I really enjoyed this book about two teenagers who find a friendly old man to be an adult figure and a friend to both of them. The way Paul Zindel wrote this book was clever as he switched off each chapter from John's point of view to Lorraine's. Reading and noticing the differences between their writing voices and their developing relationship really kept me intrigued to keep reading. The story of the friendship that became of the odd group of people showed how friendships can affect anyone's life, young or old.
Mr. Pignati, an old, silly, lonely man, found John and Lorraine to be two people who kept him company. Both John and Lorraine felt this way too. At first, they almost take advantage of Mr. Pignati, but as time went on, they began to feel a strong connection with him and even at times preferred him as their parent figure instead of their own. In the end, John and Lorraine realize how much they learned from this old man.
The few parts that had to do with death were saddening, but had a big impact on the story. The death of Mrs. Pignati left Mr. Pignati to be a lonely man. He found happiness at the zoo with his baboon friend, with the porcelain pig collection his wife left behind, and later with John and Lorraine. When the Pigman died at the end of the book, John and Lorraine realize that something inside of them had died along with Mr. Pignati. The Pigman changed their childhood, and in a way helped the two teenagers mature. They realized that without the two of them, the Pigman would have died a lonely old man whose only friend was a baboon.
Overall, I really liked this book. At times it did get a bit boring, but I enjoyed the story and the morals of this book very much. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story about teenage experiences. Anyone who likes books about interesting but great friendships would really enjoy this book too. This book is 166 pages. ( )

John Conlan and Lorraine are an unusual pair of friends drawn together by their difficult lives at home. When they con Mr. Angelo Pignati "the Pigman" for $10 for a fake charity, they feel badly for the lonely man and begin to strike up a friendship with him. The threesome have many outings and zany antics.
Are they taking advantage of him? Have they learned anything from their friendship and getting to know the Pigman? What life lessons will they take away from his life? ( )

Best friends John Conlan and Lorraine Jensen have something important to tell us. That’s what they say at the start of this novel, told in alternating chapters. They are sophomores at Franklin High School, and they want us to know “the facts, and only the facts” about their experiences with Mr. Angelo Pignati, aka “the Pigman.”

Full review:
http://www.twentybyjenny.com/teenBook... ( )

I had to read this book in the 6th grande as a class thing, and well i did not really like it that much. I dont think that the auther gave that much detials. So i dont think that i will really recamend this book to someone. But that my thought. Maybe you are someone else who like this book. ( )

Strange story about two teens who become friends with an older man. They learn more about who they are and grow up as a result. Creatively written from both of their perspectives. ( )