Joey Pigza Loses Control

February 25, 2002

In a starred review, PW
said, "Like its predecessor, Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, this high-voltage, honest novel mixes humor, pain, fear and courage with deceptive ease." Ages 10-up.

August 24, 2000
Gr 4-8-At the end of Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key (Farrar, 1998), this endearing, but incredibly challenging kid was adjusting to his new medicine patches for his ADHD. Now he is flung from the frying pan into the fire when he visits his father and grandmother for the summer. Both adults suffer from hyperactivity, which is further aggravated by their distorted senses of reality; his grandmother's deteriorating health and his father's drinking provide a perfect recipe for disaster. Joey's dad is an initially appealing mixture of high spirits, unpredictability, and good times. He instructs the boy on the essence of life through his interpretations of the characters at Storybook Land and the strategies he applies as a Little League coach. When Carter realizes his son's potential as a pitcher, though, not even his sensible girlfriend can control him. Deciding that Joey should be self-reliant, he flushes the patches down the toilet and turns him loose in downtown Pittsburgh for a day. As his father's behavior slides, Joey finds himself in the driver's seat of the car, as well as of his self-determination. 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? As Joey himself would say, "Can I get back to you on that?"-Starr LaTronica, Four County Library System, Vestal, NY

Copyright 2000 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 1, 2000
\deflang1033\pard\plain\f3\fs24 Gr. 4-7. Joey's life has improved since \plain\f3\fs24" Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key\plain\f3\fs24 (1998); patches containing his "good meds" control his hyperactivity, and though he would never be mistaken for a calm child (well illustrated by the incident when he accidentally pierces his dog's ear with a dart), he is usually able to stop and think before he gets into trouble. Joey isn't crazy about spending time with the father he has never met, but he hopes that his Dad "will love me." Carter Pigza is "wired" just like Joey, but the patch he wears is for nicotine, and he regularly peels it off to smoke. He likes to think deep thoughts while gazing at the Humpty Dumpty at the miniature golf course late at night, and he comes to the conclusion that both he and Joey need to do the manly thing and get rid of their patches. Joey remembers all too well how he felt before he got his medicine, but he tries hard to make his dad proud. In tremendously poignant scenes, he struggles valiantly to do what his mother has told him: think just one thought at a time. But as his medicine wears off, he gradually loses control. Gantos has given Joey a remarkably vivid personality, and, blending irrepressible humor with a powerful depiction of a child's longing for normalcy, he has written a dead-on portrayal of a young person assessing the often self-serving behavior of the adults who control his life. Few children these days don't know someone wrestling with ADHD; meeting up with Joey is a fine way to gain insight into the problems "hyper" children face. But the story is more than message. Ganto's skillful pacing, sly humor, and in-depth characterization make it a truly memorable read. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)