Biographical Data (audio book):
Gantos, Jack. (2000). Joey Pigza Loses Control. New York : Farrar. ISBN 0374399891
Brief Plot Summary:
Joey is going to spend six weeks of his summer in Pittsburgh with his father, Carter. Joey's mother is reluctant, but she agrees because Joey is doing better now that he's on the patch - his new medication for his ADHD- and she hopes Joey can have a relationship with his father. She allows Joey to go giving him emergency money and plenty of quarters to call her whenever he wants to. Joey is excited about spending time with his father, but a part of him is concerned about how things will go. In the past, Carter was an alcoholic, but he's claimed to have turned his life around and wants to spend some time with his son. Initially, things go well with the exception of his father doing all the talking and his cigarette-smoking grandmother being a bit bossy, but things take a turn for the worse when Carter starts drinking and decides that he can be a father to Joey by taking him off his medication. Within days the "old Joey" returns leaving a wake in his path.
Critical Analysis:
Young readers will relate to Joey because he is a kid from a divorced family who takes medication for his ADHD and just wants a relationship with his father. He is funny, smart, and pleases everyone at the expense of himself. The plot is believable in that Joey is spending time with his estranged father who has stopped drinking, found a job, and sought visitation rights. Together they bond over visits to Storybook Land, baseball, and bungee jumping - all of which add to the contemporary setting of the novel. But tensions start to grow as Carter begins to drink and escalates to Joey running away to call his mom to come get him. Jack Gantos does a fabulous job of capturing Joey's lively personality through descriptive diction ("...I was hiding inside his shadow like a drop inside an ocean...") and actions (accidentally piercing Pablo's ear while playing darts). All these elements converge round the topic of identity. Joey desperately wants to be normal, even pretends to be a mannequin in the mall in order to be perfect. He realizes that he is normal, and his medication helps him.
Awards:
Newbery Honor Book, 2001
Review:
Like its predecessor, 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. (Sept.) -- Publisher's Weekly (Sept. 2000).
Connections:
- Write a poem for two voices where the "two Joey's" have a conversation. This idea is taken from a teaching guide available at: http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/collateral.jsp?id=841
- Pair with Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, when Gantos first introduced Joey.
- This novel may spark conversations about divorce, special needs, medication, special education, alcoholism, and baseball.
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