A Canadian Children's Book Centre Best Book for Kids and Teens 2017
A witty, warm-hearted, and wonderful book about kids solving the most important mystery of all: what it means to be a friend.” —Kristen Kittscher, author of The Wig in the Window
"Tracy and Ralph join the tradition of literary friendships like Frog and Toad's, Charlotte and Wilbur's, Anne and Diana'sthe friendships kids never forget. MacKnight's debut sparkles with the soul of middle grade and will leave readers everywhere longing for more." Janet Sumner Johnson, author of The Last Great Adventure of the PB&J Society
"McLeod MacKnight has created a lovable cast of charactersa girl fascinated with musicals and classic movies, a best friend who dreams of being a famous chef, and one very determined little brother. A humorous and touching story about true friendship, and being proud of who you are." Dee Romito, author of The BFF Bucket List
"A fun and fast-paced mystery filled with friendship troubles, an annoying younger brother, and a mysterious bag of cash." Lee Gjertsen Malone, author of The Last Boy at St. Edith's
"It’s a Mystery, Pig Face! has all the things I want in a book: humor, drama, secrets, adventure, and a kid called Pig Face. MacKnight has woven a sweet tale of friendship and family, first crushes and rivalries, all centered around a mystery full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing. Tracy, her younger brother Lester, and her best friend Ralph are wonderful, quirky, well-rounded characters with just enough misguided good intentions to get themselves into a heap of trouble and the heart and determination to find their way back out again. I also love that the adults in the story have real lives and feelings and play an important role in how everything unfolds. If you’re looking for a great middle grade mystery that will keep readers glued to the page, this is the book for you." —Wade Albert White, author of The Adventurer's Guide to Successful Escapes
A Canadian Children's Book Centre Best Book for Kids and Teens 2017
A witty, warm-hearted, and wonderful book about kids solving the most important mystery of all: what it means to be a friend.” —Kristen Kittscher, author of The Wig in the Window
"Tracy and Ralph join the tradition of literary friendships like Frog and Toad's, Charlotte and Wilbur's, Anne and Diana'sthe friendships kids never forget. MacKnight's debut sparkles with the soul of middle grade and will leave readers everywhere longing for more." Janet Sumner Johnson, author of The Last Great Adventure of the PB&J Society
"McLeod MacKnight has created a lovable cast of charactersa girl fascinated with musicals and classic movies, a best friend who dreams of being a famous chef, and one very determined little brother. A humorous and touching story about true friendship, and being proud of who you are." Dee Romito, author of The BFF Bucket List
"A fun and fast-paced mystery filled with friendship troubles, an annoying younger brother, and a mysterious bag of cash." Lee Gjertsen Malone, author of The Last Boy at St. Edith's
"It’s a Mystery, Pig Face! has all the things I want in a book: humor, drama, secrets, adventure, and a kid called Pig Face. MacKnight has woven a sweet tale of friendship and family, first crushes and rivalries, all centered around a mystery full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing. Tracy, her younger brother Lester, and her best friend Ralph are wonderful, quirky, well-rounded characters with just enough misguided good intentions to get themselves into a heap of trouble and the heart and determination to find their way back out again. I also love that the adults in the story have real lives and feelings and play an important role in how everything unfolds. If you’re looking for a great middle grade mystery that will keep readers glued to the page, this is the book for you." —Wade Albert White, author of The Adventurer's Guide to Successful Escapes
02/01/2017
Gr 3–6—Tracy Munroe is hoping for an exciting end-of-summer adventure with her best friend Ralph, an aspiring chef. She also plans to make sure her little brother Lester ("Pig Face") doesn't dampen their plans. Soon the kids find a paper bag stuffed with money and set out to figure out where it came from. Though the mystery is somewhat interesting, the novel as a whole is confounding. The title and cover art are off-putting and not indicative of the book's content; the title itself includes name-calling, and the cover drawing of the main characters makes them look menacing. The older kids reluctantly allow "Pig Face" to help them after he spies on them and blackmails them into including him as they try to discover the origins of the money bag. The book is set in a small Canadian town where the author lives, and Tracy is drawn from her own experiences growing up. Unfortunately, Tracy's voice comes across as an adult trying to sound like a tween. Though readers may enjoy Tracy's vivid imagination and flair for the dramatic, most of the plot is predictable. VERDICT An additional purchase only.—Sarah Wilsman, Bainbridge Library, Chagrin Falls, OH
2016-11-23
Tracy—gratingly—delights in calling her younger brother "Pig Face"; although she has a reasonably amicable relationship with him, she appears oblivious to the hurtful nature of her chronic name-calling.But, surprisingly, since "Pig Face" comes up over and over, that is not the point of this overlong debut novel for early chapter-book readers. Tracy, 11, her best friend, Ralph, and her astute 9-year-old brother Lester, aka Pig Face, embark on the investigation of a mystery: why was a bag of money left in the detritus under the dugout bench of their small Canadian town's ballpark? Slightly complicating their investigation is the presence of handsome visitor Zach, whom Tracy is developing a crush on and Ralph (perhaps partly because of that) dislikes. Tracy, Ralph, and Lester, all white, pursue their investigation in a kid-appropriate way, hiding the money and asking around, using a way-too-obvious approach that's sure to spell trouble later—and it does. There are plenty of red herrings and an unexpected villain in this plot-driven adventure that eventually explores bullying but never, disappointingly, addresses the "pig face" problem. Tracy is a colorful character, dressing in vintage clothing and not ashamed of her intelligence, and Lester is amusingly wise for his years, their well-rounded characters adding authenticity. A summer adventure that determined young readers may enjoy. (Mystery. 9-11)