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Liberty

Darcy Pattison (Goodreads Author)

4.25 · Rating details · 24 ratings · 13 reviews

LIBERTY - A ROUSING TALE OF DANGER ON THE HIGH SEAS

When Santiago is thrust into the farm's pigsty, Penelope is captivated by Santiago Talbert's boast, -I plan to sail the Seven Seas.- Together, these extraordinary pigs escape the farm and cross into the land of Liberty, a parallel world where an intelligent human or animal can get ahead. They follow their dream to Bost ...more

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Hardcover, 220 pages

Published July 19th 2016 by Mims House

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Average rating 4.25 ·

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· 24 ratings · 13 reviews

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Jun 29, 2016 Megalion rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ypub-july-2016, pub-mims-house, childrens, genre-adventure, theme-sentient-animals, netgalley

This is a fun read for kids along the lines of the Redwall or Rescuers series.

There's very little violence. The only one that comes to mind that might be disturbing for young children is the scene where a dog kills 3 kits. But it's not out of place. A fact of nature instance needed to drive home the point the dangers of the "wider world".

Works either as a read aloud to those who can't read at this level yet or for any kids who do.

Thank you to the publisher for the advance readers review copy o ...more

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Dec 02, 2017 Angie Quantrell rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: chapter-books

I was totally surprised to find out the main characters were pigs! Loved it! This story was full of twists and turns and unexpected events. Pigs? As mapmaker and working on ships? I found it very interesting that talking animals and humans came together in this tale of high adventure. Fun! Love the character names and mixing of farm, city, and pirate life.

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Jun 01, 2016 Laura rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Darcy Pattison’s newest children’s fiction book, Liberty takes place in a fantasy world. Once the characters cross over into a land called Liberty, man and animal understand and work with each other. The animals become humanlike as they use utensils to eat, wear human clothing and have to work to earn money to pay for life’s necessities.

The novel starts out in a barn yard with the arrival of a new pig. SanitagoTalbert is unlike any pig Penelope pig has ever seen. He is a proud Berkshire pig with Darcy Pattison’s newest children’s fiction book, Liberty takes place in a fantasy world. Once the characters cross over into a land called Liberty, man and animal understand and work with each other. The animals become humanlike as they use utensils to eat, wear human clothing and have to work to earn money to pay for life’s necessities.

The novel starts out in a barn yard with the arrival of a new pig. SanitagoTalbert is unlike any pig Penelope pig has ever seen. He is a proud Berkshire pig with grand thoughts of breaking out of the pen he lives in to escape to Liberty. With plans to sail the seven seas, he convinces Penelope that life is more than living in a pen. Her life will be spent having litter after litter of piglets who will all be sold for bacon until she is too old. Then she will be taken away too.

Penelope soon realizes that she wants more than living in the farmer’s pen, so she plans to leave with Sanitago. Liberty is far from the farm, but with her mother’s blessing, Penelope and Santiago escape and begin their adventure.

Their travels and adventures are full of dangerous characters. The newly freed pigs need to find out who they can trust and who is dangerous in their brave new world. They have to race for their lives when an evil captain tries to capture them. They’ve found out his secret and he is willing to do anything to keep them quiet.

Pattison creates an interesting setting, reminiscent of colonial America for the pig’s adventures. The characters come alive with her words. I felt sorry for Penelope when she tried to climb the rigging in the ship but had too much trouble since she had hooves instead of hands. It is interesting to see how Penelope and Santiago learn to adapt to get the job done.

The ongoing thread of kindness and generosity is woven throughout this manuscript. The pigs are kind to everyone they meet, often putting themselves in danger to help another animal out of trouble. Their kindness is paid back one hundredfold, but they truly are goodhearted and would have helped others without repayment.

Liberty was a fast-paced work of juvenile fiction. Due to the length, I would suggest 3rd to 4th grade school students might enjoy it more than first or second graders. It could be read to them by an adult at home, teacher at school or a caregiver. There are a few scary parts for younger children, but nothing that would give them nightmares, especially if read to them by an adult.

Darcy Pattison is an award winning of fiction and non-fiction children’s books. Liberty will be available at your local bookstore, Barnes and Nobel and Amazon on July 19, 2016. Pre-order now!

Copyright © 2016 Laura Hartman

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from NetGalley that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.

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Jun 11, 2016 Andrex rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Transport yourself to the farmyard of Farmer MacDonald. A wagon has arrived and is backing up to the pigsty. Penelope Grace, a Hampshire and yearling pig, is wondering what lies beyond the farm. She remembers seeing this cart last year and her siblings being loaded on it never to return. Would the new litter of piglets be going on it? This time, no! Instead out comes Santiago Talbert, a Berkshire boar, who declares that he is not staying long but instead planning on sailing the Seven Seas. Havin Transport yourself to the farmyard of Farmer MacDonald. A wagon has arrived and is backing up to the pigsty. Penelope Grace, a Hampshire and yearling pig, is wondering what lies beyond the farm. She remembers seeing this cart last year and her siblings being loaded on it never to return. Would the new litter of piglets be going on it? This time, no! Instead out comes Santiago Talbert, a Berkshire boar, who declares that he is not staying long but instead planning on sailing the Seven Seas. Having grown up listening to Mrs. MacDonald reading poetry about the high seas, Penelope asks Santiago if he will take her with him. Love-at-first-sight for both of them! The question is, how will they escape?

Written for the younger crowd (8-14) this book is very realistic in that the pigs knew absolutely nothing about foraging, eating grass, sailing etc. To realize their dream was going to involve a lot of time and hard work. It did not happen overnight! One of Penelope's mottos is "How you treat others is more important than having adventures". Several other good messages throughout the book.

Crossing the Mississippi into a parallel world called Liberty all the animals can communicate with each other and humans. What did the pigs learn from old Mr. Crabtree, the raccoon? Penelope is a collector and has a fascination with sea serpents. Why does Captain Kingsley (a polar bear) want a certain map with sea serpents on, of which there are three fake and one real, and is determined to sail the seas to find them all? Known as the Ice King what else has Captain Kingsley stored in his ice houses? What is his BIG secret? Can the pigs discover the truth? Who is Dickens?

Not very familiar with world geography? If you are reading this aloud to your children have a map close by to help them "see" all the places and routes that are sailed. If your child is reading this book by themselves encourage them to also have a map nearby. A GREAT way to learn geography through reading fiction.

At one point Captain Kingsley is drinking and "unsteady on his feet". This 'scene' is tastefully done and realistic but I just wanted parents to be aware of the content. The book is well-written, language is clean, writing is descriptive, characters alive. I only found one error on page 30 where is says ".... struggled to breath...." when it should be "struggled to breathe".

Book was provided in exchange for an honest review. Thanks, Liz ...more

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Jul 28, 2016 Anny Rusk rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Liberty is an engaging, original, soulful tale. (Fans of E. B. White stories such as Charlotte's Web and Trumpet of the Swan run to buy this book.)

Penelope and Santiago are the pig protagonists of Liberty. Preferring to be sailors instead of bacon, they escape Farmer MacDonald's pigsty and set out to find Liberty, a parallel world where intelligent animals and humans are considered equals.

Leaving the pigsty turns out to be the easy part. While searching for Liberty, the pair must learn to forage ...more

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Aug 10, 2016 Olivia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: giveaways-goodreads

"Liberty" is a delightful middle grade novel about freedom, doing the "right thing," and adventure. Penelope is a pig on MacDonald's farm with her parents and their new piglets. For some reason, she was kept while the rest of her litter was taken away. This becomes clear when a new pig, Santiago, arrives on the farm. Santiago dreams big- he wants to sail around the world. Penelope agrees with him, as it is certainly better than breeding or becoming bacon. They hatch a plan to escape and do, gett ...more

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Jul 31, 2016 Robyn rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

WOW. Ms. Pattison's Liberty engages from page one. Strong sentences and vivid language make this book stand out from the rest. Her characters are rich and fully complement each other. We're told that we must make our animal characters childlike. She has scored an A+ with that one. My favorite character is Santiago. I mean, who doesn't want to be a sailor when you're young? The plot is filled with tension and conflict as Santiago and Penelope search for Liberty. They run into treacherous characte ...more

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Jun 24, 2016 Victoria Lees rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The trials and tribulations of those who wish to go to sea.
Liberty by Darcy Pattison is a middle grade adventure story on the high seas. Pattison mixes the animal and human worlds in Liberty, a magical place where intelligence rules and discovery of secrets can be found.

The protagonists in this story are Penelope and Santiago, a pair of curious and intelligent pigs. They find the courage to leave behind what they know, their pig sty, their home, to seek the “wider world” and the ocean, to beco ...more

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Aug 01, 2016 Cynthia Reeg rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

In an enchanting tale of adventurous pigs, meet Penelope and Santiago. The two young pigs yearn for excitement and dream of sailing the high seas. Together they set out, facing numerous trials before venturing into a parallel world where animals live much like humans. They achieve their quest for navigating the waters and encounter both friends and foes. Ultimately, they risk their own lives in defense of innocent creatures, proving themselves valiant pigs indeed. This imaginative glimpse into a ...more

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Aug 08, 2016 Diane Nichol rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Liberty is an original and exciting middle grade fantasy adventure with a great heart. The story of Penelope and Santiago, two pigs who escape from the farm to follow their dream to become sailors, would make a great read-aloud. Or a read-by-yourself book for a child who would love the adventure and quirky animal characters of Redwall, but isn't quite ready for that intensity or reading level. In addition to the delightfully drawn characters, and the non-stop adventure, I was really charmed by t ...more

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Aug 05, 2016 Quinn Cole rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Another terrific work from Darcy Pattison, Liberty delivers pirates, pigs, selfless heroics, animal villains and high seas adventures! What more could kids and their parents want? Fun, satisfying and definitely piggy! Enjoy!

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Nov 03, 2016 Theresa Upshur rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016

This book has the feel of Charlotte's Web but with more adventure, more teeth. Great for those who like classics. Middle Grade ...more

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Jul 31, 2016 Delphine Durst rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Fast-paced and funny, this middle grader book will delight any fan of animals and adventures!

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About Darcy Pattison

Darcy Pattison

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DARCY PATTISON (www.darcypattison.com) is published in ten languages.

Children’s book author Darcy Pattison writes award-winning fiction and non-fiction books for children. Her works have received starred PW, Kirkus, and BCCB reviews. Awards include the Irma Black Honor award, five NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books, Eureka! Nonfiction Honor book, Junior Library Guild selections, and NCTE Notabl ...more