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toryhallelujah's review
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.
Anyway. It was a cute-enough story.
ana_lopez45's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
TW for anyone who reads this there is mentioning of suicide.
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide
booknrrd's review
3.0
A 2019-2020 Missouri Mark Twain Readers Award preliminary nominee (grades 4-6).
When Lorenzo's mom takes the pigs to slaughter she misses a piglet. Lorenzo bonds with the pig and doesn't want to give it up, but the family can't really afford it, plus once it is fully grown it will be too large to keep as a pet.
This was sweet, I guess, and sad. I just really am not a fan of Griffin's work. I liked Lorenzo's relationship with the pig. Everything else not so much. 2.5 stars.
When Lorenzo's mom takes the pigs to slaughter she misses a piglet. Lorenzo bonds with the pig and doesn't want to give it up, but the family can't really afford it, plus once it is fully grown it will be too large to keep as a pet.
This was sweet, I guess, and sad. I just really am not a fan of Griffin's work. I liked Lorenzo's relationship with the pig. Everything else not so much. 2.5 stars.
evamadera1's review
4.0
I found this book absolutely delightful. I have no idea if a pig would actually act like a dog, as Marty does in this book but it pulls at the heart strings and makes you fall in love...with a pig!
I found the struggles that each of the characters goes through believable and appreciated that not everything ended as a fairy tale would, although some still does.
Griffin truly inhabits the narrative as Renz (Lorenzo), something I have never really paid attention to before. I did not look for that specifically in this book, I just observed it. The words on the page flowed freely and smoothly as if they came straight from Marty himself.
I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.
I found the struggles that each of the characters goes through believable and appreciated that not everything ended as a fairy tale would, although some still does.
Griffin truly inhabits the narrative as Renz (Lorenzo), something I have never really paid attention to before. I did not look for that specifically in this book, I just observed it. The words on the page flowed freely and smoothly as if they came straight from Marty himself.
I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.
tricialprice's review against another edition
3.0
Mark Twain Award nominee for 2019-20. Cute story about a pig who thinks he's a dog and a boy trying to keep him as a pet. Also deals with serious issues of poverty and psychological effects of war.
krosekauf's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
This short, odd book was not my favorite. The book follows Lorenzo as he deals with many difficult issues: researching the mysterious details behind his father's death, dealing with abandonment as his best friend accepts new opportunities, and most of all, trying to figure out how to get his mother to let him keep his 200+ pound pig Marty, who happens to think he is a dog. I didn't really connect with any of the characters, and I thought there was a lot going on and a lot of characters for such a short book. Unfortunately, it just fell flat for me. I will say that the audiobook version, which I read, includes original music written by the author, and I thought those songs were really well done. I don't know if the songs have the same effect being read on the page, though. Overall, a lackluster read.
This short, odd book was not my favorite. The book follows Lorenzo as he deals with many difficult issues: researching the mysterious details behind his father's death, dealing with abandonment as his best friend accepts new opportunities, and most of all, trying to figure out how to get his mother to let him keep his 200+ pound pig Marty, who happens to think he is a dog. I didn't really connect with any of the characters, and I thought there was a lot going on and a lot of characters for such a short book. Unfortunately, it just fell flat for me. I will say that the audiobook version, which I read, includes original music written by the author, and I thought those songs were really well done. I don't know if the songs have the same effect being read on the page, though. Overall, a lackluster read.
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