By Colorado Kids Advisory Board Member Robin Edwards

Title: Pig Tale
Author: Verlyn Flieger
Publisher: Hyperion Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 321

All her life, Mokie has been an outcast in the village of Little Wicken. After being abandoned as a baby in a field nearby, she has survived only on the little charity she gets from the bitter villagers. When the villagers recognize her way with animals, they give her a job-tending the pigs. When Mokie can't stand the cruelty of the people any longer, she takes her only friend, a pig named Apple, and runs away into the secluded Wickenwood, which is said to be the entrance to a magical place called the Crystal Country.

In the depths of the forest, Mokie is taken in by Lally Dai, The Skimmer, and Dogger John, three gypsies who are more than what meets the eye. It is through them that Mokie can uncover the secrets of her mysterious past.

I didn't enjoy this book because it dealt with issues that I didn't think were appropriate for a children's book. It was confusing, strange, and not suitable for kids. I would not recommend this book because of this. High school kids might enjoy this book. It is similar to the T.A. Barron books only in that they are both fantasy. This book was too weird to be interesting. (November, 2002)