Maybe there was a time before, when I loved books and loved stories. But I like to think of my life as before and after. Before Charlotte’s Web, I listened to stories. After Charlotte’s Web, I read them.
For every bibliophile, story-addict, or word-junkie, there is a book, or a story, that turned the tables. So, living my life in a post-reading Charlotte’s Web world, I am always drawn to stories that remind me of the friendship between Wilbur and Charlotte, strong girl-characters like Fern, and comedic entertainment in Templeton the Rat. I found this exact blend of comedy and childlike wonder in a book with big heart called The Unlikely Story of a Pig in the City.
If you are looking for a story that will take you back to the wonder of ‘SOME PIG’, then you will want to meet Jodi Kendall, author of The Unlikely Story of a Pig in the City next Wednesday, August 29th. The signing will begin at 5:00 p.m., with a reading to follow at 5:30 p.m.
In The Unlikely Story of a Pig in the City the book opens on Thanksgiving Day, at the dinner table. Josie Shillings’ college-aged older brother Tom brings home a baby pig he has named Hamlet who was the runt of the litter.
Josie’s father is adamant: “ ‘Not a chance,’ Dad said, pointing at Tom with a silver fork. ‘Pigs don’t belong in the city.’ ”
It is Josie who comes to the rescue, convincing her father to let her keep the pig, on the condition that she finds a home for it by New Year’s. Josie must juggle her upcoming gymnastics competition, surviving close-quarters living in a large family, a grumpy next-door neighbor, and buying pig-food for Hamlet, who is rapidly growing into quite the porker.
You will fall in love with Josie’s determination, Hamlet’s antics, and the Shilling family. As Josie’s favorite book is Charlotte’s Web, there are references to E.B. White’s classic within this novel as well.
Animal lovers and readers who enjoy a good family story in the same vein as The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall or The Moffats by Eleanor Estes won’t want to miss this event next week!
Author Jodi Kendall
This review originally appeared in Charlotte’s Web Turns 65: Here’s What to Read Next
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