Paul Griffin does not disappoint with this sweet and touching middle grade fiction. ( )

Eleven-year-old Lorenzo's father was killed fighting in the army. He lives with his mother and grandfather on a struggling orchard, where both adults work extra jobs to try to make ends meet. They sell off their only pig after she had piglets to make some money and get rid of the mouths to feed. But the runt piglet gets missed, and ends up being raised by the family's dog, who has a litter of puppies the day after the pigs are gone. Lorenzo names the piglet Marty, and wants to keep him as a pet. Mom is clear that Marty will end up weighing hundreds of pounds, and they can't keep him as a pet, as soon as he's big enough, he'll have to be auctioned off for his meat.

Lorenzo, his grandfather, and his best friend and neighbor Pal, all start trying to figure out ways to keep Marty, while Mom keeps telling them all that just isn't possible.

There is also an important underlying story about Lorenzo's father. There is a mystery about his father, who he always has viewed as a hero, though he never met him, and Lorenzo grows more and more determined to find out what that secret is.

This is a good middle grade novel on themes of making responsible decisions, even when they're hard, and about grief. ( )

Narrated by the author. Lorenzo is 11-years-old and over 6 feet tall. He met his best friend Pal, a Korean-American girl, at folk music camp. He accompanies her singing on his late father's guitar. He never knew his father, who died working as a military medic in Iraq? Afghanistan? Lorenzo raises a runt piglet named Marty even as his mother threatens to sell him to the butcher. Double Pop is Lorenzo's grandfather. As Marty's growth becomes more problematic for the household, Pal's star rises and Lorenzo learns things about his father that cause him to doubt his heroism. Griffin narrates his own work, performs on guitar and Sarah Whelan sings for Pal. There's a rumbling warmth to this production even though Lorenzo comes off sounding more like a man than the 11-year-old he is. ( )