friendship is sweet and I was constantly shocked by how draw-in I was to reading. Saving Marty had me laughing and crying, sometimes both at once. I loved this coming of age tale and can not wait for my son to be old enough to read it.All the characters in Saving Marty are all well-built, I especially love Double, though the areas to which they are in are lacking in detail. I was able though to be able to build it up with my imagination, and that is never a bad thing for kids to work on. 

Reading it with your pre-teen might also help open up the floor for various degrees of topics to talk about. Spoilers ahead!!!!!











Topics will include losing homes, war, PTSD, suicide, friends moving away, losing a pet, and handling bullies.

Saving Marty is intended for ages 10-14 but is a good tale for anyone.

Saving Marty is set to be released 9/19/17

toryhallelujah's review against another edition

3.0

The tone of this book kind of caught me off-guard. It's a little...self-referential? Ish? Or...like, it jumps right into what's going on without a lot of setup or explanation, and that felt weird to me. It kept that same tone the whole way through, which was kind of cool because it was like we were part of Renzo's thoughts and he didn't need to explain anything to himself, but then also -- like when your friend says "oh, YOU know," and you're happy to be included but actually you don't know, so you're still in the dark but don't want to ask what they meant and then lose that sense of trust/inclusion? If that makes sense at all!

Anyway. It was a cute-enough story.