Griffin, Paul.
SAVING MARTY
New York : Dial Books for Young Readers, 2017
IL 5-8
ISBN   0399539077  

(2 booktalks)

Booktalk #1

Lorenzo lives in a small town in western Pennsylvania. He lives with his mother and grandfather.  They barely have enough money to get by and his mother looks for every opportunity to make a few dollars. When the pig has a litter, they are sold and the money comes in handy. But when their dog has a litter, Lorenzo notices a small pig in the corner. One o the piglets was left behind. The dog accepts the piglet and Lorenzo names it Marty after his father who was killed in the war.  As Marty grows, he becomes more and more like a dog and less like a pig.  Lorenzo wants to keep him but he knows his mother needs the money.  Will Lorenzo be able to find a way to save his friend?

Booktalk #2

 “Marty is the perfect dog – smart, friendly, loyal, and quick to learn tricks. The only problem is…Marty is a pig! And a big one at that, weighing in at a husky 350 pound. Eleven year old Lorenzo needs to figure out how to convince his mom to let him keep Marty, whom he raised since he was the runt of the litter. Things aren’t easy for Lorenzo’s family, and the money Marty could bring at auction would really help them out. But how can a boy give up his pet pig? (Prepared by: Carly Huerta, Pleasant Knoll Middle School, huertac@fortmillschools.org for South Carolina Book Award)