The Unlikely Story of a Pig in the City

by Jodi Kendall, Pascal Campion (Illustrator)

Overview

This delightful middle grade novel is a modern-day homage to Charlotte’s Web, perfect for fans of Katherine Applegate and Cammie McGovern.

“We fell in love with The Unlikely Story of a Pig in the City! No matter how big she gets, there’s always room for Hamlet in our hearts.” —Steve Jenkins and Derek Walter, New York Times bestselling co-authors of Esther the Wonder Pig

A little pig in a big city leads to lots of trouble!

Josie Shilling’s family is too big, their cramped city house is too small, and she feels like no one’s ever on her side. Then, on Thanksgiving Day, her older brother, Tom, brings home a pink, squirmy bundle wrapped in an old football jersey—a piglet he rescued from a nearby farm. Her name is Hamlet.

The minute Josie holds Hamlet, she feels an instant connection. But there’s no room for Hamlet in the crowded Shilling household. And whoever heard of keeping a pig in the city? So it’s up to Josie to find her a forever home.  

The Unlikely Story of a Pig in the City is a heartwarming tale of family, belonging, and growing bigger when you’ve always felt small.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062484543
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	09/04/2018
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	138,472
Product dimensions:	5.12(w) x 7.62(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Jodi Kendall's debut novel is The Unlikely Story of a Pig in the City, followed by Dog Days in the City. Jodi grew up in the Midwest with her family of seven and their household of countless pets, including hamsters, ducks, dogs, rabbits, an iguana, and yes . . . even a farm pig! As a freelance writer, Jodi once followed a secret nighttime transport of a manta ray over state lines, swam with seven species of sharks, got up close and personal with venomous snakes, and motored through a saltwater crocodile breeding ground. These days, you can find Jodi typing away at home in New York City, where she's still an animal lover at heart. Visit Jodi online at www.jodikendall.com.

Editorial Reviews

An appealing protagonist figuring out what’s important to her...heartwarming and satisfying.

ALA Booklist

We fell in love with THE UNLIKELY STORY OF A PIG IN THE CITY! Jodi Kendall has written a charming book with powerful lessons about family and animal welfare. No matter how big she gets, there’s always room for Hamlet in our hearts.

Steve Jenkins & Derek Walter

Josie is an endearing heroine and her story is a compelling one. This will appeal to the animal fans who loved Applegate’s The One and Only Ivan.”

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Jodi Kendall’s utterly charming, heartfelt story of the unlikely bond between a girl and a pig just goes to show that sometimes it takes a little pig with a big heart to bring a family together again. Move over Wilbur, there’s a new pig in town!

Bobbie Pyron

Josie is an endearing heroine and her story is a compelling one. This will appeal to the animal fans who loved Applegate’s The One and Only Ivan.”

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

08/28/2017
Eleven-year-old Josie Shilling immediately falls in love with the piglet her college-age brother, Tom, rescues and brings home at Thanksgiving. She recruits her friends to persuade her family that the pig, named Hamlet, should stay permanently at the Shillings’ cramped city home in Ohio. But it isn’t long before Josie realizes that although her family loves Hamlet, the city isn’t where he belongs; simultaneously, she comes to see that her future in gymnastics may be fleeting and that another interest might be as rewarding. The members of the large, chaotic Shilling family are full of entertaining quirks and idiosyncrasies, but it’s the growing understanding between the Josie and her sisters that steals the show, particularly her recognition that one of her older sisters, Sarah, feels just as lonely and overlooked as she does. Debut author Kendall’s treatment of the more mature concerns in Josie’s life, including her family’s financial worries, are handled lightly, but with care. With echoes of Charlotte’s Web, Kendall’s sweet story of family, friendship, and growing pains should charm a broad range of readers. Ages 8–12. Agent: Alexander Slater, Trident Media Group. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

We fell in love with THE UNLIKELY STORY OF A PIG IN THE CITY! Jodi Kendall has written a charming book with powerful lessons about family and animal welfare. No matter how big she gets, there’s always room for Hamlet in our hearts.

Steve Jenkins &Derek Walter

08/01/2017
Gr 4–6—Josie Shilling is somewhere in the middle of her very big family. Neither the oldest nor youngest of the clan, she feels overlooked at times. Her family has nearly outgrown their small city house filled with noise and toys and people and stuff. To top it off, her father doesn't believe in cable TV or the Internet. Though generally a happy-go-lucky type, Josie feels invisible in her family and worries about not achieving her goals in gymnastics. Things seem to change when her brother Tom brings home a little surprise in the form of a runt piglet called Hamlet. Josie is immediately smitten and makes it her goal to care for the pig, and to convince her dad to let her keep Hamlet—despite their agreement that she'd help find the pig a proper home. But, as it turns out, caring for a piglet is no easy task; especially one. that eats a lot and is a tad on the naughty side. As Josie grapples with raising Hamlet, achieving success in her gymnastics routine, and finding her place in the world, she comes to the realization that Hamlet deserves the type of home that she cannot provide. The tone and characters are reminiscent of classics like The Moffats, where the family's relationships are imperfect but charming. In the Shilling family no one has a cell phone, the Internet is something the family must go to the library to use, and the children actually put up paper fliers for Hamlet's adoption. The pacing is somewhat leisurely; the focus is on character relationships and funny situations rather than rollicking action. VERDICT A charming tale, ideal for fans of Jeanne Birdsall's The Penderwicks, Dana Alison Levy's The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher, and classics by Eleanor Estes.—Patricia Feriano, Montgomery County Public Schools, MD

School Library Journal

2017-07-02
Pigs are happiest living on a farm. Just ask Wilbur.Life for white middle-schooler Josie is a definite mix of highs and lows. She loves being on a gymnastics team but worries that she has grown too tall and that her cash-strapped parents will not be able to pay her fees. Then Thanksgiving Day brings a wonderful present. Her college-student brother brings home a runt piglet named Hamlet, and it is love at first sight. But can a pig be part of a big family in a small town house in an (unnamed) Ohio city? Hamlet is an endearing pet but grows very fast, and Josie has until New Year's to find Hamlet a better home. Making the deadline even more serious is a city ordinance banning farm animals. With help from friends, an ornery but lonely old neighbor, and a sympathetic vet, Josie navigates her quandary. A gymnastics competition, an old family tradition of picking out a Christmas tree, and a new family event called Handmade Christmas fill her days. Not surprisingly, her favorite book is Charlotte's Web, and there are many references to it. Unfortunately, those references consistently beg comparisons to the classic. Kendall focuses on family and friends as Josie narrates her story with drama and a tendency toward italicized narrative interjections. A beloved classic is reworked but lacks charm and heart-tugging strings. (Fiction. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews

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