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Summary
Summary
From Newbery Medalist and National Book Award-winning author Cynthia Kadohata comes an irrepressible and heartwarming story about a girl and her ever-growing pig, Saucy--perfect for fans of The One and Only Ivan and Flora & Ulysses !
Being a quadruplet can make it hard to stand out from the crowd. Becca's three brothers all have something that makes them... them . Jake has his music and dancing, Jammer plays hockey, and K.C. thinks they're all living in a simulation and doesn't see the point of doing much of anything. Becca is the only one with nothing to make her special.
But when she finds a tiny, sick piglet on the side of the road, Becca knows this is it. This is her thing. She names the piglet Saucy and between her own pleading and Saucy's sweet, pink face, Becca convinces her family to take her in. Soon, Saucy is as big a part of the family as anyone else--and getting bigger . With each pound Saucy gains, the more capable she becomes of destroying the house and landing Becca in trouble.
Some tough decisions need to be made about Becca's pet, and her search for solutions brings to light exactly where Saucy came from. Turns out, there are a lot more scared piglets out there, and saving them may take Becca and her brothers finally doing something together.
Author Notes
Cynthia Kadohata was born on July 2, 1956. She is a Japanese American author of children's books. Kadohata won the Newbery Medal in 2005 for her title, Kira-Kira. She also won a PEN award in 2006 for Weedflower and in 2013 she won the U.S. National Book Award for The Thing About Luck.
Kadohata was born in Chicago, Illinois, and was a high school drop out. She attained a BA in Journalism from the University of Southern California and went on to attend graduate programs at the University of Pittsburgh and Columbia University.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Eleven-year-old Becca, a quadruplet, believes herself a coward due to the way she treated a former friend. She also worries that she's the only one of her siblings without a specific interest. Bailey, who uses a wheelchair, composes music; Jammer plays hockey; and math- and science-minded K.C. "believed that they might all be living in a simulation." Everything changes, though, on a family walk through their Ohio town, when Becca finds and insists on saving a piglet sick with mange. Saucy, as she names the animal, is a small force of destruction, leaving ruined kitchen cabinets, screen doors, and gardens in her wake ("That pig is nuts. I like her," says Bailey). And Saucy is going to be big, likely to reach 600 pounds. Pictured in expressive black-and-white illustrations by Raskin, Becca and Saucy are the entertaining, delightful heart of this story featuring a close-knit family and a child considering the ramifications of cruelty and of healing. Newbery Medalist Kadohata (Kira-Kira) realistically portrays Becca's growth through rich internality, and her journey to loving herself and Saucy enough to give both what they need feels organic and true. Ages 8--12. (Sept.)
Horn Book Review
Eleven-and-a-half-year-old Becca, one of a set of quadruplets, discovers an ailing baby pig by the side of the road and brings it home. From this point on, life in her family goes from baseline busy to complete mayhem as Saucy destroys the kitchen cupboards, breaks the fridge, shreds the living-room curtains, uproots the garden, eats everything in sight, and, thriving under Becca's loving care, gets bigger and bigger over the course of a summer. (As the prospect of a six-hundred-pound pet looms, there is really only one solution...the pig sanctuary.) But Becca's experience has given her fresh confidence, which she uses to right a wrong she had done to her best friend and to organize the youth of her town to protest the practices of factory farming. The tale includes classic middle-grade tropes such as kindly, hapless parents with financial challenges; mean girls; a grumpy grandmother with a heart of gold; and a supporting cast of characters each identified by broadly defined qualities (of Becca's three brothers, Jammer is a jock; Bailey, who has cerebral palsy, is sensitive and artistic; and K.C. has a scientific/philosophical mind). This funny, lively story, with scene-setting digital illustrations, also serves as a cautionary tale regarding oh-so-cute pigs as pets. Sarah Ellis January/February 2021 p.106(c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Becca is one of four quadruplets, but while her brothers have found their passions--sports, music, and science--she feels more adrift. Longing for something to pour her heart into, she finds that opportunity in the form of an incredibly sick piglet, languishing roadside. Becca is smitten, and despite the obvious challenges in raising a pig in a busy home, she talks her parents into rescuing the poor critter. But how long can it last? And where did the irrepressible piglet, christened Saucy, actually come from? The story, tender and entertaining, finds excellent balance between the humor of a large pig in a small house and Becca's profound emotional awakenings. Her supportive and slightly chaotic family is a highlight, including a wheelchair-using brother who's never left out of the action. A late shift to a factory-farm rescue is somewhat jarring, though it offers an age-appropriate introduction to issues surrounding animal treatment. Overall, the high jinks are fresh and funny, and Becca's experiences and introspection beautifully encapsulate lessons in friendship, love, and the joy of family.
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3--6--Eleven-year-old Becca is a quadruplet and the only one of her siblings who doesn't have a "thing." Jammer plays hockey, Bailey has his music, and KC thinks about the simulation he believes they're all living in. Then one night, while on a family walk, Becca notices something in the bushes: an abandoned, mangy, baby pig. No one knows where it came from, but overnight, Becca has found her purpose in caring for this pig. She names her Saucy, after the pig's attitude, and Becca is determined to make Saucy part of the family. But Saucy will grow to be 600 pounds, and a rapidly-growing, ever-hungry pig is a lot to handle in an already chaotic house. Kadohata excels at creating multidimensional characters who drive her stories. Becca is determined and cares deeply about her family, but she occasionally argues with her parents and siblings. Readers will relate to Becca's struggles with friendship and the worry she feels over leaving things unresolved with her best friend, who moved away after her mother was arrested. Ultimately, this is a redemptive story for Becca, who discovers that animals and people (herself included) are complex and worthy of second chances, and that while facing the truth can be tough, it will feel right. VERDICT Readers will love the zany antics brought on by raising a pig, but what makes this a must-read is Becca and her family, with all their love, flaws, and compassion.--Kristin Brynsvold, Tuckahoe Elem. Sch., Arlington, VA
Kirkus Review
A rescued piglet causes some trouble for her new family. Becca wants a "thing," a thing that makes her Becca. Her three brothers--they are quadruplets--all have a thing: Jammer plays hockey, Bailey has music, and K.C. thinks they all live in a simulation. One night, when the family is out on their nightly walk, Becca finds a sick piglet and is determined to rescue it. Naming it Saucy, Becca pleads to keep her, and soon Saucy becomes a beloved member of the family. As Saucy recovers, she gains pounds and energy, often destroying things in the house. Saucy gets into all sorts of trouble, which creates fun and silly moments that balance sometimes-serious themes: Topics of friendship, peer pressure, factory farms, and activism are adroitly touched on. The relationship between Saucy and the family, especially her bond with Becca, is charming. In Kadohata's nuanced third-person, Becca faces a lot of self-reflection, wondering about who she is, what her purpose is, and what kind of person she is, making this the ideal book for thoughtful readers. Black-and-white drawings are scattered throughout the generously leaded text, adding context and emotion. Becca's mother is biracial (Japanese/White), Becca's dad presents White, and Becca has her White grandfather's green eyes. Bailey has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, a detail presented with casual, totally humanizing ease. A lively, heartwarming family story. (Fiction. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
Chapter One: Summer CHAPTER ONE SUMMER Becca sat in the backyard, trying to meditate. She had decided that meditation would be her thing, the thing she was better at than everybody else--if it was even possible to be a "better" meditator. Like wasn't meditation kind of the same as doing nothing, and how could you get better at that than other people? Regardless, she was going to get very good at it. It was a little noisy to be meditating, though. One problem was that every few seconds Jammer whacked one of his one hundred hockey pucks into the goal. Becca didn't understand how he could be interested in doing the exact same thing, over and over. Like if you did it perfectly one time, why did you need to keep doing it? Bailey was drumming his fingers on the arm of his wheelchair, mouthing words and nodding to an imaginary song playing in his head. Bailey could turn on music in his mind just like other people could turn on music on their phones. He also wrote songs, and you weren't allowed to say anything at all to him while he was writing or singing. Like now. K.C., sitting right next to Becca, was reading a book about physics. Becca supposed that he was a math and science genius. Everybody said so, anyway. Even though to her he just seemed like K.C. She didn't understand half of what he said. Nobody did. Becca could feel his arm against hers. Even when he was reading something and completely in his own world, he always did this thing of sitting close to somebody else--he didn't really care who. Mom had bought Becca a special meditation cushion called a zafu that was soft but not too soft. It was really pretty, with a picture of the moon and stars, but since her butt was on it, she wasn't sure why it mattered how pretty it was. Still, she closed her eyes and tried to focus. But the only thing she could think about was the little ache in her heart that seemed to be there, like all the time . Becca and her brothers were quadruplets. She was born first, on December 26, at 12:01 a.m. Then came Jammer. He was supposedly the quietest baby. Even today, he hardly talked to anyone, because they were all so boring. If you didn't play hockey like he did, then you were boring. He was born at 12:03. Then K.C. at 12:05. That was when Dad passed out, so he didn't see Bailey get born at 12:06. Becca had heard the story of Dad passing out at least a million times. Who wouldn't pass out? he liked to say. But ugh . Becca couldn't concentrate! She opened her left eye. Bailey was dancing in his wheelchair, a new dance she hadn't seen before. It must have been a good song he was hearing in his head, because the dance was really cool. "That dance is dope," K.C. said, looking up now. "It's so perfect, it reminds me of a robot." That was a compliment, because K.C. thought robots were the greatest thing ever, or would be someday. Becca closed her eye again and tried to concentrate but still couldn't. She hummed her mantra, which was a word or phrase to help you meditate. Hers was simply "Ommmm." She'd chosen this one because it was simple and because it supposedly was the vibration of the universe... whatever that meant--she couldn't quite remember at the moment. But anyway, the definition of "om" was "it is." "I can't concentrate when you're doing that," Jammer snapped. "I can't concentrate when you're doing that ," she snapped back. Then they both returned to what they'd been doing. Eleven and a half years ago, Becca, Bailey, Jammer, and K.C. had been in the intensive care unit for a month. Either Mom, Dad, Grandma, or Grandpa was at the hospital every second. Dad said it might sound weird, but even though he and Mom weren't allowed to even pick up their "quads" for the first few days, that was the most magical time of his life. He and Mom hadn't thought they could have kids at all, and being able to go to the hospital and see those "four tiny, precious creatures" was like "a new lease on life" and "being on cloud nine." That was the way Dad talked sometimes. He said the reason clichés like "a new lease on life" and "being on cloud nine" existed was because they were so often the exact right words to say. That wasn't what Becca's last teacher believed, though. If you used a cliché in your stories, she would slash through it and write CLICHÉ ALERT in the margin. Which was really annoying, to be honest. And suddenly Becca was thinking about how annoying that was, and she absolutely couldn't meditate even slightly. "I can't focus," she announced. "K.C., how do I empty my head?" Even though K.C. thought about the world a lot , he could also empty his head whenever he wanted. He said so, anyway. "Maybe somebody is stopping you from focusing, just for fun," he explained patiently. That made no sense, but Becca asked, "Like who?" He shrugged. "It could be anybody." K.C. believed that they might all be living in a simulation, being controlled by someone or something. He had read how some techie recently said that when he worked on artificial intelligence, he felt like he was operating on alien--not human--technology. Even though humans had invented AI. In short, this simulation on earth was possibly being run by an extremely advanced AI program that was invented by a flesh-and-blood alien a billion years ago, and the inventor had already died. According to K.C. Whatever , K.C. That was what Becca thought when he talked about that kind of stuff. She tried to listen politely, except when it was late and he wouldn't shut up and let her or Jammer or Bailey sleep. Then she would actually say "shut up" out loud. It was okay to tell K.C. "shut up" because he never got offended and would just say "shut up yourself." But you could never, ever tell Bailey to shut up, because he would cry. And you didn't usually have to tell Jammer to shut up, because people didn't talk to him much, on account of they didn't want to bore him, and he didn't talk to them, on account of they were boring. She had to admit he was a really, really good hockey player, though. It was almost as cool as Bailey's dancing. Actually, maybe just as cool. Still, she suddenly felt annoyed again. Trying to meditate was annoying . So she called out, "Jammer, would you please mind being quiet for a few minutes so I can meditate?" "It's a free world," he said, whacking a new puck. "You're so annoying!" she said. But he didn't answer. Naturally. She pulled her pillow out from under her butt. It wasn't helping her meditate at all. She wondered if Mom could get her money back for it. Then, as soon as she thought that, she felt calm, like maybe she could meditate now. So she sat on her zafu again and tried to empty her head. But she couldn't. It was all right, though. In fact, she would never admit it to Jammer, but she kind of liked hearing the pucks whack. She liked hearing Bailey sing. She liked K.C.'s arm bumping hers. They all spent a lot of time together. She knew other multiples who were like, meh, being a multiple is no big deal . But sometimes, at least when nobody was fighting, Becca felt she and her brothers were as connected now as when they were still in their mom's stomach. Being a multiple was probably the thing in the world she was secretly most grateful for. But she had questions. Like why were her brothers all so focused ? They were nice enough people, but they were like sharks for what they liked. She was more like a jellyfish. Just floating around here and there. Trying to meditate. And failing. Excerpted from Saucy by Cynthia Kadohata All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
