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A review by helenareadsbooks
Pigs Will Fly by Sunny D.
3.0
Pigs Will Fly follows 11 year old Kessie Fergusson as she begins a new year at school. Kessie recently lost her hearing and is having difficulty adjusting to her disability. She reluctantly returns to school and faces new challenges, including being placed in a class that she thinks isn’t the right fit for her. But Kessie learns that not everything is what it seems and comes to embrace her new classmates and her disability.
Kessie is an endearing character and overall the book is a playful and funny middle grade novel about acceptance, friendship and disability. I love the focus on Kessie’s relationships with the adults in her life, including her mother and favourite teacher. Their support for Kessie grounds the book and helps her on her journey towards believing in herself and regaining her confidence.
Kessie also grows as a character as she gets to know her new classmates and accepts them for who they are. I love that this book recognizes that students have different needs—one method of teaching might not work for every student but that doesn’t mean we should think less of the students who need more support or different learning methods. Embracing differences is one of the main strengths of this book and this is something Kessie grapples with.
I also appreciate that this book attempts to have serious discussions. However, I found that this didn’t always work because of the playful and humorous tone. In some instances, more nuance or details would have made the serious moments more impactful.
Overall, I appreciate Kessie’s journey to accepting herself and her new friends. Pigs Will Fly is a playful story that explores disability and differences that will resonate with young readers who may also be struggling with making friends or adjusting to major life changes.
My thanks to the author for providing me with a copy of this book to review.
Kessie is an endearing character and overall the book is a playful and funny middle grade novel about acceptance, friendship and disability. I love the focus on Kessie’s relationships with the adults in her life, including her mother and favourite teacher. Their support for Kessie grounds the book and helps her on her journey towards believing in herself and regaining her confidence.
Kessie also grows as a character as she gets to know her new classmates and accepts them for who they are. I love that this book recognizes that students have different needs—one method of teaching might not work for every student but that doesn’t mean we should think less of the students who need more support or different learning methods. Embracing differences is one of the main strengths of this book and this is something Kessie grapples with.
I also appreciate that this book attempts to have serious discussions. However, I found that this didn’t always work because of the playful and humorous tone. In some instances, more nuance or details would have made the serious moments more impactful.
Overall, I appreciate Kessie’s journey to accepting herself and her new friends. Pigs Will Fly is a playful story that explores disability and differences that will resonate with young readers who may also be struggling with making friends or adjusting to major life changes.
My thanks to the author for providing me with a copy of this book to review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Misogyny
Minor: Fatphobia, Transphobia