This Little Piggy Went To The City

Have you ever heard of a pig that could twirl on its snout? If not, it's time to meet Porkelia - the one and only! Porkelia is an especially talented pig with lofty aspirations of becoming a Rockette. She has the highest hoof kick in town and the sass to go with it. Plus it's preordained. After spicing up her wardrobe and practicing her signature moves, Porkelia sets off to the big city to pursue her dream.

Or so she tries. All it takes is a ramshackle apartment, a dismal job selling blenders, and tired hooves after late-night dancing gigs for Porkelia to realize just how unglamorous life is before you truly make it. As the years go by and loneliness sets in, this little piggy longs for her comfortable sty of warm mud and porcine companions.

And then the unthinkable happens. Porkelia becomes a Rockette! Fame, riches, gossip - the full scope of stardom. (Not that any of us doubted it for a second.) As she's making hoof-snout rotations in a gold lamé leotard and drinking tea with the Queen, will she remember her sty pals back home?

Porkelia, A Pig's Tale is a star in the making. With its charming storyline, rhyming couplets, and plump pink protagonist, Lindy Tucker's book is hard to resist. The pink and gold illustrations twinkle just as brightly as the star spot art on each page, reminding us never to give up on our biggest dreams.

Boarding School Blues

As a boarding school lass myself, I always enjoy reading books that take place in that tucked away, institutional setting. I am often frustrated, however, at how unrealistic it all is. As far as most unfamiliars are concerned, boarding school elicits mental snapshots of teenagers frolicking chaotically about in preppy attire - no parents, no rules, just freedom. I hate to shatter this fantasy, but boarding school was by far the most structured, stressful phase of my existence. Not at all like fiction paints it to be.

Freefall, the high-tension, thought-provoking debut from Dartmouth student Ariela Anhalt, is the first example I've found where students aren't protected from the outside world by the "school bubble". As this book decrees, actions have consequences and serious misdoings aren't necessarily shielded from the law. In a fencing team initiation gone wrong, a student ends up dead - smashed against the rocks after falling from a cliff. Hayden and Luke are the only two students present for the tragedy. In fact, Luke witnesses his best friend shoving Russell over the edge...no, scratch that. Luke isn't sure what he sees. But the event causes him to question everything, especially as the demons he tries to suppress bubble messily to the surface.

While I was reading this book (and quickly, I might add), I was continually struck by Anhalt's remarkable insight into the mentality of a teenage boy who is angry at the world and doesn't know why. As a reader, I experienced frustration towards Luke and the wrath he fails to control, a sure sign that Anhalt did the best job possible of portraying him. A commendable effort!

Super Sleuth Nancy Drew

Having a penchant for mystery novels, it is not surprising that these roots were planted by the infamous Nancy Drew series. As a little girl, I remember thinking Nancy Drew was the most clever "titian blonde" out there - and I wanted to be a private eye just like her, digging up clues and unmasking the bad guys. I found the mysteries ambitious to solve, which placed Nancy high in my esteem. After all, reading mystery novels is like playing Sudoku or tackling the New York Times crossword puzzle - the end result is much more satisfying when a real challenge has been surmounted.

One of my favorite whodunits is The Mystery At Lilac Inn, the fourth volume in Carolyn Keene's series. I devoured the story this Sunday - probably for the first time in over 10 years - while sunning outside, appropriate given that the setting is picturesque Lilac Inn perched on a flowing river and surrounded by quaint little cottages and lilac groves. The book begins with Nancy's visit to her dear friend Emily Willoughby, who is opening the historic inn with her fiancé. Emily's excitement, however, is tainted by her employees' fears that the inn is haunted. To make matters worse, her precious inheritance of beautiful, shimmering diamonds is stolen right out from under her nose at a dinner party. Nancy insists on getting to the bottom of this foul play, which is evidently linked to a serious concern of her own - someone is impersonating Nancy Drew and doing a fine job of it.

Full of adventure and high-risk moments, Nancy Drew's shrewd investigative skills are assayed like never before. Even as a 22-year-old revisiting my childhood sleuth, I found the mystery compelling and was delighted with the 1960's charm incorporated throughout. Nancy is right up there with my favorite, Hercule Poirot, and I can't help but laugh picturing them as associates - a short prying Belgian with a large mustache and a fresh-faced American girl of 18.