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Summary: Great book
Review: Two "social outcast" students get to know a lonely old man while playing a phone game with her friends. As it was just a joke to visit him at the beginning, his house becomes a second home and he himself kind of a grand-father for them. Their friendship gets deeper an deeper, until something horrible happens...The book "The Pigman" by Paul Zindel is a great description about friendship between young and old and between boy and girl. Although the two different narrators who take turn with each chapter might be a bit confusing at the beginning, the style of writing is very good. The reader can identify with the main characters and does not lose interest in reading the book as there are always included little things that make him keep on reading. Moreover, the author describes precisely the family lives of the three main characters. In my opinion "The Pigman" is a really good book with which many people can identify and which is not too difficult to read as even non-native speakers are able to understand it.
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Summary: I'm sorry, but this is one of the best books I've ever read!
Review: Thank you to my teacher, who made us read this book for freshman honors English. Among my peers, I was among the few who enjoyed the book, which I find so sad. These days our lives seem built so much on materialistic things and for once, I wish everyone would see the beauty in this book and that is to enjoy life while you have it. The story is simple enough. It's about two teenagers whose home lives are, well to say the least, less than perfect. The way Zindel writes these characters makes it very easy to understand and to relate to them. I found myself nodding my head along with their words while reading the book almost the whole time. The boy in this scenario, is named John Conlon. Basically he's the quintessential bad boy. He drinks, he smokes, but underneath there's a guy who just wants to be understood and be an individual. Then there's his best friend Lorraine Jensen, who doesn't believe she was blessed with good looks like her slightly abusive and very 'out there' mother or John. Still one day while playing telephone pranks, they come across the number of Mr.Pignati and some how convince the poor, old, and obviously lonely man that they are calling to ask him to donate for a charity. The story just balloons out from there. The book is amazing. It most definately should be a must read on everyone's list. To read about two teenagers and how they learn to love each other and this lonely man is just inspiring. And though the book eventually comes to end (but there is a sequel to satistfy the rest of you, and me, he he he), these characters will definately live on in your mind. And if they don't, then I believe you are truly missing out. This book is one of the hidden gems. My mom read it in her English class and now I'm reading it. Don't miss this book for the world! I'm very glad that I didn't.
Rating:
Summary: Pigman is Great
Review: The Pigman by Paul Zindel is a great book for young adults. This book is great for kids looking for an easy read about some funny stuff. John, Loraine, and Mr. Pignati have a great time feeding BOBO at the zoo, eating chocolate covered snails, and going on a shopping spree at the toy store. I won't tell you any more of the other hilarious stuff that happens but lets just say it includes playing tag on ruler blades in the house. The book ends on a more serious note with the death of one of the mian characters. To find out who you'll have to read the book. The thing I liked most about the book was that Paul Zindel wrote it like kids had wrote it. This is a great book to read for a chuckle.
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Summary: Ze Pigman Review!!!
Review: What comes to your mind when you think about two kids who find everything a bore and an old plump man? In the novel, The Pigman, Paul Zindel takes this idea and makes an adventure out of it. Sophomores, John and Lorraine, are not exactly your average high-school children; going to school is like being enslaved, and they both can't seem to please their parents. To pass extra time, they make prank calls. One day, they call an old, balding man with a big fat grin pasted across his face, Mr. Pignati, who they call the "Pigman." Just by spending time with Mr. Pignati, they are slowly but surely killing him. From the first chapter, The Pigman grabs the reader's attention. One reason that it may do so is because of its many exciting cliffhangers. Many of its chapters start in a pleasant way but end with something readers might never think could happen, making them want to read on and on. Unfortunately, this novel also has a couple parts that are not enjoyable. For example, towards the end of the book, it gradually becomes disturbing. Although this part may bother readers, they will probably find the rest of the book well written and a fun to read. Due to this book's tendency to become upsetting, I am guessing that readers ages eleven and up will enjoy this novel in the numerous ways that I did. After reading this book it makes me realize that I should not take anything for granted because if we do, it will soon be gone.
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Summary: A must for every High School Teacher!
Review: Through his style of writing, Paul Zindel makes it easy for anyone to make a connection with the characters. Can you picture a teenager without life dilemmas? Not in today's society, so this is one book you must have every teenager read. In this book, you will meet two dynamic characters- John and Lorraine. They are two sophomores in high school who share with the reader their adventures. John is the typical prankster. Lorraine is his sidekick. Together, they to many things. They drink and smoke at the cemetery, and play practical jokes on people. The famous telephone marathon prank was one prank that changed their lives forever. The Pigman introduces them to a whole new world. Throughout the book, John and Lorraine will encounter themes of love, compassion, and trust. In addition, you will read about the different conflicts they experience. What does John's father wants him to be when he grows up? Why Lorraine's mother hates men? Who is Bobo? When I read this book as an adult, I could not put it down! I found myself becoming part of the story. I strongly encourage every educator to have this become part of your reading collection. If you are not an educator, you should purchase or recommend this book to any teenager you know. They will not be able to thank you enough.
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Summary: (...)
Review: it was the worst book i have ever read.it is narraited by john and lorrine. they both take turns every other chapter. the two who are best friends, wanted to write down their experience with the pigman before they would forget them. the pigman was a nickname they gave mr. pignati, an old man whoese retired. the way the came in contact with the man was by calling him up. the teenagers were playing a phone game n called the lonely old man and who invited them over in a heartbeat. this is how their friendship started. they end up bonding with the pigman and they always go to the zoo with the old man to see his best friend bobo the babboon. even tho i didnt like this story by paul zindle- there r many themes in this book that are important such as dont abuse ur friendship, respect elders, or ur choices today affect ur choices tomorrow.
i dont recomend this book at all. they tell u the ending in the beginign which just spoils it. but as u read it u sort of forget that it happenes and when it does u go o yea! n then its the end-its just leaves u hanging. so then u have to read the 2nd book called the pigman's legacy. i only read that book only because i wanted to know wut happened to john and lorriane. the 2nd book is sort of like the 1st book only with new characters and a semi different plot. basiclly i didnt like this book at all and dont recomend that u read it
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Summary: The Pigman
Review: I love this book. I read it about five times already. It made me cry the first couple of times a read it. What's so remarkable is that the author really seems to know how teens feel and act. He knows the pain that teens go through. It is about John and Lorraine, two teenagers, who are best friends and decide to be stupid and do prank calls. Lorraine only has her mother, and her mother always tells her how ugly and fat she is. Her mother is a bitter woman who doesn't give Lorraine her time of day. She is a nurse and is always busy. John hates his parents because they seem so old and everything in their house has to be perfectly straight and clean. There is a bit of humor in the book. They call a man named Mr. Pignati and pretend to be a charity. Mr. Pignati asks them to come over so that he can give them the money. They go to his house a little afraid, but they find out that he is a lonely, intelligent, and witty guy that only wants a couple of friends to talk to and hang out with. He starts bringing them to go shopping and buys them food and skates. Mr. Pignati shows them his room full of pigs, which he gave to his wife since his name is Mr. Pignati. It is a sad and touching story, and I really recommend it, especially to young adults. It's a great book and is often overlooked. I think that every young adult should read this book. It's great.
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Summary: I read this book in Braille, and I loved it. T
Review: Introduction Paul Zindel has written many books, but I will focus on The Pigman. The book is about two teenagers that had problems with their parents, and did unusual things, such as prank calls. John and Lorraine made a prank call to a man who was very lonely, his name was Mr.Pignati. Plot When the story opens, we see two teenagers, John and Lorraine who had troubled parents. Their parents didn't have a good influence on either one of the teens, so therefore they did things differently. John and his friends had set up prank calls to raise money for John's drinking and cigarette habits. In the process they made a call to a man who was very lonely, and he liked to talk a lot, and tell jokes. John and Lorraine went to visit the old man, but they knew there was something wrong with him because he was always happy about seeing people. They later found out that his wife had died, and the only friend that he had at the time was a caged baboon named Bobo. They became friends with Mr.Pignati but later they betrayed him. Characters The characters in this novel are realistic because it shows us what early teenage lives are all about in society. Conclusion In conclusion, I would recommend that teenagers and adults read this novel. I read this book in Braille, due to a vision impairment that I have, but I really enjoyed the book to the fullest. The story kept me in suspense, and I couldn't wait to keep reading to see what was going to happen next. If you would like to read a very enjoyable book with lots of suspense, then The Pigman book is the book that you should read. I hope that other people had so much fun reading this book as what I had.
Rating: 
Summary: An Okay Book, by Alicia
Review: The book "The Pigman" by Paul Zindel is not great but good. Zindel did a good job making the characters seem real by including smoking, drinking and dyfunctional families which many teen books seem to shy away from. The reactions to events seemed reasonable, which made the characters believable. There were some funny parts and some sad parts. Parts of the book were slow and boring but I still think it would intrest some teens. All in all, it wasn't the best or worst thing I have ever read.
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Summary: A tale dating back to the 1960's..
Review: The Pigman is a tragic story consisting of three main characters; John, who is the typical trouble maker, Lorraine, a girl striving to achieve something regardless of her mother's put-downs accompinied by a bad case of paranoia, and Mr. Pignati, who had been traumatized from his wife's death and drove himself into a state of denial, believing that she had just gone away on a trip. The Pigman obtained that particular nickname from the children for three main reasons; firstly, his lastname 'Pig'nati, secondly, his round, almost pig-like appearence, and thirdly, the glass pigs that he had collected from all around the world. What is interesting about this story is that you get to view it from both John and Lorraine's eyes; the two take turns in telling the tale. I liked this book because of how both John and Lorraine got to share their feelings with the reader, which made the story more interesting, in my own opinion. However in a few areas it seemed to drag on, which I didn't like.
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