“The Day No Pigs Would Die” by Robert Newton Peck

Young man, if you want a book that sounds like real life, this is it.

Rob Peck is a twelve-year-old farm boy growing up in Vermont in the 1920s. His family are Shakers, they have little money, and every day is hard work. His father butchers hogs for a living, and Rob helps him. Then, one day, Rob does a good turn for a neighbor and gets a surprising reward: a piglet of his own. He names her Pinky. She follows him everywhere, and for the first time Rob has something that belongs only to him.

But farm life has its own rules, and growing up means facing what they ask of you. Peck writes about love, work, honesty, and responsibility in plain language, and a lot of it is funny. It is also an honest book. It deals with farm slaughter and with loss, so it is not a story that spares its reader, but that is why it stays with you.

It is a short read and a favorite in many classrooms, and it will make you think about what it means to do the right thing.

This copy is a well-read paperback in acceptable condition, with visible wear but complete and ready to read. You can find it at Dead Tree Dreams.