FREE: The Pig Scrolls, by Paul Shipton

The listing, The Pig Scrolls, by Paul Shipton has ended.

Paperback, Like New condition
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-9–Gryllus, Odysseus's shipmate who was turned by Circe into a (talking) swine, cheekily narrates the story of his reluctant quest to save the world. His chief interest is eating, but a prophecy dooms him to be kidnapped and chased by both good and bad characters. There's a mouthy and feisty young Sibyl; a scruffy goatherd; and a budding poet, Homer. Clues are planted; plot holes are papered over; there's lots of running, escaping, and bashing the bad guys. As in Bug Muldoon (Viking, 2001), Shipton combines humor and action with bits of abstract thought about death and life. Gryllus remains a pig because he can't face the human condition. Why are we born to suffer and die? is the question he wants answered. Like Odysseus, Gryllus ultimately chooses to be human; like a tragic hero, he has a flaw (cowardice), but overcomes it at the last crucial moment. Many gods and goddesses appear, more flawed than divine. History is ignored: Homer, Thales, and Epicurus are contemporaries here, and the atom is split. Some humor comes from readers' knowing more than the self-important narrator, some from his superior tone and wisecracking. More farce than epic, this story does manage to provide a little bit to chew on after the laughter stops.–Patricia D. Lothrop, St. George's School, Newport, RI