By Paul Zindel

Meet Mr. Pignati, a lonely old man with a beer belly and an awful secret. He’s the Pigman, and he’s got a great big twinkling smile. When John and Lorraine, two high school sophomores, meet Mr. Pignati, they learn his while sad, zany story. They tell it right here in this book – the truth, and nothing but the truth – no matter how many people it shocks or hurts. (back cover of the book)

Look at the cover of the book: What kind of person might a "pigman" be? What can you tell about the two people on the cover? What season is it?

Agree or Disagree:

1. Most adults just don’t remember what it was like to be young.
2. Parents should trust their children.
3. Teenagers shouldn’t drink alcohol at all.
4. There’s no harm in a few practical jokes.
5. A person can’t be used unless he lets himself be used.
6. No one can really force you to do anything you don’t want to do.
7. A child learns his values from his parents.
8. Your life it what you make of it – nothing more, nothing less.

Brainstorm a list of behaviors that might get a teenager in trouble with his or her parents. List a minimum of 5 and then rank them with the most severe being #1.

Brainstorm a list of ways older people in this country are exploited. List a minimum of 5 and then rank them with the worst exploitation being #1.

Themes: the importance of accepting responsibility for your actions and taking control of your life; old age as a return to youthful pleasures and innocence, how a bad home life influences teenagers)

Final test: The final test will be an assortment of questions from your study guides, an assortment of vocabulary words, and passage identification.