PIG-OUT INN

by Lois Ruby ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1987

Ruby, whose previous efforts have resulted in several well-regarded YA novels, has a slightly younger protagonist in this book, which describes her heroine's 14th summer in a memorable and affecting way. The Inn of the title is the latest in a series of attempts by Dovi's mother to find an interesting way to make money. As she cheerfully wanders from not collecting rent as a landlady to failing at running a bookstore, Dovi and her father (who works with computer hardware) follow, Dovi wistfully longing for an occasional two-year layover. Nevertheless, she takes this new effort in stride, decorating the truckstop with her pig collection and helping out during an eventful summer, as the truckstop fills and empties with an assortment of characters: Dovi's cousin, 15, who is starting to write a romantic novel; local truckers giving culinary advice; and Tag Palmer, a serf-contained and self-reliant nine-year-old who becomes a temporary family member as a result of a custody dispute. As the summer closes, the fight comes to a head and becomes part of Dovi's growing awareness of how she really feels about her family's way of life. Full of well-realized characters, richly humorous language, and believable yet unexpected twists in plot, Dovi's voice is an original one.

Pub Date: April 1, 1987

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 159

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1987

Categories: CHILDREN'S