Nanny Piggins and the Origin Story by R.A. Spratt

Title: Nanny Piggins and the Origin Story

Author: R.A. Spratt

Genre: Humour

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 15^th October 2024

Format: Paperback

Pages: 288

Price: $16.99

Synopsis: Charming, funny and absurdly good – find out where it all began in the prequel to The Adventures of Nanny Piggins.

PREPARE YOURSELF FOR THE GREATEST STORY ABOUT A FARMYARD ANIMAL EVER TOLD.

When Mother Piggins leaves the family sty for a job on a yacht, the Piggins piglets are faced with two options: fend for themselves . . . or become bacon sandwiches.

Luckily, Sarah Piggins is no ordinary piglet.

An amazing lemon meringue pie makes Sarah the most sought-after baker in the region, and their future is looking up. But when her no-good siblings sell all the cakes to visit the local circus without her, Sarah is forced to use all her agility and cunning to punish them. Her spectacular feat captures the eye of the world’s most despicable ringmaster, and Sarah’s fate – and that of the circus crew – is changed forever . . .

Discover the side-splitting story that inspired a phenomenon with the prequel to The Adventures of Nanny Piggins. Hear Nanny Piggins’ stories, and more, on the hit podcast with over 5 million downloads Bedtime Stories with R.A. Spratt.

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Every hero has an origin story that tells us how they got to where they were when we first meet them. Superman, Spiderman, every superhero you can think of, and every character you’ve met on TV as well. But I’ll bet you never knew that the effervescent Nanny Piggins has a very interesting origin story, from the sty she was born in with thirteen identical fourteenulpet sisters, who are evil in varying degrees, and then there’s Bramwell – the very forgettable brother. He’s kind of useless and easy to forget. And maybe a bit of a troublemaker. This story isn’t about them, though. It’s about their fabulously brave and very good, chocolate loving sister, Sarah, the star of the Nanny Piggins series and stories in various anthologies.

Sarah is just a piglet when her mother leaves her and her siblings for a job on a yacht, and the Piggins piglets are left to decide whether to fend for themselves or become bacon sandwiches. It’s a perfect lemon meringue pie that catapults Sarah into celebrity as a sought-after baker…until her siblings steal the money they got from the cakes and head to the circus. Sarah’s real story begins here as she’s captured and forced into becoming part of the circus. Will she escape and become the beloved Nanny Piggins we know and love? Read on, and find out!

Having only read a few Nanny Piggins short stories so far, this book caught my attention, and I was drawn further into the story of Sarah Piggins, and how she became the nanny to the Green children. It’s filled with the humour we know and love from Nanny Piggins and her superstar creator, R.A. Spratt, and her antics are epic. Her determination to escape the circus and forge her own path forms the basis of this wonderful novel for younger readers. Whilst it is an origin story, many people will be reading this after having read other Nanny Piggins stories. I’m yet to read the novels, but love the way it leads into the first novel, so if you have read the books, it ties it all together nicely. And if you’re meeting Nanny Piggins for the first time here, it leads into the series in a tantalising way.

Nanny Piggins and the Origin Story is the ultimate Nanny Piggins book, and I can see where she gets all her stories from. Her love – or should I say worship – of chocolate is portrayed wonderfully. This fun read is one for all ages, because there will be something magical in it for all readers. I loved it and think it will be gobbled up by Nanny Piggins fans as well.