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Quentin Corn
Realizing his fate is to be spareribs, a pig disguises himself as a boy, runs away, finds employment, and becomes friends with a little girl
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
35 people want to read
About the author
Mary Stolz
86 books32 followersMary Stolz was a noted author for children and adolescents whose novels earned critical praise for the seriousness with which they took the problems of young people. Two of her books ''Belling the Tiger'' (1961) and ''The Noonday Friends'' (1965), were named Newbery Honor books by the ALA but it was her novels for young adults that combined romance with realistic situations that won devotion from her fans. Young men often created more problems and did not always provide happy ever after endings. Her heroines had to cope with complex situations and learn how to take action whether it was working as nurses (The Organdy Cupcakes), living in a housing project (Ready or Not), or escaping from being a social misfit by working for the summer as a waitress (The Sea Gulls Woke Me).
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 21, 2021
When you’re a basic farmyard pig, enjoying the food and the sun, you don’t think much about ambition. But when Quentin’s owner declares to him, “Couple of months, you’re going to be the best barbeque in the state”, the lazy pig realizes he will have to make an escape and find a new way of living. Such is the beginning of this tale of an animal known for its smarts, but also for its succulent meat.
Nobody barrowed and barbequed a man.
The pig steals some human clothes off a clothesline and makes his way to a new town where he is mistaken for a young boy. When he’s asked for his name, he can only come up with “Quentin” (because that was the name of the farmer’s horse) and “Corn” (because there was a cornfield nearby). All the adults believe he is a human, especially as he quickly learns to speak as they speak. But the children immediately know he is what he is…a pig, albeit a very smart pig. Soon, Quentin has a job, a room in a boarding house, and a spot in the church choir. The embodiment of American small town life. Quentin loves his new world, but he also knows that children can spill the beans at any moment, and he knows he doesn’t really belong with the humans.
He had felt a stab of yearning for that other world, the animal one he had been to and belonged in, no matter what its perils.
This is a story about fitting in but also about how we treat other creatures. Should pigs just be fattened up so they can be killed for our barbeque pork sandwiches? So it’s a children’s story but one with a sense of responsibility. It’s also meant more for younger middle grade readers, although it makes a great nighttime read for parents and their eager tots. This isn’t a picture book but the scattered illustrations by Pamela Johnson are outstanding, bringing pighood goals to a porcine achiever in pencil sketches.
This volume is a David Godine publication (my favorite publisher), which means real paper and quality throughout. Love that piggy wiggy.
Book Season = Summer (molasses evenings)
Nobody barrowed and barbequed a man.
The pig steals some human clothes off a clothesline and makes his way to a new town where he is mistaken for a young boy. When he’s asked for his name, he can only come up with “Quentin” (because that was the name of the farmer’s horse) and “Corn” (because there was a cornfield nearby). All the adults believe he is a human, especially as he quickly learns to speak as they speak. But the children immediately know he is what he is…a pig, albeit a very smart pig. Soon, Quentin has a job, a room in a boarding house, and a spot in the church choir. The embodiment of American small town life. Quentin loves his new world, but he also knows that children can spill the beans at any moment, and he knows he doesn’t really belong with the humans.
He had felt a stab of yearning for that other world, the animal one he had been to and belonged in, no matter what its perils.
This is a story about fitting in but also about how we treat other creatures. Should pigs just be fattened up so they can be killed for our barbeque pork sandwiches? So it’s a children’s story but one with a sense of responsibility. It’s also meant more for younger middle grade readers, although it makes a great nighttime read for parents and their eager tots. This isn’t a picture book but the scattered illustrations by Pamela Johnson are outstanding, bringing pighood goals to a porcine achiever in pencil sketches.
This volume is a David Godine publication (my favorite publisher), which means real paper and quality throughout. Love that piggy wiggy.
Book Season = Summer (molasses evenings)
January 20, 2020
This review is written to parents and teachers, so there are spoilers present.
This book has been on my shelf for probably 5 years from where I nabbed it at a library sale. I likely felt compelled to add it to my shopping bag because of my love for Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White and it reminded me somewhat of that favorite tale.
Quentin Corn, like Wilbur (from Charlotte’s Web), is a pig who learns that the farmer he lives with is going to turn him into dinner in the next week. Unlike Wilbur however, he doesn’t have an awesome spider friend who can make him famous, so, Quentin Corn breaks out of his stall, steals a pair of farmer’s clothes, and heads into town with his newly found resolve to be a man.
This small chapter book is certainly written for the ages of 7-10, so it reads very simply and easily. Because it is an older book (originally published in the early 80s I believe), the vocabulary is much more advanced than what I see nowadays in this age group, but I think that that provides an excellent opportunity to broaden your kiddos’ use and understanding of words! You just might have to have some patience with explaining what many of the words mean (and keep a dictionary handy because I had to look up a few of them myself!).
The morals that I saw in the story were actually surprising to me. The concept of identity is the leading moral, when, at the very end of the book, Quentin meets another pig who asks him why he’s pretending to be something he’s not. His response is that he HAD to become a man or no one would like him and he would’ve become dinner. This new pig friend of Quentin’s then tells him that he was created to be a pig and do pig things and accepting that to be a free pig in the wild, even though it was dangerous (hunters, wolves, etc), it would free him from the need to pretend and the constant fear of someone discovering the truth about him. He was encouraged to be himself and in the end, that’s what he chose to do. And I really, really liked that.
There was also a lot “Bible talk” because this book is set in the mid ’50s when most everyone in small towns were “church-goers”. Quentin Corn learns about Job in the Bible, attends a church service and is invited to sing in the choir, and he and his human friend have many discussions over different Bible topics (such as prayer and lying or making up stories). There is no presentation of the Gospel or mention of Jesus Christ, however, and beyond just learning about the Bible, Quentin Corn really has no part in being a “christian model”–which is just fine with me because I don’t think it would’ve fit well with this particular story. Instead he illustrates and encourages kids to engage in those thought-provoking conversations with their friends, and I think that’s something that lacks in today’s young friendships. Having those conversations that build character and develop beliefs among young people.
Overall, I’m happy that I got distracted from my bookshelf spring cleaning and decided to finally read this book, because if I hadn’t read it right then, it likely would have been pitched in the pile I was making. Instead, it has found its permanent home on my “classics for kids” shelf and I look forward to introducing it one day to my munchkins. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.
This is a LiteratureApproved.com Review.
This book has been on my shelf for probably 5 years from where I nabbed it at a library sale. I likely felt compelled to add it to my shopping bag because of my love for Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White and it reminded me somewhat of that favorite tale.
Quentin Corn, like Wilbur (from Charlotte’s Web), is a pig who learns that the farmer he lives with is going to turn him into dinner in the next week. Unlike Wilbur however, he doesn’t have an awesome spider friend who can make him famous, so, Quentin Corn breaks out of his stall, steals a pair of farmer’s clothes, and heads into town with his newly found resolve to be a man.
This small chapter book is certainly written for the ages of 7-10, so it reads very simply and easily. Because it is an older book (originally published in the early 80s I believe), the vocabulary is much more advanced than what I see nowadays in this age group, but I think that that provides an excellent opportunity to broaden your kiddos’ use and understanding of words! You just might have to have some patience with explaining what many of the words mean (and keep a dictionary handy because I had to look up a few of them myself!).
The morals that I saw in the story were actually surprising to me. The concept of identity is the leading moral, when, at the very end of the book, Quentin meets another pig who asks him why he’s pretending to be something he’s not. His response is that he HAD to become a man or no one would like him and he would’ve become dinner. This new pig friend of Quentin’s then tells him that he was created to be a pig and do pig things and accepting that to be a free pig in the wild, even though it was dangerous (hunters, wolves, etc), it would free him from the need to pretend and the constant fear of someone discovering the truth about him. He was encouraged to be himself and in the end, that’s what he chose to do. And I really, really liked that.
There was also a lot “Bible talk” because this book is set in the mid ’50s when most everyone in small towns were “church-goers”. Quentin Corn learns about Job in the Bible, attends a church service and is invited to sing in the choir, and he and his human friend have many discussions over different Bible topics (such as prayer and lying or making up stories). There is no presentation of the Gospel or mention of Jesus Christ, however, and beyond just learning about the Bible, Quentin Corn really has no part in being a “christian model”–which is just fine with me because I don’t think it would’ve fit well with this particular story. Instead he illustrates and encourages kids to engage in those thought-provoking conversations with their friends, and I think that’s something that lacks in today’s young friendships. Having those conversations that build character and develop beliefs among young people.
Overall, I’m happy that I got distracted from my bookshelf spring cleaning and decided to finally read this book, because if I hadn’t read it right then, it likely would have been pitched in the pile I was making. Instead, it has found its permanent home on my “classics for kids” shelf and I look forward to introducing it one day to my munchkins. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.
This is a LiteratureApproved.com Review.
October 24, 2021
Somewhere between the helplessness of Wilbur from Charlotte's Web and the ruthlessness of the pigs from Animal Farm lies our character Quentin Corn. He is a pig of action but kind of dumb yet when he puts on some clothes from the farmer he ran away from is endowed with the ability to talk and to walk upright. Also the transformative act of donning farmer clothes makes him look like a runaway orphan boy trying to make his way in the world to adults. However, little kids instantly recognize him as a pig in man's clothing. My five year old enjoyed the book but was oddly saddened by the ending.
June 12, 2022
After a farm raised pig discovers he's to become the main course at a BBQ, he steals some clothes and dresses up like a boy, and runs away to the nearest town. He finds a job as a handyman's helper and is befriended by a young girl, and several of the town dwellers. His charade lasts for only a week before he is forced to go back on the run. A good tale with an interesting ending.
July 16, 2020
Cute, coming into one's self, story that I read as a child with my family and enjoyed reading it with my children.
April 18, 2016
Mary Stolz is hardly a writer with whom everyone is familiar now, but she was quite prolific from 1950 right up to the turn of the century. Although she authored over fifty children’s and young adult stories, I can only claim familiarity with one of her works: Quentin Corn. A late discovery for me—my family stumbled across an audio recording of this book at the library when we were looking for material to keep us occupied during a road trip—Quentin Corn has become a family classic.
The initial setup is reminiscent of Charlotte’s Web: a healthy young pig discovers that his days are numbered, and that the farmer intends to turn him into a barbecue when summer ends, but the similarity ends there. This pig lacks a spider friend but is blessed with a bit more initiative than Wilbur, and decides to take matters into his own hands. He has grown quite tired of his dull life as a pig, and now that he is faced with impending doom he escapes the confines of his pen, wriggles into a pair of trousers and a shirt from the farmer’s clothesline, hauls himself up on his hind legs, and decides to try life as a man.
Before long, Quentin Corn, or Q, as he is now known, has fooled almost the entire neighboring town into thinking that he is a runaway orphan lad. He has a job as the handyman’s helper, a room at the boardinghouse, and even an opportunity to sing in the church choir. No one but the two brightest children in town know that Quentin is a pig, and they’re not telling. The biggest challenge Q faces now is establishing himself as a vegetarian so no one will serve him pork pie...until someone else discovers his secret.
Audacious and funny, readers will relish the humor as Q navigates his way through his new life, learning the quirks of human behavior and making friends with his crotchety boss, his charmingly pig-like landlady, and a particularly precocious young girl. Stolz makes little or no attempt to explain how Quentin is endowed with things like human speech and table manners upon his donning human clothes, nor why all the adults and many of the children of the town are so easily fooled by his act, but she does explore, with only the gentlest prod here and there, the power of our expectations. Q himself recognizes his own story in reverse when he hears the story of the Emperor’s new clothes, and feels certain that if only one person were to point at him and cry, “But look! He is a pig!” it would be all up with him.
But whether or not you are the type of person who would see Q as “a strong dumb lad” or “a fine big boar,” you will love reading about this clever pig’s adventures as he makes his way in the world, from potential barbecue to community member. Will Q be able to keep up his ruse, or will his true identity finally catch up with him? I’m afraid that’s a secret I’m not telling, so you’ll just have to ask Quentin Corn himself to find out.
Did you like this review? Check out www.the-book-wyrm.com, a site for grownups who love kids' books.
The initial setup is reminiscent of Charlotte’s Web: a healthy young pig discovers that his days are numbered, and that the farmer intends to turn him into a barbecue when summer ends, but the similarity ends there. This pig lacks a spider friend but is blessed with a bit more initiative than Wilbur, and decides to take matters into his own hands. He has grown quite tired of his dull life as a pig, and now that he is faced with impending doom he escapes the confines of his pen, wriggles into a pair of trousers and a shirt from the farmer’s clothesline, hauls himself up on his hind legs, and decides to try life as a man.
Before long, Quentin Corn, or Q, as he is now known, has fooled almost the entire neighboring town into thinking that he is a runaway orphan lad. He has a job as the handyman’s helper, a room at the boardinghouse, and even an opportunity to sing in the church choir. No one but the two brightest children in town know that Quentin is a pig, and they’re not telling. The biggest challenge Q faces now is establishing himself as a vegetarian so no one will serve him pork pie...until someone else discovers his secret.
Audacious and funny, readers will relish the humor as Q navigates his way through his new life, learning the quirks of human behavior and making friends with his crotchety boss, his charmingly pig-like landlady, and a particularly precocious young girl. Stolz makes little or no attempt to explain how Quentin is endowed with things like human speech and table manners upon his donning human clothes, nor why all the adults and many of the children of the town are so easily fooled by his act, but she does explore, with only the gentlest prod here and there, the power of our expectations. Q himself recognizes his own story in reverse when he hears the story of the Emperor’s new clothes, and feels certain that if only one person were to point at him and cry, “But look! He is a pig!” it would be all up with him.
But whether or not you are the type of person who would see Q as “a strong dumb lad” or “a fine big boar,” you will love reading about this clever pig’s adventures as he makes his way in the world, from potential barbecue to community member. Will Q be able to keep up his ruse, or will his true identity finally catch up with him? I’m afraid that’s a secret I’m not telling, so you’ll just have to ask Quentin Corn himself to find out.
Did you like this review? Check out www.the-book-wyrm.com, a site for grownups who love kids' books.
August 13, 2024
I read this book as a kid a couple of times. And I remember that I had enjoyed it, but I couldn't remember a single detail about it. Then, as a surprise, my Mom got a copy for me, and it was an amazing trip down memory lane, back to when I was in grade school ten years ago. It was an excellent book then, and an excellent book now. Definitely one that I would read again! So glad that I own it :)
[Update 2024]: This is such a strange book, but such a good one, too. And I'm so glad that I picked it up again, ten years later.
[Update 2024]: This is such a strange book, but such a good one, too. And I'm so glad that I picked it up again, ten years later.
November 21, 2020
Quentin Corn by Mary Stolz was released when I was twelve, and although I read other novels by Stolz, I only heard of this book as an adult. Quentin is a pig who decides to run away from the farm when he learns his fate is to be eaten.
Quentin steals some clothing off a line and starts to walk upright. From the clues in the narrative, he's a contemporary of Freddy the Pig. But Quentin has a lot more to learn about humankind and how to live like one.
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2020/comm...
993366 - S/M rural offroad
Quentin steals some clothing off a line and starts to walk upright. From the clues in the narrative, he's a contemporary of Freddy the Pig. But Quentin has a lot more to learn about humankind and how to live like one.
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2020/comm...
993366 - S/M rural offroad
October 20, 2016
In an attempt to avoid the inevitable fate of all pigs on a farm, this unnamed pig flees the pigpen, picking up a name, clothes, human language, and surprisingly cultured etiquette as he goes along. Of course, the charade could never last, but even so the story has a happy ending.
Good clean fun in this not-so-well-known book for young readers. Also available in audiobook format.
Good clean fun in this not-so-well-known book for young readers. Also available in audiobook format.
February 21, 2008
Cute for little kids, even entertaining for me!
September 19, 2016
A sweet, fairytale-like story of a pig who escapes a farm when he learns he's to be barbecued. Sort of an Emperor's New Clothes meets Charlotte's Web.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews