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by Jack Gantos
The fifth and final book in the groundbreaking Joey Pigza series brings the beloved chronicle of this wired, wacky, and wonderful boy to a crescendo of chaos and craziness, as everything goes topsy-turvy for Joey just as he starts to get his feet on the ground. With his dad MIA in the wake of appearance-altering plastic surgery, Joey must give up school to look after his new baby brother and fill in for his mom, who hospitalizes herself to deal with a bad case of postpartum blues. As his challenges mount, Joey discovers a key that could unlock the secrets to his father's whereabouts, a mystery that must be solved before Joey can even hope that his broken family might somehow come back together—if only it doesn't pull him apart first.
"Starred Review. Though warm-hearted Joey demonstrates tremendous growth and maturity, it's uncertain he'll ever be able to overcome his childhood. Ages 10–14." - Publishers Weekly
"Starred Review. The conclusion to Gantos' beloved and much-lauded series is big news, and Joey's fans of all ages will want to grab their copies as soon as possible." - Booklist
"Starred Review. Joey takes on his toughest set of challenges yet in this heart-rending, triumphant series finale...? Dark, funny and pawzzz-i-tively brilliant." - Kirkus Reviews
This information about The Key That Swallowed Joey Pigza was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Jack Gantos has written books for people of all ages, from picture books and middle-grade fiction to novels for young adults and adults. His works include Hole in My Life, a memoir that won the Michael L. Printz and Robert F. Sibert Honors, Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, a National Book Award Finalist, and Joey Pigza Loses Control, a Newbery Honor book.
Jack was born in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, and grew up in nearby Norvelt. When he was seven, his family moved to Barbados. He attended British schools, where there was much emphasis on reading and writing, and teachers made learning a lot of fun. When the family moved to south Florida, he found his new classmates uninterested in their studies, and his teachers spent most of their time disciplining students. Jack retreated to an ...
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Link to Jack Gantos's Website
Name Pronunciation
Jack Gantos: gan-tose (to quote the author, the second syllable rhymes with verbose)
When men are not regretting that life is so short, they are doing something to kill time.
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