School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-Heather Duroc says her favorite thing to do is nothing. Yet in this contemporary farce, she never gets the chance. Heather is a Duroc pig happily living on a 300-year-old farm in Scotland. She's owned by her "best human," Isla, and the girl's father. The recent death of Isla's mother has made the pig and her human inseparable. That is, until the barn is destroyed in a fire and Isla and her father move away to London. While the new owner is having a commercial filmed at the farm, Heather is "discovered" and becomes the most famous pig in the United Kingdom. On her way to a photo shoot in London, she breaks away and sets out to reunite with Isla. This whimsical adventure is a pleasure. The story is fast-paced and exciting. The writing is imaginative and is lightly sprinkled with Briticisms. The characters are unique and well defined. For example, Heather can readily identify every apple she's ever eaten ("Fall Pippin, excellent for eating."). But what sets this story apart is Oulton's ability to bring Heather's every action to life. Happily, nothing ends up where it begins, and, hopefully, the open-ended conclusion will lead to more rollicking adventures. Heather is a VIP (very impressive pig). VERDICT For readers seeking a rousing adventure or animal tale, this is a winner.-Sada Mozer, Los Angeles Public Library (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
When Isla's father is forced to sell their farm and Isla is separated from her porcine best friend, pig Heather finds herself the star of an ad campaign but would rather be with Isla. An escape and other hijinks ensue, and though the stakes are lower than in, say, Charlotte's Web, the steadfast central friendship lends this English story charm. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
When her "[b]est two-legged friend" moves away to London from a farm in Scotland, Heather followsearning national celebrity on the way.Heather can't talk, except to other animals, but she's a clever pig who can scrunch her nose fetchingly, read a bit, thanks to tutelage from Rhona the goat, and recognize almost any apple variety from a single bite. Having known and loved young Isla since the child was in the diapers-and-mud-eating stage, she is sad when Isla and her widowed father have to sell the farm and move to the city in the wake of a devastating fire. But Heather is caught on camera feeding the new owner's neglected chickens ("It's Animal Farm without the politics"), and in no time she's the star of an advertising campaign that whisks her to London and a happy reunion. Troubles aren't over yet, though, because keeping a large pig in a small city flat is not in the cards. Can Isla find a proper domicile for the doughty Duroc before the "pest controller" catches up? Stocked with flashes of wit, unlikely twists and narrow escapes from capture, this amiable ramble slides smoothly into the literary sty occupied by Wilbur, Babe, Mercy Watson and like talented porkers. (Animal fantasy. 8-10) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Starting on an old Scottish farm and ending with a rather wild pig chase in London, Oulton's middle-grade novel follows two very appealing characters: a young girl named Isla and the pig in which she confides. Isla has a kindly father and friends at school, but since the death of her mother, she finds her greatest comfort in Heather, the farm's only pig. Though unable to speak, Heather understands all that Isla says and communicates back through gesture. When Isla's father is forced to sell their farm and move to London, Isla is heartbroken to leave Heather. Through a series of amusing events, they find a way to be near each other in the city. Oulton's cast of characters, both animal and human, are almost all kind, but those who are not like the hungry wildcat on the farm and the pest-control man looking for Heather in London are entertainingly outsmarted. Give this warm tale of friendship to graduates of Kate DiCamillo's Mercy Watson series or fans of Charlotte's Web.--Nolan, Abby Copyright 2015 Booklist
