Joey Pigza Loses Control

by Jack Gantos

Book Overview

The sequel to Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, a National Book Award Finalist.

When Joey Pigza meets his dad for the first time in years, he meets a grown-up version of his old out-of-control self. Carter Pigza is as wired as Joey used to be -- before his stint in special ed, and before he got his new meds.

Joey's mom reluctantly agrees that he can stay with his dad for a summer visit, which sends Joey racing with sky-high hopes...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374399891
• ISBN13: 9780374399894
• Release Date: September 2000
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 10 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 9

Customer Reviews

It's a bit... Weird

Okay, I read this a few years ago as a fourteen-year-old and it kind of weirded me out a little. I really enjoyed some parts of the book, and it did open my eyes to some things I hadn't thought of before, but for the most part it was kind of just uncomfortable to read. Gave me a weird vibe if you know what I mean.

A must read

I just finished Jack Gantos's book Joey Pigza Loses Control and it was really good. Joey wanted to go to Story Book Land and when he got there he really didn't like Story Book Land because to him the characters were scary. I liked the book because it shows how the boy handled his dad's anger when Joey did nothing to offend his dad in any way. I would not like to be Joey in the story because I would have too many problems. If you like problem books try this book.

A exllent book

Joey Pigza loses control by Jack Gantos is the most funniest book I have ever read.Joey goes to his dad's house for the summer and gets puts on the baseball team. Paubla is Joey's funny dog. Paubla gets his ear peerecd by Joey when he throws a dart.His mom says Joey is smaller verision of his dad.Scince there both suffering from ADHD[ attention,defict,hiper,disorder]. Joey pushes his grandma to place to place in a shoping buggy. If you want to know mmore about Joey Pigza and his family you have to read it.

A LAUGH RIOT WITH HEART AND SOUL

What are a boy and his dog to do during summer vacation? If you were to ask Joey Pigza, the protagonist in this riotous sequel to Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key (Farrar Straus Giroux, 1998), my guess is that he'd respond with a vociferous "CAN I GET BACK TO YOU ON THAT?" Joey Pigza's an affable kid with ADHD who's wired, struggling to navigate his way through adolescence. His meds are finally working, but when Joey heads to his father's house for the summer, his self-command unravels. As Joey's father endeavors to rebuild a father-son relationship, he sacrifices what's best for his son. Off his meds and lost in the battle his father wages for custody, Joey loses control. Bouncing off the walls of his young existence, Joey discovers that life with his loving mother is the remedy for his summer chaos. Joey Pigza is a character as appealing, vibrant, and colossal as Jerry Spinelli's Maniac Magee, and Jack Gantos' text explodes with intensity as his terse, manic style creates an urgency that perfectly manifests Joey's audacious disposition. The plot, which follows Joey through his frenzied summer escapades back to the reassuring safety of his mother's arms, is a well-structured and satisfying laugh riot that engages from page one. Few readers will close the cover on this sequel without clamoring for further adventures from Joey. Resonating with humor and poignancy, this novel offers readers an intimate glimpse into the lives of those who struggle with ADHD.

An eye-opener

Joey, thrust into the frenetic world of his father for a summer, learns first-hand that he is NOT a smaller version of his irresponsible and out-of-control dad, with whom he shares the malady of ADHD and who is additionally an alcoholic. Joey must once again deal with Grandma, spending his emergency money to buy her cigarettes while she sucks oxygen to alleviate the symptoms of emphysema. This harsh environment becomes impossible to cope with when Dad flushes Joey's medication down the toilet and urges him to go cold turkey and behave like a man, while Dad self-medicates with beer for breakfast. Joey's courage and ability to make wise decisions ultimately offers some hope that he will be able to overcome his challenges and his bleak family history.

Mustread for this age group

The "good meds" that Joey Pigza takes has calmed down the youngster considerably, but he worries when his mom drives to meet his dad for the first time in several years. His mom is even more nervous because she knows that her son's dad Carter is a bigger version of Joey without the medicine. Joey also is worried because he wants his dad to like him so they can be more like a real father and son. Over the next six weeks, Carter proves to be much more complex than Joey's wife described or the way the lad dreamed his dad would act. Carter's lessons in life reinforce his behavior leading to the tossing of Joey's medicine down the toilet while insisting real men tough out their problems without external aids. Although Joey knows what happens without the "good meds", he decides to "tough" it out even as his own behavior begins to spin out of control. JOEY PIGZA LOSES CONTROL, the sequel to the great JOEY PIGZA SWALLOWS HIS KEY, is a tremendous dark tale aimed at middle schoolers, but should be prime reading for grown-ups. The story line cleverly plays at two levels. The interesting plot engages young readers as they cheer for Joey to survive to balance his out of control universe. The tale also targets adults to understand that we serve as role models that our children will one day emulate. Readers of all ages who wire into Jack Gantos will know they have read some of the most poignant drama available. Harriet KlaUSNER