The Unlikely Story of a Pig in the City by Jodi Kendall, Pascal Campion

When her brother comes home with a runt the pig farmer was going to let die, Josie adopts it.  She loves the little pink porker and while she's been told she's responsible for Hamlet her family does help her a bit.  But she keeps growing...

HarperCollins and Edelweiss gave me the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published October 3rd.

Josie's family is big and there's nowhere in the house to hide out and be alone.  They start with a home in the stairwell.  The larger the pig gets, the harder it is to keep her in there.

This is also the story of a family.  Josie thinks she's a forgotten member of the family.  Then she finds out one of her sisters feels the same way!  One thing Hamlet does is get everyone talking to each other again.

There are two catastrophes.  First Hamlet goes through the animal door into the house next door and really disturbs the cranky lady that lives there.  It also breaks part of her fence and some of her flower pots.  They have to pay for the damage and they don't have enough money.  Josie ends up giving up her allowance money she's saved but that alone isn't enough.  Her parents will have to make up the difference.

The second disaster is when her father invites his boss over for dinner.  She's being a pain the whole meal but when the pig gets out and dumps her pie in her lap, she kicks the pig.  Josie's father orders her out of the house.  No one abuses animals or children in his world.

When it seems like there is no way out of their money troubles and Hamlet will be taken away by animal control, a miracle happens and things turn themselves around.

It's amazing how a runt destined for death revived a family that had grown apart.  This a good-hearted story with old fashioned values and I enjoyed it.