The Pigman and The Pigman's Legacy
-- School Library Journal, 10/23/2009
From the October issue
The Pigman (unabr.). 4 CDs. 4:30 hrs. Graymalkin Media (graymalkinmedia.com). 2009. ISBN 978-1-9351-6900-0. $24.95.
The Pigman’s Legacy (unabr.). 4 CDs. 4 hrs. Graymalkin Media. 2009. ISBN 978-1-9351-69079. $24.95.
Gr 8 Up–In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the publication of Paul Zindel’s award-winning novel, The Pigman (HarperCollins, 1968), Zindel’s son David has produced audiobook versions of The Pigman and The Pigman’s Legacy (Harper, 1980). In the first title, as a result of a phone prank, high school sophomores John and Lorraine become friends with Mr. Pignati (the Pigman), an elderly widower. The conflicted teens feel alienated from everything, but the Pigman's enthusiasm for life soon spills over onto them. John and Lorraine go roller skating with their new friend, and he suffers a heart attack and is hospitalized. The teens have a party at the Pigman’s house, and his pig collection and some of his late wife’s clothes are destroyed. When Mr. Pignati comes home unexpectedly, he’s distraught and feels betrayed by his young friends. They try to make it up to him by taking him to the zoo, only to learn that his beloved gorilla, Bobo, has died. This trauma causes the Pigman to have a fatal heart attack. In The Pigman’s Legacy, John and Lorraine discover that a homeless man is living in Mr. Pignati’s abandoned house. Thinking that this is a chance for them to make up for what happened to the Pigman, they try to befriend the surly old man and bring in Dolly, the school custodian, to help. After a trip to Atlantic City, prescribed by Dolly to cheer up the man, they discover that the true legacy of the Pigman is love. Both stories are told in chapters that alternate between John and Lorraine’s point of view, narrated by Charlie McWade and Eden Riegel who do an outstanding job of bringing the characters to life. An added bonus is a fascinating interview with Paul Zindel discussing his craft. These remarkable audiobooks, which still offer important messages to today’s teens, are a must-have for high school and public libraries.–Kathy Miller, Baldwin High School Baldwin City, KS
