Dan Hogg, a.k.a. Pigboy, can't believe his bad luck when his class takes a field trip to a pig farm. He's prepared for taunting, but not the deadly situation waiting at the farm or his unlikely role as hero. This slim but well-developed novel clearly targets reluctant readers and is memorable mostly for its sustained intensity.

Gr 5-9-Dan Hogg is the class brain who wears glasses and has weird hair. But his biggest problem is his name: it just begs for insults. And the kids in his class are glad to oblige. When they go on a field trip to a heritage farm specializing in raising pigs, Dan knows that it will be the worst day of his life, but he never imagined just how bad it would get. An escaped criminal has made his way to the farm and locked up the owner. The convict is not sure what to do with the bus full of eighth graders, but soon figures out that he needs to get rid of them all. Surprising even himself, Dan, in a bumbling, self-effacing way, becomes a hero by saving his classmates and teacher. He is still the class nerd, but he has earned the respect of the biggest bully, and that helps. Grant has done a fantastic job of developing the voice of an adolescent who is the class bully's whipping boy. Dan's wry sense of humor catches readers' attention and has them rooting for him practically from the first page. Pigboy is a great quick read for boys who may be reluctant readers, but others will enjoy it as well.-Wendy Smith-D'Arezzo, Loyola College, Baltimore, MD Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

When one's last name is Hogg and the class field trip involves a trip to a pig farm, there is a good chance there will be some tough times ahead. But Dan Hogg does not bargain for the fact that the pig farmer has been tied up by a would-be burglar who now is planning a tragic accident to do away with all the witnesses, including Dan. Not the ordinary hero type, Dan manages to escape from the rest of the class, call for help, and even subdue the convict with pig manure. Maybe life will improve for Dan after all. The books in the Currents series are powerful tools for motivating reluctant readers with their quickly paced plots, short chapters, low readability levels, and short length. Middle school readers will appreciate this adventure that also presents an atypical hero in the form of gawky, awkward Dan Hogg.-Teri S. Lesesne.