A Day No Pigs Would Die

Author: Robert Newton Peck

First line: I should of been in school that April Day.

Why you should read this book: An act of altruism perpetrated on an angry cow turns into delight, tragedy, and enlightenment for the twelve-year-old Shaker boy, Robert Peck, as he learns what it means to be a man. Rewarded for his efforts with a perfect pink piglet, young Rob delights in the simple joys of his Vermont farm and his loving family, shared with his best friend, who, he knows, will one day grow into a prize breeding sow. In his own way, Rob begins to learn that life is never simple or neat, that just because a thing's accepted doesn't make it right, and that his own father, good and honest, but poor, illiterate, and tied to the land, is the one man in the world he wants to emulate.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You got a D in English and mean to improve your grammar.