Summary and Reviews of Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos

Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos

Joey Pigza Loses Control

by Jack Gantos
  • Critics' Consensus (3):
  • Readers' Rating (33):
  • First Published:
  • Sep 1, 2000, 208 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Mar 2002, 208 pages
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About This Book

Book Summary

As if Joey didn't get into enough trouble in his unforgettable debut, Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key(1998), Gantos has him wig out again in this sad, scary, blackly funny sequel....   A tragic tale in many ways, but a triumph too. (Ages 11 and up)

When Joey Pigza meets his dad, Carter, for the first time in years, he meets a grownup version of his old hyperactive self -- the way he was before his stint in special ed, the way he was before he got his new meds.

"He was wired, No doubt about it . . . , Now I knew what Mom meant when she said he was like me, only bigger."

During their summer visit together, Carter is eager to make up to his son for past wrongs. He wants to teach Joey how to be a winner. He wants to show Joey how to take control of his own life. And Joey is willing to do whatever his dad says, even though -- in this high-energy sequel to the acclaimed Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key -- he fears it will do him more harm than good.

"All I could imagine was the worst part of me getting or a train a long ways off.  That old Joey was coming to get me and I couldn't do anything about it . . . There was nothing to do but wait, and worry."

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Reviews

Media Reviews

Kirkus
As if Joey didn't get into enough trouble in his unforgettable debut, Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key (1998), Gantos has him wig out again in this sad, scary, blackly funny sequel.... A tragic tale in many ways, but a triumph too. (Ages 11-13)

Publishers Weekly
Like its predecessor (Joey Pigza Swallowed The Key), this high-voltage, honest novel mixes humor, pain, fear and courage with deceptive ease. Struggling to please everyone even as he sees himself hurtling toward disaster, Joey emerges as a sympathetic hero, and his heart of gold never loses its shine. Ages 10-up

School Library Journal
Readers will be drawn in immediately to the boy's gripping first-person narrative and be pulled pell-mell through episodes that are at once hilarious, harrowing, and ultimately heartening as Joey grows to understand himself and the people around him. The ride home isn't smooth, but it is hopeful and loving. Does this mean that he is on the way to a happy, "normal" life? Grades 4-8.

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Read-Alikes

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