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It's a Mystery, Pig Face!
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Eleven-year-old Tracy Munroe and her family have just gotten back from their family vacation—why did no one realize that her little brother, Lester, a.k.a. Pig Face, was allergic to sand, salt air, and the ocean before they decided to go to the beach?—and now she has three big goals to accomplish before she goes back to school:
Figure out a fantastic end of summer adventure ...more
Figure out a fantastic end of summer adventure ...more
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published
February 7th 2017
by Sky Pony Press
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I received an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
IT'S A MYSTERY PIG FACE! by debut author Wendy McLeod MacKnight is a fun middle grade read full of friends, family, and mystery! Middle grader Tracy and her best friend Ralph are game for a summer of excitement after they find an envelope full of cash at the ball field. They are determined to investigate, solve the crime, and become local heroes (and maybe internet sensations, too). But when Tracy's annoying little ...more
IT'S A MYSTERY PIG FACE! by debut author Wendy McLeod MacKnight is a fun middle grade read full of friends, family, and mystery! Middle grader Tracy and her best friend Ralph are game for a summer of excitement after they find an envelope full of cash at the ball field. They are determined to investigate, solve the crime, and become local heroes (and maybe internet sensations, too). But when Tracy's annoying little ...more

In this delightful MG debut, Wendy MacLeod MacKnight follows a band of merry middle-school sleuths - 11-year-old Tracy Munroe, her best friend, Ralph, and Tracy's nine-year-old brother, Lester (aka Pig Face) - as they solve a mystery connected to a bag filled with stolen money. Quirky supporting characters, including New York City boy Zach and his smooth-talking dad, the Silver Fox, round out this charming novel beautifully.
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Middle schoolers Tracy and Ralph are longtime friends in the small but quant community of St. Stephens. Their summer vacation starts off with a few surprises when they discover a bagful of money and then Tracy’s annoying little brother, Lester (Pig Face) discovers them with the money. The three set out to solve the mystery, return the loot, and become heroes—just like in the old-time movies they like to watch. The story is peppered with spot-on Middle Grade humor, sibling discord, and friendship
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It’s a Mystery, Pig Face! has all the things I want in a book: humour, drama, secrets, adventure, and a kid called Pig Face. MacKnight has woven a sweet tale of friendship and family, first crushes and rivalries, all centered around a mystery full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing. Tracy, her younger brother Lester, and her best friend Ralph are wonderful, quirky, well-rounded characters with just enough misguided good intentions to get themselves into a heap of trouble and the hea
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I read this delightful story in ARC form on a cross-country trip. Eleven-year-old Tracy Munroe's first-person narration about a stash of mysterious cash found in her quiet town of St. Stephen helped me pass the time. Tracy, her little brother Lester (aka Pig Face), and her best bud Ralph make for fun (and funny) reading. They may not make the best sleuthing team, but the lessons they learn along the way about Belgian chocolate, true friendship, and the importance of being true to oneself is bigg
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“We don’t need grown-ups! We can solve this ourselves. It’ll be exciting!”
Eleven-year-old Tracy Munroe’s vacation by the sea just got ruined – and it’s all thanks to her little brother Lester (Pig Face) who is allergic to the sand and salt water. Now she’s back home in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, and ready to end the summer with her best friend Ralph, without Lester tagging along. She also plans to befriend Zach, the thirteen-year-old heartthrob who has moved in next door from New York.
When Tr ...more
Eleven-year-old Tracy Munroe’s vacation by the sea just got ruined – and it’s all thanks to her little brother Lester (Pig Face) who is allergic to the sand and salt water. Now she’s back home in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, and ready to end the summer with her best friend Ralph, without Lester tagging along. She also plans to befriend Zach, the thirteen-year-old heartthrob who has moved in next door from New York.
When Tr ...more

Summer days. Tracy is spending it with her best friend, Ralph, and an annoying younger brother who she, not so lovingly, refers to as “Pig Face.” They find a paper bag full of money in a dugout at the ballpark and the mystery begins as the junior detectives investigate their neighbors and friends to explain the cash. But Tracy is seriously distracted when she discovers that a sparkly city boy will be spending the summer living next door.
The junior detectives are not so skilled at solving the mys ...more
The junior detectives are not so skilled at solving the mys ...more

This was such an entertaining and fun read. I loved the mystery aspect, but the friendship angle was what really made this story shine for me. The main character, Tracy, is the perfect balance of fun, smart, bossy and 100% entertaining. Her realness and the mistakes she makes along the way made me love her more.

I love a small town mystery - especially one that takes place in Canada! After Tracy and her best friend Ralph find a bag full of cash, they're determined to solve the mystery of who it belongs to and become local heroes. It's a great plan and one that will work if Tracy's little brother could just leave them alone. This is a fun mystery with lots of humour that takes a great look at friendship and family. Middle grade readers will have a blast getting to know this cast of characters and followi
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What a charming middle grade mystery! I absolutely adored Tracy Munroe and her little brother Pig Face--I mean, Lester. That push and pull between wanting to defend one's annoying little brother and wanting to flush him down the toilet, well, what kid with a younger sibling can't relate a little to that. Tracy's fluctuating feelings about potential crush Zach felt so true to her age. Can't wait to read this author's next book.
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Tracy Munroe is clearly destined for great things. She has good fashion sense and an eye for a good mystery, both of which come in handy during the summer in her charming hometown, St. Stephen. Tracy and best friend Ralph need something to fill their days, so when they discover a bag of money at the ball field, they begin their investigations. There's only one thing standing in their way: Pig Face (well, Lester), Tracy's annoying little brother. Will Pig Face a) ruin their investigation? b) ruin
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I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
It’s a mystery, all right – and it’s a great middle grade read, too! Tracy isn’t so excited when her little brother Lester, AKA Pig Face, inserts himself into the amateur detective work that she and her best friend Ralph have decided to undertake. But it turns out that the precocious, if annoying, nine-year-old is just what they need to keep them grounded as the case of the found bag of money spins out of control, a ...more
It’s a mystery, all right – and it’s a great middle grade read, too! Tracy isn’t so excited when her little brother Lester, AKA Pig Face, inserts himself into the amateur detective work that she and her best friend Ralph have decided to undertake. But it turns out that the precocious, if annoying, nine-year-old is just what they need to keep them grounded as the case of the found bag of money spins out of control, a ...more

A fun mystery filled with loveable characters you can't help but cheer for! This book is a delight!
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What a fun read! Best friends Tracy and Ralph were hoping for a great summer before going into 6th grade, but they never bargained for what they got. The cast of supporting characters include Tracy's 9-year-old pain-in-the-neck brother, her arch-enemy Jasmine, the great-looking new-boy-in-town Zach, and even Tracy's weird neighbor Hazel McNutt. All of them together develop a really great story which asks the question, What is a friend and how do you recognize one when you see them.
I think juveni ...more
I think juveni ...more

Super hilarious middle grade mystery. Tracy and her family come home from a beach vacation where her brother Lester, also known as Pig Face, was allergic to sand, salt air and the ocean! Not the greatest idea. Now Tracy is determined to end her summer strong making sure to fill her days with fun and adventure with her good friend Ralph, and far away from her annoying little brother. She also hopes to impress the boy next door who just moved in. Add to the mix a bag of money found in the dugout a
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Read this with my 11 year old daughter. She really liked it and wanted to keep reading and not put it down. The mystery was interesting and all through the story she kept trying to figure out who had stolen the money. The characters were fun and she could relate to them. We laughed and enjoyed this story. Our only complaint was that the ending seemed to drag out, once the mystery was solved we were ready for it to end, but it seemed like tying up all the loose ends and trying to wrap it all up n
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This is a fun story with quirky characters, great messages for young readers, and an idyllic small town setting in summer. What I love most about it is how authentic the kids are, especially the main character, Tracy. It perfectly captures so much about childhood—that pure idealism about accomplishing big things, how hard it is to be yourself around the “cool” kids, how easy it is to make a mess of things, how everything feels way worse than it really is, how awesome it would be to save the day
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A delightful read, It’s a Mystery, Pig Face has all the elements of a great middle grade novel. It’s a funny and touching story about friendship, family, and being true to yourself - even when faced with the challenge of a cute new boy. Filled with less than perfect characters that are easy to like, a believable mystery, and more than a little sibling and neighbor rivalry, Wendy McLeod MacKnight’s debut novel is sure to please.

4.5 stars
It’s a Mystery, Pig Face! is such a hoot to read! The mystery unfolds over the course of a couple weeks after 11-year-old Tracy Munroe, hipster vintage clothing fan and lover of old Humphrey Bogart movies, and her BFF and baker-extraordinaire Ralph, find a paper bag of money stashed under a dugout bench at the local baseball field. After they’re forced, under great duress, to accept the help of Tracy's younger brother Lester, aka Pig Face, the mystery of how the money got to be there, w ...more
It’s a Mystery, Pig Face! is such a hoot to read! The mystery unfolds over the course of a couple weeks after 11-year-old Tracy Munroe, hipster vintage clothing fan and lover of old Humphrey Bogart movies, and her BFF and baker-extraordinaire Ralph, find a paper bag of money stashed under a dugout bench at the local baseball field. After they’re forced, under great duress, to accept the help of Tracy's younger brother Lester, aka Pig Face, the mystery of how the money got to be there, w ...more

This is a fun MG mystery with a colourful cast of characters.
When Tracy discover a bag filled with money at the baseball dugout, she and her friend, Ralph, and little brother Lester (aka Pig Face) decide to solve the mystery of where the money came from, and find the owner, by themselves. The result is a comical story with misunderstandings, secrets, and a few dead ends along the way.
When Tracy discover a bag filled with money at the baseball dugout, she and her friend, Ralph, and little brother Lester (aka Pig Face) decide to solve the mystery of where the money came from, and find the owner, by themselves. The result is a comical story with misunderstandings, secrets, and a few dead ends along the way.

A fun middle-grade read -- loved it! Mystery, friendship, and humour. (Lester's older-than-his-years voice cracked me up!) Looking forward to sharing this one with my nieces. :)
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What an absolutely wonderful middle grades novel. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one aloud with my daughter. I can't wait to see what this author comes up with next!
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Wow. What an incredible read. It was like I was reliving my childhood! I highly recommend this book for readers of all ages. I loved following Tracy Monroe on her journey to do the right thing, develop friendships and grow closer to her family. Having spent many summers and holidays in St. Stephen and St. Andrews, it was enjoyable to recognize places while reading so I could picture myself as the protagonist. Great job, Wendy!

To say that Tracy Munroe doesn’t enjoy her brother Lester’s company is putting it mildly. It doesn’t help that he is “a mucus making machine”! She returns from two weeks away on a family vacation wanting to get away from her brother and find a way to make the rest of the summer exciting in her quiet town of St. Stephens. She finds that her best friend Ralph seems to be keeping something from her, a cute boy is now in their neighborhood for the summer (whom Ralph does not like), and she wants thi
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Loved this book. Funny, sweet and a good mystery to boot. I found myself disappointed the story was ending and wanted more. The only thing I disagreed with Tracy Munroe about, was that I adored Pig Face, her little brother. I'd love to see more of St. Stephen and look forward to future works from this author. Highly recommend!
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My 9- and 11-year-old daughters could not get enough of It's a Mystery, Pig Face! In fact, the book I preordered for myself went missing - only to surface in the tight grasp of my very own "Tracy" (she asked me to video her reading it aloud). The story reminded me so much of my own childhood, of running around the neighborhood all summer, secret hang outs, first crushes, best friendships, annoying siblings (although in my case, I was Pig Face - ha!). What endeared me most was the way MacKnight d
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I was so lucky to get to read this book before it came out. I fell in love with Tracy and Ralph from the start. It took me back to the days of my childhood, when summer was full of adventure and friends, and mistakes that were certainly the end of the world. I am dying for a bite of Ralph's famous brownies, and I for real need to visit St. Stephens that sounds like such a wonderful place.
I have no doubt kids will gobble this book up as fast of Tracy and Pig-face gobbled up Ralph's brownies. MacK ...more
I have no doubt kids will gobble this book up as fast of Tracy and Pig-face gobbled up Ralph's brownies. MacK ...more
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Wendy McLeod MacKnight lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, and wrote her debut novel at age nine. During her first career, she worked for the Government of New Brunswick, as the Deputy Minister of Education among other positions. She has been known to wander art galleries and have spirited conversations with the paintings – mostly in her head, though sometimes not. She hopes readers will
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“Maybe Jasmine was right. Maybe I did always think I was right and want things my own way. That was going to stop right now. I couldn't change the past, but I could change the future, and I could change me. And to do that, I had to put Lester first.”
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“What Ralph didn't get, and I knew too well, was that Pig Face was like glue. In the beginning it seems like he's just a harmless glue stick, something you can wash off easily with soap and water. Then he turns out to be crazy glue - you're stuck with him forever.”
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