Martyn Pig
is an engaging suspense story well suited to the 6th -9th grade crowd. Mr. Brooks does a fine job mixing typical adolescent topics, crushes and self-absorption, with more serious themes of death and the definition of a bad person. The suspenseful edge and twist ending will make for a pleasant read for most young adolescents.There are a couple of passages that stand out: Martyn describing the noisiness of life and a scene where he wonders where he goes during sleep. Mr. Brooks channels both Mark Twain and J.D. Salinger is the incarnation of Martyn Pig. Martyn’s relationship with his Aunty Jean is a modernized version of Huck Finn and the Widow Douglas and Martyn’s sarcastic tone is similar to that of Holden Caulfield. The author uses morbid humor masterfully, never venturing too far on neither side of satire nor the macabre.
A solid adolescent title for the suspense-minded teen. Recommended for both secondary classrooms & libraries.
Resources:
Genre: Mystery. Age: Young Adult. Pages 240.
Themes: Coming of Age, Difficult Decisions, Perseverance
Publisher: The Chicken House. Date: April 2002.
ISBN-10: 0439507529/ISBN-13: 978-0439507523
Awards: Branford Boase Award 2003, shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal 2002.
Buy Martyn Pig Here
Literature Discussion Guide posted by guy22@docstoc.com
Kevin Brooks is a British young adult novelist. He began his writing career with Martyn Pig. His latest novel is Killing God, published June 2009. Before making it as a writer he held many odd jobs. You can read more about Kevin Brooks on his My Space Page Here or on his Chicken House author's page HERE.____________________________________________________________
© 2007-2009 Cheryl Vanatti for www.ReadingRumpus.com
