A boy and his pet overcome being the new kids on the block and learn many laudable lessons.
I don’t know where to start, there were so many things I liked about this book. This would have been entertaining if it had been a boy and his dog but a boy and his pig makes it much more interesting.
Benny is so likeable because he is so normal. He shows the fears and insecurities that are ubiquitous to human beings let alone children. His parents are not perfect nor are they buffoons.
The conflict is not violent but it is believable. Bullying is a hot topic at the moment. Lundqvist paints a more realistic approach than many authors. He also show the impact a negative family life can have on creating bullies without in any way becoming preachy.
The friendship between Major and Benny and the impact reality has, particularly in hard economic times, is poignant. All of us have been there at some point in our lives.
So many laudable characteristics are exhibited that it would be tedious to list them all. Lundqvist painted real live people, showing emotions and empathy as well as pettiness and anger. Fletcher is icing on the cake. He brings humor and pathos into the story line.
The title is indicative of the humorous attitude of the author. He illustrates that humor and wisdom in his blog which is linked below.
I really enjoyed this book.
I strongly recommend the book!
Web site: http://pvlundqvist.blogspot.com/
