Wishes, Kisses, and Pigs

My 10 year old is very picky about what she reads. She loved this book. A feel good read.

How many books do you find about a girl that turns her brother into a pig? This is the first and only one I've ever seen. This book is funny, because it discusses how humans can be worse than pigs sometimes, and how wishes are hard to "get right." Even though this was a very original and entertaining book for me, I still had some problems with it, like how Tom and Tod, the twin brothers both trying to hook up with Louise's mom, were very outright about how they were both after Clara. The dialogue seemed a little fake. don't get me wrong, it was an exceptional book.

This book took an interesting look at what every child hopes will happen when seeing a star in the sky - getting a wish to come true upon wishing on the star. Louise gets more than she bargains for when she turns her own brother into a pig because he is always picking on her. I think this is a good book for children to read becasue it offers a a fantasy-filled look at a way to handle problems a lot of young people face - sibling rivalry, runaway fathers, a mother who is dating again and bringing some kind of order to events spinning out of control in one's life. This book gives children food for thought about being careful what you wish for. Overall, I think children will enjoy this playful (and sometimes not so playful) look at what happens when wishes really do come true. Sometimes it's scarier having what you want than wishing for it. Teachers could use this book when discussing fantasy. They could also have students write about real-life expereiences they have had like Louise and they could answer questions about what they would do if they turned thier sibling into a pig (what trouble they would be in!).

The story is about a family who lived on a small farm. The family consisted of Louise, Willie, the mother Clara, and the father Jack. One night Louise was milking their cow and Willie was on the way to feed the pigs. Louise was mad at him so she kind of wished her brother was a pig. The star twinkled back to her to be careful for what she wished for. He was missing for about a month, and during that month his girlfriend wanted to know where he was, and other strange things happened. Overall the story was pretty exciting and interesting.

When I went to Berkeley with my mom, she bought me this wonderful book at the bookstore. I started it that day and finished it the next day. I thought it was a brilliant story and my friends and mom want to read it, too. I highly recommend this story, Wishes, Kisses, and Pigs to anyone who loves to read a good, entertaining, well-written book.