Paul Griffin

Eleven-year-old Lorenzo's father was killed fighting in the army. He lives with his mother and grandfather on a struggling orchard, where both adults work extra jobs to try to make ends meet. They sell off their only pig after she had piglets to make some money and get rid of the mouths to feed. But the runt piglet gets missed, and ends up being raised by the family's dog, who has a litter of puppies the day after the pigs are gone. Lorenzo names the piglet Marty, and wants to keep him as a pet. Mom is clear that Marty will end up weighing hundreds of pounds, and they can't keep him as a pet, as soon as he's big enough, he'll have to be auctioned off for his meat.

Lorenzo, his grandfather, and his best friend and neighbor Pal, all start trying to figure out ways to keep Marty, while Mom keeps telling them all that just isn't possible.

There is also an important underlying story about Lorenzo's father. There is a mystery about his father, who he always has viewed as a hero, though he never met him, and Lorenzo grows more and more determined to find out what that secret is.

This is a good middle grade novel on themes of making responsible decisions, even when they're hard, and about grief.… (mais)