Pig Hearted by Alex Perry
J Fiction
What it’s about: Jeremiah is a 12-year-old boy who needs a heart transplant. J6 is a pig, but not just any ordinary pig. He has strong ventricle walls. J6 is a genetically altered pig, who was injected with human stem cells before he was born. He’s growing Jeremiah’s new heart meant for human transplant.
Why you might like it: The chapters alternate between the perspective of Jeremiah and J6. You learn that J6 has more than a human heart, he has a human brain, capable of feeling and communicating with humans. He’s smart and loves being the center of attention by dancing on Instagram. It’s a really interesting story and the characters captivate the reader.
Want a taste? The chapters from J6’s point of view are so pure and imaginative. Because he’s a pig, he doesn’t know a lot of specialty words, like attic, but uses simpler words to describe things, like, “...he yanked on a string in the ceiling and ripped a square hole in it. A ladder fell down, and he climbed up it and into the house’s skull” (p. 184).