Cover design by David Curtis and cover art by Pascal Campion.

Cover design by David Curtis and cover art by Pascal Campion.

The Unlikely Story of a Pig in the City

publishes with HarperCollins Children's Books

on October 3, 2017!

In this delightful middle grade debut, a little pig in a big city leads to lots of trouble.

Josie Shilling's family is too big, their cramped city house is too small, and she feels like no one's ever on her side.

Then on Thanksgiving Day her older brother, Tom, brings home a tiny pink piglet he rescued from a farm outside the city. Her name is Hamlet. The minute Josie holds Hamlet she feels an instant connection.

But there's no room for Hamlet in the crowded Shilling household. And who ever heard of keeping a pig in the city? So it's up to Josie to find her a forever home.

This modern-day homage to Charlotte's Web is a heartwarming tale of family, belonging, and growing bigger when you've always felt small – perfect for fans of Katherine Applegate and Cammie McGovern.

 

 

 

 

 

Preorder from IndieBound, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Powell's, HarperCollins, Target and Amazon – and at your local bookstore! You can also ask your local librarian to order a copy.

“The tone and characters are reminiscent of classics... A charming tale, ideal for fans of Jeanne Birdsall’s The Penderwicks...”
— School Library Journal
“an appealing protagonist figuring out what’s important to her... heartwarming and satisfying.”
— ALA Booklist
“With echoes of Charlotte’s Web, Kendall’s sweet story of family, friendship, and growing pains should charm a broad range of readers.”
— Publisher's Weekly
“We fell in love with THE UNLIKELY STORY OF A PIG IN THE CITY! Jodi Kendall has written a charming book with powerful lessons about family and animal welfare. No matter how big she gets, there’s always room for Hamlet in our hearts. ”
— Steve Jenkins & Derek Walter, New York Times Bestselling authors of ESTHER THE WONDER PIG
“Jodi Kendall’s utterly charming, heartfelt story of the unlikely bond between a girl and a pig just goes to show that sometimes it takes a little pig with a big heart to bring a family together again. Move over Wilbur, there’s a new pig in town!”
— Bobbie Pyron, critically-acclaimed author of A Dog’s Way Home
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Add the book to your Goodreads by clicking the image

Product Details

  • ISBN: 9780062484536
  • ISBN 10: 0062484532
  • Imprint: HarperCollins
  • On Sale: 10/03/2017
  • Trimsize: 5.5 in (w) x 8.25 in (h) x 1.09 in (d)
  • Pages: 336
  • List Price: 16.99 USD
  • Ages: 8 to 12
  • BISAC1: JUVENILE FICTION / Animals / Pigs
  • BISAC2: JUVENILE FICTION / Social Themes / Adolescence
  • BISAC3: JUVENILE FICTION / Family / General (see also headings under Social Themes)

Recent Press for THE UNLIKELY STORY OF A PIG IN THE CITY:

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One-Page Book Download

NOW BOOKING 2017-2018 SCHOOL AND LIBRARY VISITS! Click here to learn more about my presentations and to schedule.

@caamp was amazing last night! 🙌 the first video is our favorite song of theirs, all the debts I owe. mercury lounge is this tiny venue on the lower east side. there was the best crowd energy! we also were introduced to @doc_robinson_ and they played an awesome opening set (they're the last video on this post). can't wait to buy up all their music too. hometown columbus represented well in NYC 👌 #mercuryloungenyc #caamp
I swear Instagram is helping keep me accountable with achieving my health & fitness goals. Thanks for all the messages & questions. You all make sharing publicly a lot more fun, because normally I would never ever post workout photos or videos. This morning my husband joined me at the gym & snapped pics so I can continue to track my progress visually. Take pictures, friends, don't just watch the numbers on a scale (I rarely ever weigh myself). So, this is me today, about 13 weeks into my focused wellness journey. I completed Jamie Eason's 12-week body transformation (it's free and on bodybuilding.com) and now I'm doing Mike Matthews' Thinner, Leaner, Stronger program with extra glute work from Ashley Horner's sweet cheeks plan. I do HIIT 2-3x/week but other than that, I just lift weights, focusing on compound movements. I'm also on my third month of being a vegan. Truly, I've never stuck with any sort of workout or eating plan the way I am now. You just have to find your groove and what works for your unique body and suits your individual goals. I have tried paleo, Whole 30, tracking macros, and being a vegan with a strict M-F weightlifting program is what feels good for me. I have a looooong way to go to reach my personal goals, but I'm also really proud of myself for the journey thus far. I spent way too long just feeling bad about myself, inside and out. I was sick of it and made a change. So now I choose to show up, even when I'm tired or unmotivated. I show up. And I want to keep showing up. I'm more committed than ever before to being the healthiest, best version of myself and strong, energetic, and happy for my loved ones. I'm not a nutritionist or fitness expert, I'm just a regular working mom who researches wellness, wants to do an unassisted pull-up, eats compassionately, and has an unorthodox obsession with the headspace app & young living essential oils. So, let's all go be the best we can be, amiright? Life's too short to settle for less. xoxo #veganlifters #veganweightlifting #veganwomen #compassionateliving #poweredbyplants {interested in becoming a vegan? head over to @weareveganuary which is how I got started and they're an amazing resource!}
people keep asking me how I'm feeling now that my pub day is so close. the truth is, I always sorta felt like this whole book thing could be taken away at any moment, like maybe it might not really happen if I clung to the dream too tightly... but it is happening! and it's surreal and wonderful and nerve-wracking all at the same time. I hope readers love my little pig book and to the ones who don't, hopefully I'll win you over with the next one... and the next one... and the next one. I hope this is just the beginning of a long career as a children's book author of all different kinds of stories. I'm eternally grateful for these early reviews of #theunlikelystoryofapiginthecity and can't wait for my debut to hit shelves 🙏 less than two weeks!!! • ✨ "An appealing protagonist figuring out what’s important to her... Heartwarming and satisfying.” — ALA Booklist @americanlibraryassociation • ✨ "With echoes of CHARLOTTE’S WEB, Kendall’s sweet story of family, friendship, and growing pains should charm a broad range of readers.” — Publisher’s Weekly • ✨ "The tone and characters are reminiscent of classics... A charming tale, ideal for fans of Jeanne Birdsall’s The Penderwicks...” — School Library Journal • ✨ "We fell in love with THE UNLIKELY STORY OF A PIG IN THE CITY! Jodi Kendall has written a charming book with powerful lessons about family and animal welfare. No matter how big she gets, there’s always room for Hamlet in our hearts. ” — Steve Jenkins & Derek Walter, New York Times Bestselling authors of ESTHER THE WONDER PIG @estherthewonderpig • ✨ "Move over Wilbur, there’s a new pig in town!” — Bobbie Pyron, critically-acclaimed author of A DOG’S WAY HOME • #middlegrade #middlegradebooks #middlegradereads #middlegradefiction #class2k17books #2017debuts #mglit #mgfiction #mgliterature #harpercollins #harperchildrens #pascalcampionart #tridentmediagroup #jodikendall #childrensbooks #childrensbookauthor #kidsbooks #kidsbookstagram #pigs #pigsaspets #ilovepigs
two weeks from today, my book publishes.... TWO WEEKS! 😱 so naturally yesterday I sampled (read: totally housed) vegan desserts from @peacefoodnyc as "party prep." if you don't want to come to the launch party on Oct 7th for my book y'all want to come for these macaroons because omg 😍
book two (the sequel to #theunlikelystoryofapiginthecity) is officially off to copyedits - HOORAY!!!! 🎉 . . . #writerslife #authorsofinstagram #kidsbooks #middlegradebooks #middlegradefiction #middlegradereads #mglit #class2k17books #2017debuts #mgliterature #mgfiction
swung by #newcanaanct over the weekend to say hello to my friends @elmstreetbooks4kidsandya and drop off an ARC! a group of us #mglit debut authors are doing a panel in partnership with this amazing indie bookstore and the #WiltonLibrary on Sun Oct 15th at 2pm... the event is going to be SO much fun. It'll be at the Wilton library, so mark your calendars if you'd like to come! 🙌 I revised the majority of my book in Fairfield County, CT, so it'll be a fun circle moment (I thanked my favorite local coffee shop @Tusk_and_cup in my book acknowledgements! ☕️). All our books will be sold on the premises & we'll have a Q&A plus autograph party of course. Hope to see you there and watch the Wilton Library website for additional event details! . . #mglit #theunlikelystoryofapiginthecity @enjoywilton @goodmorningwilton @wiltonmagazine #mgfiction #mgliterature #indiebookstores #kidsbooks #middlegradebooks
annual 🍎🍑🎃 trip on the books ✔️
slipped two signed ARC's of #TheUnlikelyStoryofaPigintheCity into the @littlefreelibrary @_ridgefieldparksandrec_ ! Hope young readers enjoy! 👋🐷🏙📖❤️ . . . #mglit #mgfiction #littlefreelibrary #ridgefieldct #ridgefieldreccenter #pigsaspets #harperchildrens #harpercollins #pascalcampionart #ilovepigs #middlegrade #middlegradebooks #mgliterature
anyone looking to adopt a pig? 😉🐷🏙📖 . . . #TheUnlikelyStoryofaPigintheCity #mglit #mgfiction #middlegradefiction #mgbookshelf #middlegradereads #middlegradebooks #middlegrade #class2k17books #2017debuts #pascalcampionart #harperchildrens #harpercollins #harperchildrens #ilovepigs #pigsaspets