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Pighearted
A story told from the alternating perspectives of a boy with a fatal heart condition and the pig with the heart that could save his life.
Jeremiah’s heart skips a beat before his first soccer game, but it’s not nerves. It’s the first sign of a heart attack. He knows he needs to go to the hospital, but he’s determined to score a goal. Charging after the ball, he refuses to stop…even if his heart does.
J6 is a pig and the only one of his five brothers who survived the research lab. Though he's never left his cell, he thinks of himself as a therapy pig, a scholar, and a bodyguard. But when the lab sends him to live with Jeremiah's family, there’s one new title he’s desperate to have: brother.
At first, Jeremiah thinks his parents took in J6 to cheer him up. But before long, he begins to suspect there's more to his new curly-tailed companion than meets the eye. When the truth is revealed, Jeremiah and J6 must protect each other at all costs—even if their lives depend on it.
Jeremiah’s heart skips a beat before his first soccer game, but it’s not nerves. It’s the first sign of a heart attack. He knows he needs to go to the hospital, but he’s determined to score a goal. Charging after the ball, he refuses to stop…even if his heart does.
J6 is a pig and the only one of his five brothers who survived the research lab. Though he's never left his cell, he thinks of himself as a therapy pig, a scholar, and a bodyguard. But when the lab sends him to live with Jeremiah's family, there’s one new title he’s desperate to have: brother.
At first, Jeremiah thinks his parents took in J6 to cheer him up. But before long, he begins to suspect there's more to his new curly-tailed companion than meets the eye. When the truth is revealed, Jeremiah and J6 must protect each other at all costs—even if their lives depend on it.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2021
6 people are currently reading
195 people want to read
About the author
Alex Perry
1 book11 followersFor four years Alex Perry taught English Language Arts and reading to Houston middle schoolers ranging from 6th-8th grade, but she now lives in Arkansas with two large dogs, a husband, and one small baby. Alex is the author of PIGHEARTED coming fall of 2021 and is represented by Melissa Nasson of Rubin Pfeffer Content.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
October 29, 2021
Oh my heart what a beautiful story told by debut author Alex Perry about Jeremiah, a boy with a fatal heart condition and J6, a pig and the only one of his five brothers who survived the research lab, and sent to live with Jeremiah’s family.
This is such a well written story about a boy with chronic illness and the pig whose heart could save him. A unique story that is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, with themes about friendships, medical ethics, and stem cell treatments. Besides heart, there is also a lot of humor in this thought provoking story perfect for readers of all ages.
I highly recommend!
This is such a well written story about a boy with chronic illness and the pig whose heart could save him. A unique story that is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, with themes about friendships, medical ethics, and stem cell treatments. Besides heart, there is also a lot of humor in this thought provoking story perfect for readers of all ages.
I highly recommend!
February 6, 2022
Dude, this was adorable. The author spoke to my Oregon Battle of the Books club the other day, reading us the first chapter narrated by J6, the pig, and we were all smitten.
October 30, 2021
I read this book as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours. Special thanks to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars rounded up.
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I found it highly entertaining and don't remember the last time I laughed so much (practically every other sentence) while reading. I also learned about chimera, animals (in this case unborn piglets) that have human cells injected into them for the purpose of growing human organs that can be used for those with terminal or life-threatening illnesses. On the other hand, I found the writing to be a bit choppy at times and it was hard to connect to the emotions of this story. I was sure that this story about a young boy with a heart condition and his pig with a healthy heart for him would have me shedding more than a few tears especially towards the end, but something didn't click for me. Still, I think it's a book many of the intended young audience will have a lot of fun with, and I also had a good time reading it!
This was a surprisingly action-packed and fast-paced story that had a lot going on! There are plenty of hospital trips but also more than a few ambitious escape plans, a couple of "running away" moments, food festival shenanigans, operation Rescue Ranch, and a hurricane. When we first meet Jeremiah, his heart has given out on him because he pushed himself too hard while playing soccer. Jerry acts out a lot throughout the story, and it's what gets him and J6 into a lot of trouble, but it was easy to empathise with him. He just wants to live like every other kid, one without a heart condition, but he is weighed down by guilt for "not being (literally) good enough" and for being a burden because of how his illness has affected his family's life. I thought the chronic illness rep was very well done!
I honestly didn't think I'd have so much fun reading from a pig's perspective before but my gosh, J6 really stole the show in this book! This little pig not only has a human heart but it's quite possible a human brain too. He not only understands humans but is able to process the media he watches, albeit more than a little incorrectly at times, and his POV had me laughing quite often! His precocious observations and the child-like directness with which it's delivered was extremely entertaining. J6 wants nothing more than to live his best life (and not be made into a sandwich, thank you very much) and to have a family, specifically a brother. It took a little while for Jerry to realise that J6 is more than just your average little pig, and I enjoyed seeing them develop the brotherly bond and come to respect and love each other. It was definitely touching and gave my heart warm hugs!
Aside from these two, Jeremiah's parents, sisters and two BFFs played a role in the story too. I wished that this aspect of the story was included a bit more—it would've been nice to get more meaningful interactions with the parents and sisters, especially with Jazmine because it's clear they would do anything for Jeremiah. And the author does pose an interesting question: how far would you go to save someone's life? Jerry's family would clearly go to all the lengths to ensure he gets to live a long and healthy life. Jeremiah's friends, Adnan and Paloma each had a small role in supporting him, although Adnan had more presence. He often used humour to help Jeremiah take his mind off of his condition, and it was funny and sweet at the same time. I loved his upfront honesty too!
Overall, this was a really cute middle grade read that I think is also suitable for all ages. It's a touching story about a boy, his brother pig, forgiveness, and family. I also learned a lot about hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and what it means to live with a heart condition, but also the trials involved in finding a perfect replacement. This was both an engaging and educational read! OINK 🐷
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I found it highly entertaining and don't remember the last time I laughed so much (practically every other sentence) while reading. I also learned about chimera, animals (in this case unborn piglets) that have human cells injected into them for the purpose of growing human organs that can be used for those with terminal or life-threatening illnesses. On the other hand, I found the writing to be a bit choppy at times and it was hard to connect to the emotions of this story. I was sure that this story about a young boy with a heart condition and his pig with a healthy heart for him would have me shedding more than a few tears especially towards the end, but something didn't click for me. Still, I think it's a book many of the intended young audience will have a lot of fun with, and I also had a good time reading it!
This was a surprisingly action-packed and fast-paced story that had a lot going on! There are plenty of hospital trips but also more than a few ambitious escape plans, a couple of "running away" moments, food festival shenanigans, operation Rescue Ranch, and a hurricane. When we first meet Jeremiah, his heart has given out on him because he pushed himself too hard while playing soccer. Jerry acts out a lot throughout the story, and it's what gets him and J6 into a lot of trouble, but it was easy to empathise with him. He just wants to live like every other kid, one without a heart condition, but he is weighed down by guilt for "not being (literally) good enough" and for being a burden because of how his illness has affected his family's life. I thought the chronic illness rep was very well done!
I honestly didn't think I'd have so much fun reading from a pig's perspective before but my gosh, J6 really stole the show in this book! This little pig not only has a human heart but it's quite possible a human brain too. He not only understands humans but is able to process the media he watches, albeit more than a little incorrectly at times, and his POV had me laughing quite often! His precocious observations and the child-like directness with which it's delivered was extremely entertaining. J6 wants nothing more than to live his best life (and not be made into a sandwich, thank you very much) and to have a family, specifically a brother. It took a little while for Jerry to realise that J6 is more than just your average little pig, and I enjoyed seeing them develop the brotherly bond and come to respect and love each other. It was definitely touching and gave my heart warm hugs!
Aside from these two, Jeremiah's parents, sisters and two BFFs played a role in the story too. I wished that this aspect of the story was included a bit more—it would've been nice to get more meaningful interactions with the parents and sisters, especially with Jazmine because it's clear they would do anything for Jeremiah. And the author does pose an interesting question: how far would you go to save someone's life? Jerry's family would clearly go to all the lengths to ensure he gets to live a long and healthy life. Jeremiah's friends, Adnan and Paloma each had a small role in supporting him, although Adnan had more presence. He often used humour to help Jeremiah take his mind off of his condition, and it was funny and sweet at the same time. I loved his upfront honesty too!
Overall, this was a really cute middle grade read that I think is also suitable for all ages. It's a touching story about a boy, his brother pig, forgiveness, and family. I also learned a lot about hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and what it means to live with a heart condition, but also the trials involved in finding a perfect replacement. This was both an engaging and educational read! OINK 🐷
March 13, 2022
There are these characters in horror films and coming of age stories that we've all see. Don't ask me why those two genres overlap in this very specific way, I can't tell you. But these characters, they keep doing things that have their own, internal logic, but we (the audience) can see how their actions are only going to make things worse. We shout at the screen, the page, the air, conveniently forget that we too were irrational when we were last young or scared or both, and then have to cling to the edge of our seats or the covers of our kindles until the resolution, bloody, harrowing, or heartwarming finally reaches us.
Pighearted is one of these stories.
And when you think about it, this coming of age story is liberally dosed with the horrific. A mad scientist has created a chimera pig, a life is on the line, there are rogue pulled pork trucks at every turn, and a deadly, ticking time bomb is beating in a little boy's chest.
Yet, for all that darkness, Perry has pulled off a heck of a magic trick, making her two protagonists (chimera, organ donor pig, J6, and his organ recipient, Jeremiah) into a pair of loveable, believable, characters. Yes, just about every time the pair try to do something good, it ends up making things worse and that does make the reader want to shake them just a little, but they mess up for all the right reasons. There is love and care in so many ways living on Perry's pages. There's also wit, sly jokes for the adults in the room, and a very real, ethical question that scientists and philosophers are grappling with right now.
Complex in themes and excellent in execution, Perry has created something truly unique with her debut novel, and this reader can't wait to see what she does next.
Pighearted is one of these stories.
And when you think about it, this coming of age story is liberally dosed with the horrific. A mad scientist has created a chimera pig, a life is on the line, there are rogue pulled pork trucks at every turn, and a deadly, ticking time bomb is beating in a little boy's chest.
Yet, for all that darkness, Perry has pulled off a heck of a magic trick, making her two protagonists (chimera, organ donor pig, J6, and his organ recipient, Jeremiah) into a pair of loveable, believable, characters. Yes, just about every time the pair try to do something good, it ends up making things worse and that does make the reader want to shake them just a little, but they mess up for all the right reasons. There is love and care in so many ways living on Perry's pages. There's also wit, sly jokes for the adults in the room, and a very real, ethical question that scientists and philosophers are grappling with right now.
Complex in themes and excellent in execution, Perry has created something truly unique with her debut novel, and this reader can't wait to see what she does next.
November 14, 2021
Alex Perry gives middle grade readers much to think about with this thoughtful, heart-warming book. Jeremiah was born with a serious heart defect and without a transplant, will die. Donor hearts are few and far between and the temporary “fixes” he has now are not doing much for him. An aggressive research facility has been working diligently to use stem cells to create superior organs within pigs for use in humans and the time is drawing closer for Jerry to receive a heart designed especially for him from the pig who lives only to die so that someone else will live. This complicated medical situation becomes even more convoluted when Jeremiah 6, the pig, must temporarily move in with human Jeremiah and his family. Little sister Justus is first to figure out that all that science-y stuff has given J6 the ability to learn and to communicate, and when the two Jeremiah’s begin to form a bond, all hell and a hurricane break loose and both Jeremiahs are put in grave danger. Readers will be sucked into this not quite realistic fiction story and will come away satisfied with the conclusion but with great curiosity about the potential of this area of science and the ethics of such advances. While not strictly a STEM novel, libraries with this book may want to have resources on medical technology available to help answer the inevitable questions.
December 3, 2021
Twelve-year-old Jeremiah needs a new heart if he’s to survive, and J6, the only pig out of five others to survive in the research lab is this boy’s one chance to live. When the experimental program is threatened with a shutdown, J6 must live with Jeremiah’s family until the heart can be harvested.
This would be a perfect solution if hearts weren’t more than pumps to keep us alive, but they aren’t, so when Jeremiah understands the plan, he’s willing to sacrifice himself to save his “brother”. J6 can’t let Jeremiah die either, so here’s where the heart of the story beats the strongest, and you can’t stop reading—regardless of your age—until to reach the end.
Funny and poignant this is a great middle-grade story.
This would be a perfect solution if hearts weren’t more than pumps to keep us alive, but they aren’t, so when Jeremiah understands the plan, he’s willing to sacrifice himself to save his “brother”. J6 can’t let Jeremiah die either, so here’s where the heart of the story beats the strongest, and you can’t stop reading—regardless of your age—until to reach the end.
Funny and poignant this is a great middle-grade story.
March 8, 2022
Really cute story about a boy and the pig who's growing his replacement heart. There are a lot of ethical questions wrapped into this middle grade story, which was interesting even from an adult reader. There are moments were I couldn't quite follow J6 or Jeremiah's train of thought, but overall, this was a sweet tale about friendship and the strength of love.
April 21, 2021
Thanks to Edelweiss for an eARC of this book.
This one had me on the edge of my seat wanting to know how it was going to end. Looking forward to purchasing this for my elementary library. The kids will love this and it will lead to lots of good discussions.
This one had me on the edge of my seat wanting to know how it was going to end. Looking forward to purchasing this for my elementary library. The kids will love this and it will lead to lots of good discussions.
July 16, 2022
Cute story-although I wanted to clobber the main character a few times!
October 28, 2021
Right from the start, I knew that I would cry my eyes out at some point. It was just how the book was set up:
While I thought that the end felt a bit drawn out, the pacing was rather good. The story is told by alternating between the Boy, Jeremiah, and the Pig, Jeremiah-6, or J6 for short. J6 is not really a pig, he is a special pig. He was especially grown to grow a human heart, fitted with stemcells from Jeremiah who was born with a heart condition. J6 is incredibly smart. He understands most of what people say to him, knows how to read and spell and has a great and funny personality. I loved J6. His need to be part of a family, to be a brother, just warmed my heart and also broke it in many tiny pieces.
While Jeremiah was kind of whiney and even obnoxious at some points, I actually quite liked him. He’s a boy that had to live with a dangerous heart condition his whole live and all the drawbacks that come with it. Of course he would be stubborn and also anxious. I loved how he changed the more contact he had with J6 and how much he grew to love this little pig.
The story is full of compassion and emotions. It plays with the idea of so called chimeras, animals with human cells that could be used to grow organ transplants. According to the author’s note, these kinds of projects are already in the works. It makes you think about the morals of harvesting organs from animals that might have more than just human cells, that might have some kind of concience, be able to learn like a human or are able to reason like a human. It was an interesting thought.
The book is very character driven. I loved to follow J6 and Jeremiah, to see how they experience the same kind of occurences differently. I loved the sibling bond they had. I also liked Justus and Jazmine, Jeremiah’s sisters. They had different kind of views on J6.
I’m afraid this review is a bit jubled, but in the end, I really loved the book. I loved the characters and I loved to follow their experiences. The book gave me a look to think about and a lot of feelings and I enjoyed the pacing and the topic. I would definitely recommend the book but maybe also advise to take some tissues with you while reading, just in case.
While I thought that the end felt a bit drawn out, the pacing was rather good. The story is told by alternating between the Boy, Jeremiah, and the Pig, Jeremiah-6, or J6 for short. J6 is not really a pig, he is a special pig. He was especially grown to grow a human heart, fitted with stemcells from Jeremiah who was born with a heart condition. J6 is incredibly smart. He understands most of what people say to him, knows how to read and spell and has a great and funny personality. I loved J6. His need to be part of a family, to be a brother, just warmed my heart and also broke it in many tiny pieces.
While Jeremiah was kind of whiney and even obnoxious at some points, I actually quite liked him. He’s a boy that had to live with a dangerous heart condition his whole live and all the drawbacks that come with it. Of course he would be stubborn and also anxious. I loved how he changed the more contact he had with J6 and how much he grew to love this little pig.
The story is full of compassion and emotions. It plays with the idea of so called chimeras, animals with human cells that could be used to grow organ transplants. According to the author’s note, these kinds of projects are already in the works. It makes you think about the morals of harvesting organs from animals that might have more than just human cells, that might have some kind of concience, be able to learn like a human or are able to reason like a human. It was an interesting thought.
The book is very character driven. I loved to follow J6 and Jeremiah, to see how they experience the same kind of occurences differently. I loved the sibling bond they had. I also liked Justus and Jazmine, Jeremiah’s sisters. They had different kind of views on J6.
I’m afraid this review is a bit jubled, but in the end, I really loved the book. I loved the characters and I loved to follow their experiences. The book gave me a look to think about and a lot of feelings and I enjoyed the pacing and the topic. I would definitely recommend the book but maybe also advise to take some tissues with you while reading, just in case.
October 31, 2021
Wow. I have been thinking about this for days and I don’t say this lightly but this honestly may be one of my favorite books I have read all year. And more shocking? It’s a middle grade reader. I have ALL the feels for this one friends and it wrecked me in the absolute best way.
Jeremiah knows something is wrong. His heart feels all funny and it’s not just nerves from playing in his first soccer game. It’s the start of a heart attack. He knows he needs to stop but he’s determined to score a goal. But his heart has other plans. Jeremiah was born with a heart condition and now he needs a new heart and fast. Enter J6, the only one of his five brothers to survive the lab, who fancies himself something special. He’s smart, brave, in fact he considers himself a therapy pig. But what he doesn’t know, is he is growing the perfect heart for Jeremiah. When the lab sends him to live with Jeremiah and his family after some unforeseen circumstances, he is determined to find family and gain a brother. At first Jeremiah thinks J6 is some sort of heart therapy pig. But soon suspicions arise and the truth comes to light. Both Jeremiah and J6 are determined to keep each other safe-even if their lives depend on it.
This book. ALL. THE. EMOTIONS! For starters, the characters are fantastic. J6 is smart and hilarious! I love the alternating view point between Jeremiah and J6 and it’s fascinating seeing things from J6’s point of view. He’s fantastic! I laughed SO many times. I also loved the adventure this book took me on. It definitely was different then what I imagined but is such a good way. I was hooked and had to know how this ended. Don’t get me wrong, this one was also deeply heavy and emotional. It covers some hard topics: chronically ill children, the feelings older siblings deal with when having a sick younger sibling, the hardships on parents, the feeling that being sick is something Jeremiah did wrong, grief, etc. This would be a great book to read with some older kids and have some fantastic discussions! I also loved some little details like Jeremiah’s dad leaves his job to stay home with him and his mom works, his best friend worships at a mosque, and there is a reference to Pokemon and boy bands which made me smile. There is so much goodness in this book! I will definitely be sitting this one back to read with my daughter when she is older. This is marketed as a middle grade reader but it is definitely something ANYONE can enjoy!
“And then I heard him, too. I felt him. I always would.”
Jeremiah knows something is wrong. His heart feels all funny and it’s not just nerves from playing in his first soccer game. It’s the start of a heart attack. He knows he needs to stop but he’s determined to score a goal. But his heart has other plans. Jeremiah was born with a heart condition and now he needs a new heart and fast. Enter J6, the only one of his five brothers to survive the lab, who fancies himself something special. He’s smart, brave, in fact he considers himself a therapy pig. But what he doesn’t know, is he is growing the perfect heart for Jeremiah. When the lab sends him to live with Jeremiah and his family after some unforeseen circumstances, he is determined to find family and gain a brother. At first Jeremiah thinks J6 is some sort of heart therapy pig. But soon suspicions arise and the truth comes to light. Both Jeremiah and J6 are determined to keep each other safe-even if their lives depend on it.
This book. ALL. THE. EMOTIONS! For starters, the characters are fantastic. J6 is smart and hilarious! I love the alternating view point between Jeremiah and J6 and it’s fascinating seeing things from J6’s point of view. He’s fantastic! I laughed SO many times. I also loved the adventure this book took me on. It definitely was different then what I imagined but is such a good way. I was hooked and had to know how this ended. Don’t get me wrong, this one was also deeply heavy and emotional. It covers some hard topics: chronically ill children, the feelings older siblings deal with when having a sick younger sibling, the hardships on parents, the feeling that being sick is something Jeremiah did wrong, grief, etc. This would be a great book to read with some older kids and have some fantastic discussions! I also loved some little details like Jeremiah’s dad leaves his job to stay home with him and his mom works, his best friend worships at a mosque, and there is a reference to Pokemon and boy bands which made me smile. There is so much goodness in this book! I will definitely be sitting this one back to read with my daughter when she is older. This is marketed as a middle grade reader but it is definitely something ANYONE can enjoy!
“And then I heard him, too. I felt him. I always would.”
August 7, 2022
80%
"All that came out was "Oink!" That's why I was embarrassed about having a human heart. Humans are people, and people's hearts don't work right. If they did, how could they leave me all alone?"
Pigs are crazy smart - smarter than the brightest of dogs, on par with 3-year olds and chimpanzees - and are considered to be in the top 5 smartest animals in the world, after humans, chimpanzees, elephants, and dolphins. Adding human stem cells to a pig embryo in 2017 has got to be one of the most ethically risky experiments science has undertaken, and though the embryos were terminated before full development, this book speculated on the concept of "what if those embryos were left to live and develop into organisms for organ harvesting."
* This book didn't exactly 'tackle' the concept of organ harvesting animals for human medical interventions, but it did introduce it in a lovely, thoughtful way. It addressed both the desperate need for drastic medical interventions, and the ethical and moral responsibilities we have towards other living creatures, without terribly favoring either end of the spectrum.
* I've always enjoyed books that are from or include the perspective of animals - they always have the most hysterical insights about things we take for granted. Almost all of my favorite quotes from this book involved the piggy perspective.
"I knew all about vans from TV. Vans are creatures that eat you and take you places. Their eyes glow and they wear shiny braces on their teeth. There are 'state-of-the-art safety features included in every model," and about half the time you ride in one, the van would chase deadly assassins and flip over ramps until it blows up. That's what safety features are for."
"The "steering wheel" helps people catch up to shifty guys who kidnapped the president's daughter. The steering wheel is necessary for that because vans are not patriotic and won't save president's daughters by themselves."
"I presumed she was the loudest of the family, so she must be their leader. The TV had taught me that kids were rulers of their domain, and the parents served them like butlers. The smaller they were, the more power they had. When they were the size of my head, they didn't even have to walk anywhere. They got carried. All they needed to do was scream, and they would get food delivered for them."
"All that came out was "Oink!" That's why I was embarrassed about having a human heart. Humans are people, and people's hearts don't work right. If they did, how could they leave me all alone?"
Pigs are crazy smart - smarter than the brightest of dogs, on par with 3-year olds and chimpanzees - and are considered to be in the top 5 smartest animals in the world, after humans, chimpanzees, elephants, and dolphins. Adding human stem cells to a pig embryo in 2017 has got to be one of the most ethically risky experiments science has undertaken, and though the embryos were terminated before full development, this book speculated on the concept of "what if those embryos were left to live and develop into organisms for organ harvesting."
* This book didn't exactly 'tackle' the concept of organ harvesting animals for human medical interventions, but it did introduce it in a lovely, thoughtful way. It addressed both the desperate need for drastic medical interventions, and the ethical and moral responsibilities we have towards other living creatures, without terribly favoring either end of the spectrum.
* I've always enjoyed books that are from or include the perspective of animals - they always have the most hysterical insights about things we take for granted. Almost all of my favorite quotes from this book involved the piggy perspective.
"I knew all about vans from TV. Vans are creatures that eat you and take you places. Their eyes glow and they wear shiny braces on their teeth. There are 'state-of-the-art safety features included in every model," and about half the time you ride in one, the van would chase deadly assassins and flip over ramps until it blows up. That's what safety features are for."
"The "steering wheel" helps people catch up to shifty guys who kidnapped the president's daughter. The steering wheel is necessary for that because vans are not patriotic and won't save president's daughters by themselves."
"I presumed she was the loudest of the family, so she must be their leader. The TV had taught me that kids were rulers of their domain, and the parents served them like butlers. The smaller they were, the more power they had. When they were the size of my head, they didn't even have to walk anywhere. They got carried. All they needed to do was scream, and they would get food delivered for them."
December 3, 2025
12-year-old Jeremiah has a fatal congenital heart condition that requires a transplant. While the chances of finding a human donor are slim, there's hope: an experimental research lab is manipulating DNA to grow chimera pigs whose hearts are perfect genetic matches to Jeremiah's. But when the lab's funding is cut, Dr. Willis sends J6--the last surviving chimera piglet--home with Jeremiah's family until it's time for the transplant. J6 has a human heart, and also thinks and feels just like a human--and even learns to read. How can Jeremiah accept a heart from his best friend, knowing that gift means he'll lose his best friend forever? Told in alternating chapters from Jeremiah and J6's perspective.
As the mom of a kid with a congenital heart condition and as the daughter of a man who died of complications from his second (pig) heart valve replacement, this was a really tough read--albeit an affecting and often charming journey. J6's voice is funny and endearing, and I appreciated the diversity of the supportive cast (including Muslim Adnan and Latine Paloma). Jeremiah's family, however, didn't feel quite as fully developed to me. His younger sister, Justus, reads younger than eight (in my opinion) and the dynamics with his older sister, Jazmine, didn't feel completely crystallized. While I was grateful that the author resolved the conflict in a way that spared both Jeremiah and J6's lives, it wasn't exactly clear to me how this happens. If J6's heart saves Jeremiah, then whose heart saves J6?
Those are mostly minor quibbles; this is a cool and unique story. A concluding note illuminates the science behind the book, pointing out that scientists are developing methods to grow human organs in jars to thus bypass the moral concerns surrounding chimeras. While this technology is years away from becoming a life-saving reality, I'm glad to know that it exists.
As the mom of a kid with a congenital heart condition and as the daughter of a man who died of complications from his second (pig) heart valve replacement, this was a really tough read--albeit an affecting and often charming journey. J6's voice is funny and endearing, and I appreciated the diversity of the supportive cast (including Muslim Adnan and Latine Paloma). Jeremiah's family, however, didn't feel quite as fully developed to me. His younger sister, Justus, reads younger than eight (in my opinion) and the dynamics with his older sister, Jazmine, didn't feel completely crystallized. While I was grateful that the author resolved the conflict in a way that spared both Jeremiah and J6's lives, it wasn't exactly clear to me how this happens. If J6's heart saves Jeremiah, then whose heart saves J6?
Those are mostly minor quibbles; this is a cool and unique story. A concluding note illuminates the science behind the book, pointing out that scientists are developing methods to grow human organs in jars to thus bypass the moral concerns surrounding chimeras. While this technology is years away from becoming a life-saving reality, I'm glad to know that it exists.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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July 4, 2024Inspired by research she read about experimental procedures to create transplantable human hearts, author Alex Perry has created a courageous story about a boy named Jeremiah and a pig (chimera) name J6.
Jeremiah was born with a heart condition. The walls of his heart were too thick which made its ability to pump blood inefficient. When the story begins, Jeremiah has already had a procedure that implanted a type of pacemaker/defibrillator in his chest. It usually worked quite well, but one day on the soccer field, Jeremiah ignore the warning signs telling him to slow down and take it easy. He ended up in the hospital.
As his condition deteriorated, he had another procedure called an LVAD. There were lots of rules for Jeremiah to follow, but he's just a kid, and rules aren't always easy. His doctor then sent Jeremiah home with a sort of pet. A pig named J6 became like a rescue animal for Jeremiah. The adults knew that this pig was actually special, and that when he had grown a bit more, his heart would become a replacement for Jeremiah's.
At first this pig was annoying, but Jeremiah soon came to realize J6 was more human than he would expect from a pig. Their bound became stronger; eventually becoming so strong that Jeremiah would do anything to protect J6 even after he discovered the pig's true purpose.
PIGHEARTED will grab readers on the first page and hold them tight until the very end. It is the story of how far someone will go to do what they believe is best for someone else. Told in the alternating voices of Jeremiah and J6, readers are in for a treat as they get to know both important characters.
Jeremiah was born with a heart condition. The walls of his heart were too thick which made its ability to pump blood inefficient. When the story begins, Jeremiah has already had a procedure that implanted a type of pacemaker/defibrillator in his chest. It usually worked quite well, but one day on the soccer field, Jeremiah ignore the warning signs telling him to slow down and take it easy. He ended up in the hospital.
As his condition deteriorated, he had another procedure called an LVAD. There were lots of rules for Jeremiah to follow, but he's just a kid, and rules aren't always easy. His doctor then sent Jeremiah home with a sort of pet. A pig named J6 became like a rescue animal for Jeremiah. The adults knew that this pig was actually special, and that when he had grown a bit more, his heart would become a replacement for Jeremiah's.
At first this pig was annoying, but Jeremiah soon came to realize J6 was more human than he would expect from a pig. Their bound became stronger; eventually becoming so strong that Jeremiah would do anything to protect J6 even after he discovered the pig's true purpose.
PIGHEARTED will grab readers on the first page and hold them tight until the very end. It is the story of how far someone will go to do what they believe is best for someone else. Told in the alternating voices of Jeremiah and J6, readers are in for a treat as they get to know both important characters.
May 14, 2023
From the Goodreads site:
A story told from the alternating perspectives of a boy with a fatal heart condition and the pig with the heart that could save his life.
Jeremiah’s heart skips a beat before his first soccer game, but it’s not nerves. It’s the first sign of a heart attack. He knows he needs to go to the hospital, but he’s determined to score a goal. Charging after the ball, he refuses to stop…even if his heart does.
J6 is a pig and the only one of his five brothers who survived the research lab. Though he's never left his cell, he thinks of himself as a therapy pig, a scholar, and a bodyguard. But when the lab sends him to live with Jeremiah's family, there’s one new title he’s desperate to have: brother.
At first, Jeremiah thinks his parents took in J6 to cheer him up. But before long, he begins to suspect there's more to his new curly-tailed companion than meets the eye. When the truth is revealed, Jeremiah and J6 must protect each other at all costs—even if their lives depend on it.
A story told from the alternating perspectives of a boy with a fatal heart condition and the pig with the heart that could save his life.
Jeremiah’s heart skips a beat before his first soccer game, but it’s not nerves. It’s the first sign of a heart attack. He knows he needs to go to the hospital, but he’s determined to score a goal. Charging after the ball, he refuses to stop…even if his heart does.
J6 is a pig and the only one of his five brothers who survived the research lab. Though he's never left his cell, he thinks of himself as a therapy pig, a scholar, and a bodyguard. But when the lab sends him to live with Jeremiah's family, there’s one new title he’s desperate to have: brother.
At first, Jeremiah thinks his parents took in J6 to cheer him up. But before long, he begins to suspect there's more to his new curly-tailed companion than meets the eye. When the truth is revealed, Jeremiah and J6 must protect each other at all costs—even if their lives depend on it.
October 31, 2021
Oh my I am totally in love with this book Pighearted and I cannot believe that it is Alex Perry's Debut. I do like some contemporary middle grade but my main go to are usually fantasy books but what struck me when I first saw the tour was that little pig face and I was totally intrigued.
It gave me the feels of Wilbur in Charlotte's Web but in my view Jeremiah 6 was so adorable you could not fail to fall in love with him as a character. I especially loved the references to film stars and films and tv which J6 would talk about. I believe this would make an excellent book club pick and I certainly am going to suggest it to a book club I belong to as I think everyone will get something out of it.
Alex was not shy using such topics is medical science and how ethical is it to grow human hearts in animals like pigs. I had no idea this was a thing but the biggest discussion would probably be on how far would you go to save someone you loved.
Like I said before this book made me me ugly cry and the only other book which moved me as much as this was Show Us Who You Are by Elle McNicoll and I gave that five stars. So Pighearted too has five stars and along with A Kind of Spark are my no1 reads of 2021 . I will be eagerly following Alex and can't wait to see what she will publish next.
It gave me the feels of Wilbur in Charlotte's Web but in my view Jeremiah 6 was so adorable you could not fail to fall in love with him as a character. I especially loved the references to film stars and films and tv which J6 would talk about. I believe this would make an excellent book club pick and I certainly am going to suggest it to a book club I belong to as I think everyone will get something out of it.
Alex was not shy using such topics is medical science and how ethical is it to grow human hearts in animals like pigs. I had no idea this was a thing but the biggest discussion would probably be on how far would you go to save someone you loved.
Like I said before this book made me me ugly cry and the only other book which moved me as much as this was Show Us Who You Are by Elle McNicoll and I gave that five stars. So Pighearted too has five stars and along with A Kind of Spark are my no1 reads of 2021 . I will be eagerly following Alex and can't wait to see what she will publish next.
January 31, 2025
My 4th book in my CountUp to 1,000!
This was a very quick read that I think I breezed through in about a day (maybe a day and a half, I forget). I started reading it and got to the 2 perspectives and I got a little apprehensive when I realized we would be doing "Pig" perspective half the time. I read "The Art of Racing in the Rain" last year which is all from the POV of the dog and if was NOT my thing, and I was worried that animals talking like this was just going to be something I dislike.
But this book wasn't quite as... aware of its own cleverness as the other book was. This one felt simpler, much more like a children's book. And it helped that we had "Boy's" perspective the other half of the time. It built up a good story as it went, made me chuckle a few times, maybe thought of making me think about tearing up for a millisecond during one sentence (I didn't), and was a sweet story with good heart (haha, well only 1 good heart). Not my favorite kind of story but overall a sweet one that ended up being better than I expected.
This was a very quick read that I think I breezed through in about a day (maybe a day and a half, I forget). I started reading it and got to the 2 perspectives and I got a little apprehensive when I realized we would be doing "Pig" perspective half the time. I read "The Art of Racing in the Rain" last year which is all from the POV of the dog and if was NOT my thing, and I was worried that animals talking like this was just going to be something I dislike.
But this book wasn't quite as... aware of its own cleverness as the other book was. This one felt simpler, much more like a children's book. And it helped that we had "Boy's" perspective the other half of the time. It built up a good story as it went, made me chuckle a few times, maybe thought of making me think about tearing up for a millisecond during one sentence (I didn't), and was a sweet story with good heart (haha, well only 1 good heart). Not my favorite kind of story but overall a sweet one that ended up being better than I expected.
April 14, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is about a boy and a pig. The boy is in need of a heart transplant and the pig is a chimera bred to supply the boy with a heart designed just for him. Alternating chapters are told from the viewpoint of the boy and the pig. How could you not fall in love with both? There is so much humour and heart in this book and a depth of emotion that will have you believe these characters are real people. The book raises so many ethical questions which provide great starting points for thought and discussion. I like that at the back of the book Alex Perry provides some information about the chimera project and her inspiration for writing the book.
December 2, 2021
Alex Perry delivers a beautiful and thought provoking story. Jeremiah ignore his signs and goes down at a soccer game. After a hospital stay in which he’s too. to take it easy, his family takes in J6, one of 7 pigs raised to harvest a heart for Jeremiah. He’s the only pig to survive and all he wants is a family. He thinks he’s found if in Jeremiah’s family, or has he? This is a very moving novel of friendship, family, and how you’re willing to go to save the life of someone you care for. It’s a must read and a #BookPosse favorite!
February 4, 2022
Science fiction is best when it is close to possible. This felt believable. Even the pig, J6 being intelligent enough to learn how to read and the way he put together the few facts he knew about the wide world.
It was so touching that Jeremiah wanted to save J6 when he finally understood why he was living with the family and how J6 was willing to sacrifice himself so Jeremiah could live.
I just got a bit exhausted as the two kept running away and never letting worried family members know anything so they could explain things and be of help.
It was so touching that Jeremiah wanted to save J6 when he finally understood why he was living with the family and how J6 was willing to sacrifice himself so Jeremiah could live.
I just got a bit exhausted as the two kept running away and never letting worried family members know anything so they could explain things and be of help.
November 10, 2021
Pighearted has a great storyline, but has one of those cry-your-eyes-out endings.
Thought about using this as a read aloud for my classroom but by the end of the book I changed my mind. I’ll still use it in my classroom library though. It’ll join the ranks of “Where the Red Fern Grows” - great story, wouldn’t be able to read because I’m crying so hard.
Thought about using this as a read aloud for my classroom but by the end of the book I changed my mind. I’ll still use it in my classroom library though. It’ll join the ranks of “Where the Red Fern Grows” - great story, wouldn’t be able to read because I’m crying so hard.
November 12, 2021
Great beginning. Love alternating chapters. Good book club book-lots to discuss.
Just a bit too long for the average elementary students grades 3-5. Once or twice I was tempted to skip middle and just flip to end to see how it ends. Some of the pig chapters - the humor was just a bit much and I could see some elementary readers getting confused.
Just a bit too long for the average elementary students grades 3-5. Once or twice I was tempted to skip middle and just flip to end to see how it ends. Some of the pig chapters - the humor was just a bit much and I could see some elementary readers getting confused.
November 24, 2021
Would make a great read-aloud because of the discussion possibilities.
Sad, heartwarming, funny. Told in alternate POVs, Jeremiah the boy and Jeremiah the pig (J6) tell us how life is over the course of a few months. There are ethic questions and behavior issues.
There is weather, medical details, and sibling rivalry.
Sad, heartwarming, funny. Told in alternate POVs, Jeremiah the boy and Jeremiah the pig (J6) tell us how life is over the course of a few months. There are ethic questions and behavior issues.
There is weather, medical details, and sibling rivalry.
December 26, 2021
Both heart-wrenching and heartwarming at the same time, this book will keep you turning pages to find out what happens to Jeremiah and J6. Boy and Pig alternate chapters, and you'll grow to love both of them. There are funny moments, sad moments, and plenty of wonderful moments about what it means to be a family, and especially a sibling. Can't wait to read whatever Alex Perry writes next!
January 17, 2022
I heard on the news recently about man who received a new genetically modified heart from a pig - on the same day I started this book! This story is told from two points of view- the boy who needs a new heart and the pig who has one. I was hooked immediately. It didn’t quite live up to my expectations, but I believe that middle grade readers will enjoy it.
March 11, 2022
I laughed and I cried. Perry's bio says she used to teach middle schoolers, and I totally believe it by how well she hit the vocabulary and emotions of the age group. J6 reminds me of a more immature Enzo from The Art of Racing in the Rain. He's learned enough from television to be dangerous and has several one-liners that left me laughing out loud in public spaces.
March 25, 2023
Fascinating premise! Told from two perspectives. I was hooked early. Then as it went on I found the pig’s perspective to be potentially confusing for students and was often incredulous and annoyed by the main character. It did have a satisfying conclusion and I wasn’t sure how that was going to be possible.
June 17, 2022
I read this with my 9 year old and we both adored it. It was a very sweet story, hilarious, with a touch of sadness, all while addressing some very real life struggles and issues. Fantastic read for a parent and child to do together. <3
November 21, 2022
I really hoped that I would be able to give 4 or 5 stars, because the key ideas behind the story were great. However, there were too many distasteful bits thrown in, so I would rather recommend books for which I give a higher rating.
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May 4, 2021Read for work
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