Saving Marty

Starred review from July 24, 2017
Griffin (When Friendship Followed Me Home) delivers a tender, sensitive portrayal of a boy beginning to wonder about his place in the world. Lorenzo Ventura, over six feet tall and 250 pounds at age 11, discovers a runt piglet left behind on his family’s Pennsylvania peach orchard. Bella, the family’s pet Lab, has just given birth to a litter of puppies, so she and Renzo both become caretakers of the small pig, which he names Marty after his late father, an Army sergeant. As the months pass, Renzo faces several life-changing situations, including his friend Paloma’s musical success and revelations about his father; Marty has become such a steadying force that Renzo can’t imagine life without him. Griffin infuses kindness into almost every scene, his well-drawn characters leave lasting impressions, and he gracefully delves into themes that include love, sacrifice, friendship, and accountability. Many readers will know a Renzo, the big-hearted kid who’s a little different and has both hardships and undiscovered talents. There are no easy solutions to the characters’ problems, nor outright villains, just struggling people navigating life. Ages 10–14. Agent: Jodi Reamer, Writers House.

Paul Griffin does triple duty as author, narrator, and musician in this funny, touching story of a boy and his pig. Griffin infuses real feeling and an authentic Western Pennsylvania twang into the character of Renzo, who finds a runt piglet and names it Marty, after the father he never met. Over the course of a year, Renzo struggles with previously unknown truths about his father's military service and confronts the potential loss of his best friend, the now-huge Marty, to the auction block. Griffin makes Renzo's fear, grief, and joy part of the story as much with his tone as with his words. The vocal interludes of Paloma Lee, as performed by Sarah Whelan, are a special treat for the audio production. N.M. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine