Pigboy

Pigboy is the story of a boy named Dan Hogg. Dan is a kid who does not fit in. He's skinny and he's a geek. He also has allergies. Dan gets picked on a lot, especially by bullies. People also make fun of his name. Dan's glasses are of the coke bottle type. Dan's class is going on a field trip to a "Heritage Farm". This is a place where farming is done the old fashioned way. On the day of the trip, Dan's teacher, who knows the farmer and who arranged for the trip, is sick and cannot come to school. Hoping that the trip would be cancelled, Dan is disappointed to find out that they will go on the trip with the substitute teacher. When they arrive at the farm, strange things begin to happen. Even the farmer is very strange, and very scary as well. Dan finds that when he is confronted with life and death, he has reserves that he was not aware of. Through this experience, Dan finds out who he really is. We would strongly recommend this book. It is exciting, funny, scary, and full of action. It is a real page turner.

Dan Hogg is the kid that everyone teases and insults....his name just begs for it, and besides that, he wears glasses and has weird hair. He really dreads the upcoming class field trip to a farm that raises pigs -- this should be an especially bad day for Dan, and the day does start out with the class bully making life miserable for him. A career criminal has knocked the farm owner out, and locked him in a shed in order to rob him, but when the bus load of 8th-graders show up, it really messes up his plans. He's not quite sure what to do with them, but his boss says to get rid of them all. At first the kids and the teacher believe the robber is the farmer that they have come to see, but gradually realize that he is not, and that they have much to fear. Dan is determined to outwit the crook and save his classmates from the sure death that the man is planning for them. The story is narrated by Dan, the class nerd, himself. It's an exciting, funny adventure, with the tension building to a very satisfying finish. This award-winning author has a great sense of humor, and will have you laughing at Dan, and with him, as he outsmarts the bumbling robber and rescues his classmates in a short, quick read that will appeal to reluctant readers. Reviewed by: Grandma Bev