Pity the poor book that gets read after a Harry Potter adventure! But that’s what happened with “Pig and the Shrink.” I had just set down “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” which is like the coolest book ever, and picked up “Pig” – and at first “Pig” suffered by comparison. But as I kept going, I realized it wasn’t a total oinker – and soon I was squealing at the funny tale of Tucker “The Shrink” Harrison (he’s a short kid and a psychiatrist’s son, get it?) and Angelo “Pig” Pighetti. Tucker makes Pig a slightly unwilling subject for his science project: He’s going to help Pig lose weight and record his progress. The results are both funny and profound. Tucker learns a thing or two about accepting people as they are – and about being glad for friends who still like you after you do something really dumb. ***
(“Pig and the Shrink” by Pamela Todd; $15 hardback, Delacorte Press)
Ready for a new holiday tradition?
Then grab a copy of “The Promise,” gather the fam and read this story aloud together. (Warning: The folks reading the end of the story are gonna have a tearjerker on their hands.) It’s the tale of two pioneer boys, Jamie and Matt, and their first Christmas since their mom died. They miss Ma so much that they’re determined to keep up her traditions, which include giving treats to the outdoor animals on Christmas Eve. Matt and his yellow lab, Sara, go out to feed the birds, and in doing so startle a hungry bear. What follows is a story of courage, faith and undying love. HHH “The Promise” by Jackie French Koller; $16 hardback, Alfred A. Knopf)
If you consider “Toy Story 2” or the original “Toy Story” the ultimate movie, then you’ll go crazy for “Toy Story: The Essential Guide.” This book is loaded with info about the movies and their characters. We were captivated by the cutaway view of the Pizza Planet, the inside peek at Woody’s pull-string voice box and the descriptions of Buzz Lightyear’s intergalactic gear. There’s something on every “Toy Story” and “Toy Story 2” creature we could think of, from the mutant Babyhead to Wheezy the asthmatic penguin. *** Toy Story: “The Essential Guide”; $15 hardback, Dorling Kindersley)
In “The Spider’s Web,” Lexi Jordan is a skinhead cuz she wants to belong. She doesn’t really get what her new group of friends is all about – until she meets Ursula Zeidler, an old woman with a horrible secret. Ursula’s troubled memories of her girlhood in wartime Germany weave through Lexi’s story in present-day America. Meanwhile, Lexi’s friends are getting more radical and dangerous. Will she break free from the web she’s tangled in before it’s too late? *** (“The
Spider’s Web” by Laura E. Williams; $7 paperback, Milkweed Editions)
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Ratings:These books all get THREE STARS, which means they aren’t exactly Harry Potter material, but they’re pretty great.
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