Granny the Pag

by Nina Bawden

Originally abandoned by her actor parents who later attempt to gain custody, Cat wages a spirited campaign to decide her own fate and remain with her grandmother

Genres: Childrens, Juvenile, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Fiction

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Nina Bawden was a popular British novelist and children's writer. Her mother was a teacher and her father a marine.

When World War II broke out she spent the school holidays at a farm in Shropshire along with her mother and her brothers, but lived in Aberdare, Wales, during term time.
Bawden attended Somerville College, Oxford, where she gained a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.

Her novels include Carrie's War, Peppermint Pig, and The Witch's Daughter.

A number of her works have been dramatised by BBC Children's television, and many have been translated into various languages. In 2002 she was badly injured in the Potters Bar rail crash, and her husband Austen Kark was killed.

Bawden passed away at her home in London on 22 August 2012.

Reviews

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have decided to read this book again partly because of a distinct sense of nostalgia being aroused in me when I saw the book lying about in my room next to some other almost forgotten books, having had to study 'Granny the Pag' for Form 2 (Saint Aloysius College Malta).

First of all, to her credit Bawden did introduce a new word to the English dictionary (or at least they should include it in my opinion). When Catriona (or Cat as she likes to be called) was still very young and was not at all used living with her grandmother, she put up a note on her bedroom door calling her grandmother a 'Pag' ('Pig' misspelled). The name stuck. Throughout the book, her grandmother is lovingly referred to as the 'Pag'. For they made up. Indeed, they became inseparable.

I for one always believed that I shared a special bond with my some of my grandparents when I was younger. They were an influence to me, in more ways than one. Staying overnight in their house was like a holiday to me, homework being opportunistically forgotten. However Cat's case is an entirely different matter altogether. Being considered almost as a burden by her always travelling acting parents, she had to live with the Pag whether she liked it or not. This is a common situation nowadays in Malta, with many parents leaving their children in the care of their grandparents.

There is nothing evil in that if it is only once in a blue moon, but grandparents can never act as a substitute for the parent figures. In an innocent (that is in an unconscious) way, Bawden challenges that, though I personally do not agree with her. I like my grandparents for their unique personalities and way of living. However, that is a far cry from living with them permanently. I know a dear relative of mine who had to live with his grand-grand parents (my grandparents, then early 70's of age) most of his childhood, similar to Cat living with the Pag, and he grew up to hate and fear his parents. I only know of this because he used to confide in me as a beloved friend.

The story is pretty charming on the whole, but I do agree with another reviewer that it the story had aged quickly (as a family drama) and it is not the sort of story one would recommend. Being in the first person, it tends to be more interesting to young readers, but at times it does seem to drag on and on, as it could have been even shorter that it actually is. I felt bored at some point, and almost discontinued reading were it not for my 'nostalgic reason' I have revealed in my introduction.

However, for children aged 8-12 this is a charming read as a library 'rental', for its aspects on bullying, friendship, family bonds and, indeed, for the charming manner in which the book is written.

[Amy Layton · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the moment I saw this cover, I knew I'd love this book.  Granny the Pag just looks so...cool.  And amazing and wonderful and delightful and a little rough around the edges.  And she is.  And Cat certainly has some of those same characteristics which allow her to be independent and resourceful.  Those characteristics definitely come in handy, especially as school authorities think the Pag is a bad influence and want her to spend time with her parents, who just moved back locally--and who also very much want her to live with him.

And how is Granny the Pag supposed to deny this request when it's her own daughter making it?  She knows herself how hard it is to be apart from her child, so why should she deprive her daughter of her own?  Similarly, how can she betray Cat like that?  

This book discussed SO many topics that I haven't stumbled upon recently.  For example--Granny the Pag is a retired doctor, yet still sees patients for free.  These patients, as Cat notes, keep coming back, so clearly the Pag mustn't be a very good doctor.  But the thing is, she is.  These patients are mentally ill and mostly just need a cup of tea and somebody to talk to.  And, speaking as a daughter of a schoolteacher, I can easily understand why the school staff want Cat to live with her parents--even though I just as easily understand why Cat doesn't.  Moreso, Bawden discusses how bullies (sometimes) create themselves due to a need to control something in their lives due to extraneous reasons, and the type of real damage they can do in being a bully.  

And that's not even touching the main portion of this book, where Cat decides to legally defend herself against her parents.  After all, if she's the one hiring a lawyer, they have to help her get what she want as a minor who wishes to be more in control of her home life.  

Bawden has a miraculous way of illuminating the words and describing the complex and nuanced situation that takes place in Granny the Pag.  She takes us on motorcycle rides and to beaches and on the tube.  This book is, simply, amazing.  I wish for you all to read this and become just as enamored with the Pag as I did.

Review cross-listed here!

[Jennifer Robb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm older than the target audience for this book (which I will guess is young adults). I enjoyed seeing the growth/maturing in Catriona and her friend Rosie.

Pag started out as a misspelling of pig and was meant to be an insult, but somewhere, over time, it became more of a good thing to Catriona. She stated it meant someone powerful and different. I was also glad to see that although Cat started out not really liking her grandmother, when it came time to choose between living with her parents (who left her with her grandmother when she was ver little) and staying with her grandmother, she wanted to stay with her grandmother.

Another area that shows the growth of the two girls is deciding that making up names for people isn't a good thing to do anymore, particularly since many of their names are derogatory. (Hairy Ears, Willie Snotnose, Fish Breath as examples) though there are a few that are not as bad, such as their name for a beloved teacher which I think was meant to honor her.

Rosie seems to be a good friend, although it was her idea for many of the names in the first place. I'm glad that Cat seemed to be sympathetic toward Willie as she learns more about his circumstances.

[Kylie · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main character in Granny the Pag is Catriona Brooke. Cat is left with her grandmother when her actor parents decide to tour the country, going from one theater to another. In the beginning, Cat hates the idea, and in her anger, she writes that her grandmother is a pig. At the time however, Cat is too young to know how to spell and writes "Pag" instead of pig. The name sticks and becomes a term of endearment. As Cat is about to turn 13, her parents settle in London, and they decide that they want Cat back. She doesn't want to live with them anymore, which creates the main conflict in the story.
I loved the character of the Pag. She rides a Harley and smokes whenever she wants to. Unfortunately, the Pag isn't the main character. We get bogged down in the day to day problems of Cat and hardly get to know the other characters in the book. In addition, the story is set in London, and some of the references are strictly British making them hard to understand. Also, there isn't a whole lot of action in the book, and the drama is very understated. It is a fairly slow and predictable story.

[Cecilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an important book. There were parts that could have been a little better written, but it addresses issues like:
*dangerous bullying (someone tries to light Cat's hair on fire)
*being raised by a single grandparent
*neglectful, "important" parents
*being different
*mental illness
*learning tact
*name calling

The list could go on a lot longer. Cat has so much character growth by the end of the story. Her dad sets off my Creepdar like WOAH, especially when he takes her from school near the end of the book. The only part of the book that I disliked was the end few pages where the Pag almost dies. It wasn't written in a way that gripped my emotions--like it was tacked on as an after thought. Otherwise: I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone needing a midgrade read.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved The Peppermint Pig and Carrie's War so decided to give this a try. It was okay i suppose but very dated and i was a little bit bored so tried to read it as quick as possible just to get it finished. It was a bit dis-jointed and her parents were just so stupidly over the top and annoying. The only characters i liked a little bit were Tom and Beth who lived next door to Pag. Not the most interesting or compelling book i have ever read and not a patch on The Peppermint Pig.
I definitely wouldn't recommend it to anybody.

[Debbie Hoskins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to be Granny. I flunked the safety motorcycle course a couple of years ago, so it's going to take me awhile to actually learn to ride a motorcycle and then the little issue of being able to afford one.
I love Trina Schart Hyman's cover drawing - true work of art. The story was good, too. Nice relationship between the Granny and the granddaughter.

[Alexis Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel strongly that I doubt I would make this book a read in my class, unless children wanted to. I just think it may open up options for students, who have a troubled home with their parents, the potential idea that they can go I’ve with someone else. I understand if their home was dangerous, but Cat’s parents were nothing more than eccentric and were not what she was used to.

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grades 5+. Originally abandoned by her actor parents who later attempt to gain custody, Cat wages a spirited campaign to decide her own fate and remain with her grandmother.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't remember much about this book, but I remember liking it and the characters. I want to grow up and be Granny the Pag.

[Sofi · Rating 5 out of 5]

really good and shocking