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!
8 s Wendy1,032 70

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. call-a-doctor family-issues friendship ...more2 s Dini - dinipandareads1,023 114

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 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- 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
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