I liked this book, but found some parts of it depressing, Pual Zindels work is like that, I've found. This book is reminicent of the Catcher in the Rye, something about the style is similar. I wanted to buy a copy of Pardon me You're Stepping on my Eyeball because I thought it was a sequel but sadly it's not.

This isn't a bad book, it's a good insight into a certain kind of teenage boy's mind and heart, and shows some of the problems with entering into a physical relationship lightly.

This book was simply a work of genius. The characters of Dewey and Yvette were completely plausible in the era in which the book was written, and the story is excellant. Although it has to be read slowly and with a dictionary (at times), it is utterly worth it. Great for first-time readers of Paul Zindel.

Stephen, his mother, and cousin were living in London when the Germans bombed their home city of London. Stephen?s father, a physicist, had been in Los Alamos on a top-secret military base. After the German bombing raid, Stephen was sent to stay on the base with his father. At the base Stephen met a boy named Alexei, and they soon became good friends. Since Stephen had arrived at the base he felt something was going on and he took many chances to find out the truth. He narrowly escaped from an attempted kidnapping with the help of his friend Alexei. They eventually follow military trucks to a bomb testing area and experience the base?s secret first hand, an atomic bomb that the base physicists were working on. When Stephen heard that the war ended, he ran to Alexei?s house, which was off base, he accidentally finds out that Alexei and his family were spies. A chase ensues between Stephen and Alexei and his father; in the end Stephen is safe, Alexei is hit by a train and killed, and his father and associates are taken away. Stephen learned more than he bargained for in his quest for answers.
I enjoyed this book from the first page to the last. I found it interesting because it related to topic we were studying in school. The book, The Gadget, is a great story about a boy in search for answers and the struggles and hardships he faced along the way. The book is very descriptive and allowed me to visualize the events and settings. I felt the tension, worry, and other emotions along with the main character.
I would definitely recommend The Gadget, to anyone because it was suspenseful from the beginning to the end; I had a hard time putting it down. This book grabbed my attention and never let go. The story of Stephen and the chances and adventures he took to find the secret of the base fascinated me. The answers he found shocked me; the base secret was a hidden atomic bomb, and Alexei and his family being spies. If you are looking for adventure, suspense, and surprise in your reading, you should definitely consider reading The Gadget.

My Book The Gadget was a good book I would recomded this book to someone who like a action book. This book was about a 13 boy who was sent to the war to help his dad. His name was Stephen he was sent from war-torn England so he could help his father, his fathers is becomeing really obcess with the Gadget. What is the Gadget if you want to know what the Gadget is you have to read it a fine out.

I found this book a very interesting book. I liked how the author started off the story in London, showing the attack and all the information to get you caught up. Then when he moves the story to the military base in New Mexico, I found it easy to tell what was going on in the base, it was very descriptive. The author also made you wait a while until you found out what kind of project Stephens father was working on. Also when you meet Alexei you don't think anything is going on, just that he is an ordinary kid. So I like how he kind of hid things from you until he felt like he would let you know.
Also when he tells the historical events that are happening outside of the story it gave me a better sense of what time it was. And when you find out what the "Gadget" is you understand why the man in the hospital gave Stephen the sunglasses. Also, the author gave all the attacks on Japan and how effective the gadget was, which showed how many people were killed by only 4 men. The author also used foreshadowing when the maid told Stephen she thought Alexei was a spy, and he ended up trying to kill Stephen because he found out he was a spy. You also learn about the relationship the Stephen didn't have with his father so he found other people in the base that he could love.
He also she shows how the war was affecting everybody all over the world, even when the war was only going on between 3 countries. Over all I would recommend this book to people who like a good suspense or historical story. Go read this book and right a review.

If you would like to read a confusing and a all right book you should read the Pigman and Me by Paul Zindel. In the book the Pigman is a "Person who can see everything you can do and he will be there for you when you need him the most." The Pigman is like your guardian angel. Paul is another character in the story. He is a boy that has no father but has a mother that is a little disabled and moves around to different places a lot. He looks up to a person named Nonno Frankie. He is a person who lives with Paul and Paul's mother. Paul lives with his mom and Nonno Frankie at Victory Boulevard. It doesn't say exactly where he lives in the story. I gave this book 3 stars because the book got really boring during the last half of it.

hi my name is not bob and im here to tell you about the pig man and me. It is about the funnyest and coolest book i have ever read.It is an autobiography about young paul zindal.
one reson i liked this book is becouas its by my favirite autherp.anuther reson is becous it is funny and one more reson is becouse the moral is rellay cool i cant tell you or else i would tell you mommy.
in conclustion this book has 100 some pages.its by paul zindal.and this is not bob this is not arin this is not lorry this is not bobby and this is not me.goodbye ogha bugha boohahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha im still not bob

Readers of Paul Zindel's young adult novels, especially The Pigman, will enjoy reading about the difficulties he and his sister endured growing up with a single mother in New Jersey in the 40's and 50's. After his mother takes in a roommate with 2 young sons, Zindel is exposed to the boys' grandfather, who becomes a surrogate father, a grown-up playmate, an inspiration, and a support to him as he struggles with his coming of age, his mother's strange schemes, and his own insecurities. As he shares his adventures with his pigman, Nonno Frankie, and his best friend, Jennifer, Zindel reveals the source of his humor and the basis for many of his stories and characters. Younger readers will find his light touch and reslience in dealing with difficulty a source of strength. A great introduction to this author and to the memoir genre.

She's a run-away. Driven by rage and a passion to have a normal life, nothing can stop her. Who is this? Her name is Chrysta, a young 14 year old that is just trying to find a normal life or even a normal family.
This teen finds many friends along the way. Leaving some so thy can go their ways (but always communicating). As she travels about the country, she learns lessons, and the real meanings of things that weren't so important to her before. She grew up hard in the beginning, but she learns about herself along the way. This realistic fiction novel is sure to enter the lives of teenage girls.
This book was strait with the information. There were hardly any if, an's, or but's. You would think with all the description it had, it might have been real. I would defiantly recommend this book to teenage girls! It is so realistic, and makes you think, "Wow, this book could of really happened!" It's not one of those boring books that make you think, "When will this part ever end?"
Chrysta is constantly moving around to new places, more new friends, and even more life-long lessons. Page after page you knew you had to keep going. There was no stop. Many teens could of related to Chrysta during one of her situations in the book. So many events that happened, you would have to relate to one of them.
So do you happen to be a teenage girl with a thirst of realistic fiction adventures through the up's and downs? Pick up, To Take A Dare. You couldn't regret it. You're questions are sure to be, "Does she find her NORMAL life?" Maybe, maybe not. She may find other things just as important along the way.

Part of the blisteringly honest modern YA genre born of Judy Blume, which exploded in the 70s and 80s, "To Take A Dare" explores the unbearable pressures which lead up to Chris/Chrysta's running away from home, finding herself on the road, and the reasons why she attempts to adopt a young runaway, Dare, in an attempt to give him a true family. Fans of Dragonwagon's witty, funny, sharp and tender writing style won't be disappointed; Chrysta's word-portraits of the stifling suburbia she grows up in, her sadly frustrated family, her life on the road and her discovery of a true home in Arskansas, are all memorable. But Dragonwagon's view of life on the road, gritty as it is, with Chrysta's trading sexual favors for a lift or place to stay, is, in the end, terribly naive. This isn't the author's fault; any book about sexual trading pre-AIDS inevitably seems like apostcard written from the deck of the Titanic. But even minus the sex, life on the road for Chrysta seems a little too idyllic; something read and written about, rather than experienced. Like the obvious symbolism of "take a Dare," it is more read-about than real. But the portrayal of a young woman running to find and then defend her own standards and her own life is not easily dismissed. Dragonwagon's literary style and love of language lift this book above the typical teen-problem novel.

Nice book but defenitly not for young readers.

Before I begin, I must say in all modesty that in order for someone to truly understand the nuance of this book, someone must be educated in the study of rats, enviormental issues, and have an appreciaton for arciteture, because that's the span of the "RATS". Well anayway, I'll give it a shot. The book entitled Rats is a novel about killer rats who are larger than normal rats, because of a chemical reaction at a landfill containing a buildup of Methane gas undwerground. Now of course we all have to stretch our imaginations to believe what or how this is possible, but when you read the story, the mutation of the rats was caused by the methane gas. As the story developes we are introduced to the two main charcters. Sarah 15 and her younger brther Michael 10. Sarah and michael play an important role in helping control the rat population at the end of the story. Since I do not want to give away all of the facts and mystery of the story I'll just say that there is a little bit of gore and blood, but that sould be expected when there are killer rats running around a small town and maybe Manhatten.

If you like horror books with lots of suspense and action, then this is the book for you. Rats, by Paul Zindel, is a thrilling and exciting book, which has lots of action and danger. Sarah and her brother Micheal were watching t.v. when they started hearing strange noises coming from outside. They went outside, only to find her neighbors being attacked and chased by huge enourmous rats. Now, they have to figure out a way to escape from their rat-infested neighborhood and get to safety. On the way though they witness gruesome and disgusting scenes. They then have to figure out how their going to get out of there alive. Once you pick up this book you won't be able to put it down.

Before reading "Rats," the only book I had ever read by Paul Zindel was The Pigman. After reading the back cover of "Rats", I knew I had to read it to see if Paul Zindel did as good a job with horror books as he did with fiction/drama books. "Rats" turned out to be a great book in every way. Thousands of rats are terrorizing the New York City area by appearing in toilets, pipes, and many other areas and then killing any person that they can sink their teeth into. 15-year-old Sarah and her ten-year-old brother Michael know a little bit about rats because they have an albino pet rat named Surfer. Their dad, Mr. Macafee is blamed by many people including the city mayor that it's his fault that these rats are doing this because he lives close to and takes a part in the city dump area where the rats first started their killing spree. Sarah and Michael have to use their knowledge of rats and find a way to save the people around New York City from being killed while trying to stay alive and escape the terror of the rats' claws themselves.

I liked "Rats" a lot better than I did The Pigman. I think Paul Zindel does a much better job writing horror books like "Rats." The book is unbelievably compelling and it's even scary at times. When I read about some of the explanations about what the rats looked like and how they terrorized the people, I could see a picture of a huge rat like it was staring me right in the face. If you like well written and compelling horror books, I definitely recommend getting "Rats."

I expected better from him. I enjoyed the warm silliness of his other books,like The Pigman. This one was dramatic and true-to-life. However,it bungled in many places. Some characters were hypocritical and detestable. Maggie and Dennis weren't all that romantic and close,but they were the strongest characters. They provided relief from Liz's ridiculousness. I will give kudos for a poignant,thought-provoking ending. I use such strong language because I knew Mr. Zindel could've done better. It was overall an OK book,but don't read it if you're anticipating more great literature from him. Try The Pigman and its sequel or The Undertaker's Gone Bananas instead.

The book I read was very interesting. I thought it was the kind of book where you really thought you would start reading and not want to put down. It presents problems that arrive in schools and the issues in teenagers lives. Abortion is a very hard thing to talk about and I thought that Zindel did a very good job at making it known how different thought about it. It also shows how different people deal with different problems. It's a good story about friendship as well as true love. It is also about doing things that you'll regret. I felt like Liz was a friend of mine, kind of like I was Maggie. I really fell for this book. I would recommend this to all ages.

I read this book in high school and loved it. It was written in a way that felt just like my life at the time. I just bought it again recently and I still love it. One of my favorite books of all time. Paul Zindel is an amazing author!

The Pigman's Legacy is a book about two high school students who are trying to reconcile thier failed efforts to save the Pigman by trying to help another old man. They meet and man in the same old house the Pigman was in. John and Lorraine have some adventurous times with this old man. They grow just as close to him as they did the Pigman. This book is a very good book. I think Paul Zindel did a very good job of keeping the characters pretty much the same but making them seem more mature. The only thing he could have changed was the ending. I would recommend this book. Any person who has read the first Pigman book should read The Pigman's Legacy. It is the first sequel that I have read that I liked as well as the original.

The sequal of "The Pigman" at first looks totally uncalled for, and has the same basic plot. But at a second look you will see that this book, still staring John and Lorranie, has the same moving emotianal plot. This time, changing charactor build. The "Pigman" of the story is a grumpy old man running from the IRS hiding in the Pigman's house. This is a complete change from the friendly, welcoming, old portraid in the original Pigman. It has the same good humor and charactors. Zindel, again, works the reader into a huge mess of couping with problems. This book, I would give a PG-13 rating. It deals more with Sex and drinking the the original Pigman. It goes up and down, from happy points, when the old man is having fun for the first time in a casino, to sad points, when John spends all the money the old man won. Be prepared to cry at the end, with the same type of sad ending. A exelent book for lovers of the original Pigman. WARNING: NOT TO BE READ, UNLESS YOU HAVE READ THE ORIGINAL!!!!!

This sequel couldn't quite surpass "The Pigman",but it came close. At first I didn't want to read it because the reviews made it sound boring,but trust me,it's not! It's happier and less melancholy than the first book. The kids have matured,especially John. It's spiced up by Zindel's usual wacky storyline and wonderful writing. He understands teens much better than most adults. I won't give away too much,but this novel involves more romance. Weirdness binds a motley crue of people,including John and Lorraine,of course. I wish she would've featured more prominently. It seemed that John "wrote" more chapters. (And why do they like old people so much?) For those who appreciate humor and seriousness,sadness and joy,I highly reccomend this book.

Zindel does not meet his usual quality of writing in this book. In the first chapter, P.C. says that his father left town yesterday, then says that his father's been out of town for a week. I also doubt that P.C., a high school junior, would have Jesus, a 13-year-old computer wiz, for a best friend. And the relationship with Jesus seems to be for P.C.'s benefit primarily. I will warn my junior high students that this book is not as good as others by Paul Zindel before they read it. I don't know whether I will invest in the rest of the series for my classroom library or not. The story was entertaining, but I feel that Zindel did not take the time to think carefully during the writing process. Take your time, Paul - you have great ideas to get kids reading!

P.C. Hawke wants to be a professional detective when he grows up. His dad works at the Museum of Natural History in New York City, P.C. and his best friend, Mackenzie, have already helped solve one crime. When the chief biologist at the museum is murdered, P.C. and Mackenzie's friend Tom, a custodian who wouldn't hurt a fly, is apparently caught red-handed, they know he's been set up. They suspect that it may be either Mirsky or Congers, the two museum employees now fighting over the suddenly open position. P.C. and Mackenzie are determined to clear Tom's name by finding the real killer. But in the process, they uncover a web of deception that may put their own lives in danger. The first book in this new mystery series is full of thrills, chills, and more. I highly reccomend it.

Coming down from the literary high of I Never Loved Your Mind, I plunged into this book with reckless abandon. I was soon disillisioned, however. As a major Paul Zindel fan (I'm currently working on reading every book and play he has ever written) I can say that this does not stand up. Immediatley after the first read, it's a great book, but in comparison with Zindel's other fare it's just not as good. It's funny, but Eugene is awfully slow as a character. Mahatma, his Indian friend, is a terrific character who would stand up much better in another book. Regardless, although this is a must for hardcore Zindel fans, someone just starting out should really leave this until after I Never Loved Your Mind, To Take A Dare and The Pigman .

If you won't to read a good book then you need to read Amazing and Death Defying Diary of Eugene Dingman. This isn't an ordinary love story. Eugene is a nonentity with a lot of mettle. His apprehension dosen't stop him from showing is true feelings. And you woulden't believe what happens to Eugene it's vehement.

A rather skeptical reader myself, I was reluctant to pick up Eugene's diary. I thought it would contain another outrageous narrator who you can't understand or comprehend. I absolutly hate authors that create narrators who are nothing like teens today. How wrong I was about Eugene! Eugene's Diary is full or honesty and integrity. His diary tells the tale or his original, yet suprisingly normal summer, in which Eugene falls hopelessly in love, craves the attentions of his absent father, learns to tolerate his oblivious mother, befriends an Indian worker, and in turn, learns the difficulty in loving himself. Eugene's sincerity and his promise 'not to lie to his diary despite how terrible things turn out' wins the reader's admiration. More than once I found myself grinning with happinnes and sighing with embarrasment as Eugene went through another 'amazing and death defying' moment. In the end, I think you'll find that Eugene has found love for the right person after all, himself!

I found the cover of the Paperback version somewhat misleading,
claiming that the title character was hiding a "Terrible secret" and that society would be "shocked and hurt" by the revelations.
This was definitely a serious book, but Not the heavy mystery which the publisher (Bantam Starfire) proclaimed. The story is both humorous and pathetic--well worth reading, especially for
high school kids, who can relate to superficial conversations and disintegrating relationships with their parents.

Two sophomores who are misfits in some ways team up to play telephone pranks, which is how they meet Angelo Pignati (who
does not raise pigs). What starts out as a loony, harmless,scam changes into an important and fulfilling relationship for the three of them. One where it is safe and OK to do silly things--like roller skate through a department store--just for the the sheer joy of being alive and enjoying each other's wacky company. Emotionally-constricted at home, both John and Lorraine find exhilaration in the total acceptance of their personalities without criticism, reveling in this unexpected personal freedom.

Unfortunately they revel too much in the home of the Pigman (their private but respectful name for this gentle soul), who has been both liberal and trusting with his hospitality. The teenagers realize too late that things can go too far, when their adult friend pays the price for their selfishness and excess. This kindly middle-aged man helped set them free from social bondage--free to be themselves, accepted just as they are, but was the price too high for them all? Since when is Freedom really free? Liberty carried to extremes is License. A thoughtful read.

In my opinion the Pigman is a very sad book that could bring out strong emotion from any reader. This is not one of the books I would normally read but it did impress me. In my view the writers style was a little hard to follow in this book. John and Lorraine were actually writing the book, so either John or Lorraine writes one chapter and then the other person writes the following chapter. Sometimes it gets confusing because John for example , might think of something Lorraine left out in her chapter, so John inserts that later in the story. I would recommend "The Pigman" to young teenagers who enjoy reading emotional books. Someone who loves to read science-fiction novels and action stories would not like this book.

Two "social outcast" students get to know a lonely old man while playing a phone game with her friends. As it was just a joke to visit him at the beginning, his house becomes a second home and he himself kind of a grand-father for them. Their friendship gets deeper an deeper, until something horrible happens...

The book "The Pigman" by Paul Zindel is a great description about friendship between young and old and between boy and girl. Although the two different narrators who take turn with each chapter might be a bit confusing at the beginning, the style of writing is very good. The reader can identify with the main characters and does not lose interest in reading the book as there are always included little things that make him keep on reading. Moreover, the author describes precisely the family lives of the three main characters. In my opinion "The Pigman" is a really good book with which many people can identify and which is not too difficult to read as even non-native speakers are able to understand it.