First published 2010
Leroy Ninker has big cowboy dreams but makes his living as a petty thief. Tonight he creeps into the Watson family kitchen, searching for valuables to steal. What Leroy doesn't know is that Mercy Watson, the household pig with an enormous appetite for buttered toast, is sleeping nearby. When Mercy stirs from her slumber, she sets off a chain of mishaps that transforms Leroy's simple burglary into pure chaos. Nosy neighbors peer through windows. Bewildered firemen race to the scene. A confused policeman tries to sort out the mess. The devoted Watson family finds themselves in the middle of an uproarious disaster. As events spiral wildly out of control, the small-time criminal Leroy gets swept up in exactly the kind of wild rodeo adventure he always imagined. This comedy of errors brings together an unlikely cast of characters for a night none of them will forget.
Genres: fiction, contemporary, comedy
Vibes: comedic, fast-paced, whimsical
Tropes: chaos, comedy-of-errors, unlikely-hero
80 pages · Paperback · Candlewick Press