The Pig Scrolls
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 inBug 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, RICopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.