Rating: 
Summary: Two sophmores tell the epic story of The Pigman.
Review: The book "The Pigman" is about Sophomore students named John and Lorain. The story is a memorial epic for the Pigman after he dies. John and Lorain tell the whole story of how they met the Pigman, how they became friends and how he died. John begins the book and then Lorain and John alternate writing each chapter of the story. Lorain and John are very different types of people but they also have things in common. They are both very troubled but in different ways. Lorain lives with her mother who thinks all men are evil because of Lorain's father. John refers to his father as "The Boar" who wants him to be more practical and not follow his dream of being an actor. I give this book **** (four stars out of five) because I enjoyed it thoroughly. It was very realistic and the characters are believable. The book is fiction but it is so detailed you would think it actually happened. I would recommend that you read this book and it's sequel "The Pigman's Legacy" Which is another epic by John and Lorain that describes the events after the Pigman died.
Rating:
Summary: The Understanding of Teenagers
Review: I believe this book was an excellent well spoken book. It is about to ordinary kids and is somewhat different in the ways they were brought up. These two kids like normal teens do decided to play some pranks on random people and see which of them can keep the random person on the phone the longest. This ends up to be a way to introduce/ bring in, a character called Mr. Piñata (The Pigman). As it turns out the kids make Mr. Pignati believe that they are calling him on behalf of a donation. The Pigman is a nice man so he believes the children and invites them over his house to give them there money. I won't give out the rest because I believe this will be a good book for you to read if you're a 14 year old or an adult. I believe people 13 and below would have a hard time understanding the books message. This book is a crazy adventure that you would enjoy with hilarious conversations and plots. I don't no if you'll actually life but you'll have a smile on your face. This book has two narrators, John and Lorraine. The switch being the narrator after each chapter and will talk about the scenes and how the felt in each one. You'll also catch a glimpse of the parents and like all Paul Zindel Books the parent have problems of there own. We'll I highly encourage you guys to read this book. Or maybe you have and just wanted some insight on how other people felt. That's why I read the reviews.
Rating: 
Summary: A pleasure to read the voices of these two teens
Review: This is probably the first book that I ever read as a teenager (or thereabouts) that made me feel like I could really identify with the characters contained therein.
The Pigman is told in the words of John and Lorraine, two high school sophomores who have decided to write down the story of Mr. Pignati, an old man who they wind up befriending. John is a handsome, overly-confident prankster, while Lorraine is a shy, brainy girl. They both have family problems, and the book is really as much about them as it is about "the Pigman."
Teenaged readers will enjoy reading about kids who are somewhat like themselves, and reading the book in their own voices. The pranks that John pulls are really funny, even if they eventually get him into trouble, and seeing Mr. Pignati through their initially distrustful eyes makes us get to know him by degrees, and appreciate who he is.
Overall, this is a fun book that may spark an interest in reading. Zindel has a real knack for getting inside the heads of his young protagonists, and he has a very authoritative anti-authoritarian voice, if that makes any sense.
Rating:
Summary: comunication's class review; by nick
Review:
Paul Zindel wrote a book called The Pigman; This is about two sixteen-year-olds that take advantage of an old man (with an interesting secret!); by asking him to give money to a nonexistent charity.
When they come to Mr. Pignati's house to collect his check, they find a lonely and slightly eccentric retiree who greets them warmly and with respect. A friendship grows, and John and Lorraine are trusted with their friend's house (alone!).
When this trust is betrayed, the teenagers must reflect the meaning of their actions and the effect their actions have on other people. My opinion of this book. It's a great book that really makes you think about what life has to offer you and maybe just think about what your actions do to others and how it makes them feel. Everyone should read this book it's received many awards.
I can relate to this because I used to go to my grandma's house and keep her company. She was always so excited to see me; just like Mr. Pignati she loved my company!
Rating:
Summary: Did it really happen?
Review: Well I know this is a fiction book. I know it and yet I feel like it really happened. John and Lorraine wouldn't just make the whole thing up, would they? Well, actually, that's how the story starts. After a few formalities, the first one being to teach us how to set off a bomb in the boys' bathroom without being caught (hey, you got to get our attention somehow, right?), we are taught the game that started this whole story.
The object of the game is to call a complete stranger on the phone, and see who can keep them talking the longest before they find you out. Obviously, this book was written before they invented cable TV and video games, not to mention the internet. I don't think people today can think up such a creative game. Well, this particular phone call leads to the actual meeting of a person. Mr. Pignati, or the pigman, is a lonely old man who is fooled into actually making a donation to "Miss Truman" (Lorraine) and "Mr. Wandermeyer's" (John) fictitious charitable organization.
Meeting this man will change the lives of John and Lorraine forever. The author explains to us that "bad" teenagers like John and Lorraine can't really help themselves. He asserts that it's their treatment by their parents that have made them insatiable entertainment seekers. They do things to try and show they are grown up like swearing, drinking, smoking, setting off bombs, skipping school, staying out all hours, etc. During the course of this story, they (and us) are shown that these are not the things that make us grown up. These two are taught in a most painful way that we are grown up when we care about others more than ourselves.
At least that's the lesson it means to teach. It's the lesson that makes sense to an adult but I am not convinced that it is the lesson that is learned by the young person this book was obviously intended for. This author implies that normal tenth graders all behave badly to show they are cool and grown up. This book is rather dated in that way. Times have changed and even Jesus is cool today if that's what you believe.
The big problem with the book is this: The writing isn't advanced enough to satisfy an adult and I believe it's a bad influence on the children it was intended for. In real life, it's too advanced a lesson for kids like John and Lorraine to grasp. The only ones who will get it are the ones who got it already anyway.
This is an excellent quality story. I would recommend it to any teen who believes getting away with misbehavior makes you grown up. I would also recommend it to this kind of teen's parent because you may see yourself in this book too and see why your teen thinks he's right.
Rating:
Summary: The novel of much importance
Review: The Pigman is actually, in my opinion a well written and interesting book. The characters are realistic, the writing is very vivid and descriptive, there's enough humor,and you can get some real affection for a few of the characters. The problem is the ending is awful. Not only does it end on the sour note with the death of the most likeable and nicest character in the book- Mr. Pignati, who seemingly just gave up on life after the 2 main characters wreck his home and many memories of his deceased wife while he's in the hospital and his only other "friend" dies, but after his sudden death the whole book ends abruptly! You just end up feeling sad and depressed, because so much of the book builds up a loveable, trusting, jovial image of him, and he dies a lonely, depressed man.
So all in all, I'd say it's worth reading, but I doubt that the majority of readers will appreciate the ending, especially if they actually bought the book rather than borrowing it from a library!
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