Capture the piggy

Interstellar Pig by William Sleator

Sleator, William. 1984. Interstellar pig. New York, N.Y.: E.P. Dutton. 0525440984.

Annotation:
Barney’s boring beach vacation turns exciting when three exotic strangers move into the cottage next door and teach him to play the space role playing game Interstellar Pig.

Awards:
California Young Reader Medal, Young Adult, 1985
ALA Notable Children's Books, 1985
Kirkus Reviews *Starred Review* (5-15-1984)

The game of Interstellar Pig is played on an amazing board showing outer space. Stars glitter on its darkest-black background. Unusual planets seem to hover in 3-D relief. Choose a character card and you might become a reptilian man from the planet Ja-Ja-Bee with an intelligent parasitic slug-tongue, or some semi-sapient lichen from Mbridlengile who devour everything in their path. The goal is to capture the Piggy card or your home planet blows up at the end of the game.

While on a boring beach vacation with his parents, Barney learns this game from three strangers staying at the cottage next door. Why do they seem to look different to whoever is looking at them and talk like they’re using a thesaurus? Why are they so interested in looking around the place where Barney is staying? A house formerly occupied by an insane sailor who strangled a shipwreck survivor because he thought the man turned into the devil. Why are they so obsessed with playing Interstellar Pig and what will happen now that Barney is involved in their game?

Book cover image from WorldCat

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