But This Little Piggy Went Wee, Wee, Wee!

Mercy, the favorite pig and family member of Mr. and Mrs. Watson, is missing, and they are beside themselves with worry. The longer she is gone, the more people join the hunt to find her.

For one, there is the clueless Private Investigator, Percival Smidgely, hired by the Watsons. Stella and Horace also search while riding the horse, Maybelline. The small cowboy, Leroy Ninker, joins them with his rope hoping to lasso Mercy, and bring her home. "Missing" posters with her description are hung all over town.

As Mercy leads everyone on a merry chase, we see she gets into some predicaments of her own. She is chased by two guys who would like to have her for a barbeque, with her being the main course. But have no fear, the ending is happy.

The new Butter Barrel candy factory also plays a hilarious role in Mercy’s disappearance.

Lots of fun things happen throughout the tale. Investigator Smidgely tries to track her down, but passes up information that would have made him the hero. Louella, the detective’s girlfriend, is part of the story due to her love of sandwiches with toasted bread.

Giggles will abound when reading the antics of both Mercy and the people looking for her in this cute chapter book. There are great illustrations, many that are in color, that make the story even funnier.

This is supposed to be the series finale, if so, they are going out with a bang, this book is great. I highly recommend this five-star story to children five through ten years old. They will love it, and so will you!

Thank you, Candlewick Books, for providing Tickmenot with a book to review. Opinions are my own. ( )

First sentence from prologue: The office of Percival Smidgely, PI, was situated on the third floor of the historic Blinkhopp Building in downtown Gizzford.

First sentence from chapter one: On a bright morning in early autumn, Mercy Watson went missing.

Premise/plot: Mercy Watson, everyone's MOST FAVORITE PIG, is completely missing. Can the community come together--with or without the help of the 'official' private investigator'--to find Mercy? What could this butter-loving pig be up to?

My thoughts: I love Kate DiCamillo. Some I love, love, love. Some I merely love. A few I've merely liked. But without a doubt she can create memorable characters and craft great narratives that are engaging for readers of varied ages. I enjoyed this one so much. It is possible I would have loved it even more if I'd taken the time to reread ALL the Mercy Watson books and the Tales of Deckawoo Drive. She has brought all the characters from previous books into this one and it is a true celebration of the community she has created/crafted.

I love the writing. For example, "Mrs. Watson returned to 54 Deckawoo Drive with dread in her heart. What had started as a pebble of worry was turning into a boulder of despair." ( )