Customer Reviews

Joey Pigza Loses Control (Joey Pigza Books)

5 star:		(77)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Joey Pigza Swallowed a Key, and Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos  Joey Pigza is a kind but impulsive, inattentive boy, living with his divorced mother. In the first book, Joey is diagnosed with AD/HD. The author deals humorously and sympathetically with Joey's impulsivity and how it gets him in trouble in school and at home. Eventually Joey and his mother learn how to compensate through humor, educational strategies and medication.  The second book still retains some of the humor of the first, but deals with more serious issues. Joey's estranged father arranges to have Joey stay with him for the summer. The father clearly has ADHD symptoms similar to those of his son. Further, the father struggles with alcoholism and legal problems. During the summer, he makes Joey stop he medication. In his father Joey sees what he might have become. This second story deals with the very serious issues of custody disputes, parental disagreement about medication, alcoholism and its effect on a child with AD/HD. Some parents might want to read this book with their older elementary school and middle school children to explain some of these complex issues.  Carol E, Watkins, M.D. Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist

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

I love Joey Pigza! Joey is such an erratic, yet heartwarming, character that really has you on his side for the entire book. As Joey says himself, he's always had a certain way about him that gets people on his side. As a teacher of both general education and special education students, I have at least one student with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, just like Joey, every year. Never before have I felt so in touch with those students or empathize with their symptoms than I did while reading about Joey. Joey states plainly that he doesn't have many friends because most of the kids tease him. Joey also talks about his experiences in school and how about half the class wants him to get better and behave, and the other half eggs him on, so that he'll stop the teacher's lesson. This was a revelation for me. I had never made the connection that other students would encourage disruptive behaviors in class for less than pure motives and then turn around and ridicule these behaviors outside of school for being "weird". But it certainly fits the characteristics of the typical social interactions with such students. Joey's mom is such a patient and loving mother who just can't take Joey's antics and trouble that he gets into. Being a single mom, doesn't make matters better and when Joey is going to spend the summer with his loony dad and grandmother, things just get worse. Joey's dad is a HUGE disappointment throughout the book as he is given this momentous "second chance" with the son he left behind to begin a new life. He yells at Joey while he's playing baseball, he drinks in excess, and is very irresponsible with the role of parenting Joey. He cared more about Joey brushing his teeth than other essential needs for his son. Joey wants so desperately to have a father and son relationship with his dad or even just to hold a "back and forth" conversation. His dad fails him in so many ways you want to reach through the pages and shake the grown man silly. Other people in the book accept Joey for who he is, such as his grandmother, even though she has always had a problem with his hyperness. Leezy, his dad's girlfriend also takes a liking to Joey right off the bat. Joey's dog, Pablo, takes some abuse when Joey gets a little too excited or forgetful, but his love for Joey is apparent. In the end, Joey's mom comes to his rescue and Joey is whisked away from his dad. I was regretful that Joey couldn't make a dad want to change his ways and that Joey had to leave with many more failures. I look forward to reading more about Joey and hopefully good things start to happen to a well deserved boy.

During his summer, Joey Pigza goes to visit his dad who he hasn't visited in a very long time. His mother, no longer being married to him, does not trust Joey's father for he has had many addiction problems and was very childlike and immature. From his father, Joey inherited ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), which he has dealt with by using patches that supply him with his medications. When he visits his father though, his father doesn't believe in the patches and flushes them down the toilet. Here start the constant wacky events of Joey Pigza's summer with his father.
Joey is a lively and active boy. He is very creative and bright, but sometimes he can get out of control if he is not taking his medications. Throughout the book one might often feel compassion for Joey because he is suffering so much. The book teaches you what ADD can be like, and how much it can take over one's common sense. However, I did not like this book. At times it was very slow and boring. What I disliked most was how the author tried to make serious problems funny, when really they were not.


I would rate this book 1star out of 5.

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.

Joey Pigza is a pre-teenager and very active. Like his father, he suffers from ADD. He has lived with his mother for the past several years, and now is going to visit his father. His mother said his father was a bigger version of him. That's certainly true because his father is hyper too. Joey sees many new things, like his father favorite place, storybook land, and goes to buy his grandmother cigarettes, as well as seeing his father after he drinks beer in breakfast. Will Joey be able to fulfill his hopes and get his mother and father to be a family again?
Joey Pigza is a very touching book. It speaks of the everyday life of a boy my age, yet something in his life that I don't understand makes him hyper. His thoughts and beliefs are only of good cause, yet his body is crazy and does harmful things. This book touched me because I understood the feelings, but it was bad because just as much I didn't. But at some parts the book became boring and scary with nothing that spoke to me. I think this book would be good for people who like an eventful book. I would rate this book a 2 on a scale of 1-5.

Yonadav

** rating

I enjoyed reading this book because it was in this time zone and could happen to any kid if you think about it. I also enjoyed that he joined a baseball team and when he went golfing with his Grandma because that showed some action. Joey and his dad kind of get along and since this book can represent some kids they might have the same issue with their mom or dad.

It was really interesting to read how some kids, like Joey, could go through things like getting yelled at or having to take meds. Some books provide a lot of information about kids like me and now I can picture what some other kids go through.

I myself liked the part when Joey left his dog Pablo in the car and just forgot about him. I mean, come on, how realistic is that? So many people are forgetting things now that it's a good thing that we don't have body pieces to put together in the morning. I have forgotten my homework before, my glasses, my lunchbox, and many other things, but I will start to keep better track of my stuff.

My favorite part was when Joey put a dart through Pablo's ear and then decided to put an earring in that hole. That was very funny. I have accidents all of the time but throwing darts around just got me on the floor.

Well, that is pretty much why I enjoyed this book, but I must warn you that if you are more into futuristic books or history books then you might not like this one. But those of you who are more into present time then you have found a great book.

I had to read this book in school. It was almost like beeing eaten by a band of killer roaches having to read it. It is a story about a boy who goes to see his father. He lives with his mother.His parents are divorced. He is a hyper-active kid who has no common sense whatsoever. His dad is an idiot. Plus he has a little dog that gets carsick and throws up everyware. I wouldn't think that any normal person would want to read about that. If you have to read this book run far, far, far away as fast as you can.

Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos is a hilarious book about a boy, Joey who suffers from ADHD. He spends six weeks of the summer with his recovering alcoholic father in Pittsburgh. The characters in this story are very unique as well as very believable. The dialogue between Joey's dad and him are very realistic. It provides insight to the characters. Just like any child with divorced parents, Joey would love to have his parents together again. As he states to his dad, "you know I can't help you get back together with Mom if you drink." The big question in this story is will Joey ever recover from his illness and what is going to happen on his summer trip with his dad? Reading this book made me actually picture what Joey was doing when he was acting crazy. It gives you visual images. For example, I laughed so hard when he put shaving cream all over his body. "I took off all my clothes except for my underwear and began to shake the can and spray foam all over my body. I started with my legs and inched my way up bit by bit and by the time I sprayed a big swirly beehive of foam on top of my head I didn't look anything like the tape cover. Instead, I looked like the abominable snowman." Reading this book really pulled me in to the story. Between the setting, characters, and dialogue, I felt like I was Joey playing baseball and touring Pittsburgh!
I feel that this book would be perfect for adolescent kids as well as adults. Adults will think it is hilarious as I did and kids will like it because it is about a boy their age. Some kids will like it even more because they will be able to relate to Joey. Kids with ADHD, divorced parents, sports fans, and alcoholic parents will know exactly what Joey is talking about. I would have this book in my library where students can choose it for SSR or DEAR. Also, I think because of the silliness of it, I would read it aloud to the kids a couple chapters a day. It is a great book that will put students in a great mood.

In the book "Joey Pigza Loses Controll" by Jack Gantos, Joey is forced to live with his dad for the summer. Joey tries to love his dad, but with his big mouth, it seems that Joey never gets to say anything! If you think that's bad, you probably havent met Joey's scary Grandmother, who lives with Mr.Pigza. When Joey was little, she used to lock Joey in a refrigerator! Joey has a problem with being hyper, and Joey's dad flushes his medicated patches down the toilet, while he tells Joey he needs to become a "real man". This definatly does not help Joey. At least Joey is smart enough to know that he has to call his mom to pick him up, SOON, before something worse happens!
I think this book is very good. Once you start reading it, you will never stop thinking about Joey. I hope there are going to be more Joey Pigza Books!