Joey Pigza Loses Control

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Summary: Joey Pigza Loses Control
Review: Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos is a funny book. Joey has suffers from ADD. Over the summer he spends six weeks in pittsburgh with his father who is recovering from being an alcoholic. This story pertains to many lives and is very realistic. Joey is just like any typical boy with divorced parents. He states things like "I cant help you get back together with mom if you drink." As while reading this book questions are asked like how will Joey recover from his illness, and what will happen in the summer with his dad. Which most people would be thinking a dad who is an alcoholic has a child with ADD and you wonder how his dad is going to take care of Joey. Many of the things in the story that Joey does makes you laugh, especially when joey starts shaving himself, all over his body. This book is a good attention getter for the reader because when things are funny it makes you want to read on. And many of the readers who read this book can relate to the characters beacuse there are many divorced parents who live far away, there is also some divorced parents are alcoholics becuase there upset, therefore people can relate in many ways.

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Summary: Joey Pigza Loses Control
Review: Derek
The main character is Joey Pigza. Joey is on his way to spend his summer vacation with his dad that he hasn't seen in years. When Joey gets stressed out, he has patches that make him calm down. His dad discovers that Joey likes baseball and takes him to practice for his dad's team. His dad comes home from work one day and saw Joey throwing some rocks and asks him if he will pitch on his team. Then his dad convinces him to stop wearing his patch. After the first game, Joey meets his dad's girlfriend Leezy.
Joey's team was in the championship. It was finally the big day and Joey was a little jumpy without his patch. The game started and it was going good. It was 2 to1 in the 3rd inning and Joey's team was winning. Joey was up and he got hit in the head. After they were up Joey started hitting people and started losing control. His dad kept yelling at him and Joey ran to the outfield and hopped over the fence. Joey called his mom and asked her to come and pick him up. I recommend this book to kids my age or kids who like baseball. If I had to rate this book 1 to 5 I would give it a 5.
Jack Gantos wrote Joey Pigza, he was born in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania. In the first grade Jack was in the Bluebird reading group, which he found out was for slow readers. His favorite game at that time was pretending that his clothes were on fire and rolling down a hill to save himself. When he was seven, his family moved to Barbados. He went to a British school. Then, he moved to South Florida. He didn't like his classmates there so he spent most of his time reading. In sixth grade jack got a diary and started writing. He decided to be a writer in high school, but didn't publish his first book until college, in 1976. This was the beginning of Jack's career as a professional writer.

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Summary: Joeys out of control
Review: The beginning of this book wasn't really what I had expected. For my scale one to five, I would recommend this book as a two. I really liked the character Joey but I guess the story was just what I didn't like.
Joey Pigza Loses Control. Is about a boy, Joey, whose father forces him to get off his ADHD meds. Being to hyper, he can't focus without them, and goes out of control. Joey lives in a house with just his mom and the dog Pablo. He doesn't visit his father too often. So for the first summer, Joey wants to see his dad. Mom doesn't like the idea. "Your dad is too much like you, but only bigger", Joey's mom says. If you read you'll find out how Joey loses control.
I would recommend this book to anyone. See if you may like the story. I would have to say there wasn't a smile on my face for too long. Joey's dad may need help. He thinks he can think straight and start his life over, but really it seems like he doesn't think at all. To tell you the truth, I wouldn't have left poor Joey at his dad's house for so long.

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Summary: Mindy Costenbader
Review: 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.

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Summary: Online book review for KU
Review: The book Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos is a good book for children and adults to read. This story is about a boy, named Joey who has Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). His parents are divorced and he doesn't know his father so he convinces his mother to allow him to spend time with him. This book has an interesting point of view. Joey tells the story from his view, and how he deals with ADD. The story describes his life and specific events and it shows other children what ADD is like. Joey also decides in the beginning of the story that he wants to meet his father, and he's interested in having him around. However, toward the end of the story, Joey realizes that all he really needed was what he already had, his mother. He understands how important that is. The dialogue in the story provides insight into Joeys character. The author, for example, shows Joey depends on his medicine in stating "I didn't have time for anything that lasted longer than the snap of my fingers. But after I got my good meds, which were in a patch I stuck on my body every day, I started to settle down and think (9-10). " We realize it's important for him to have the medication and that he also does crazy things like "I'd spin around a few times then screech to a sudden stop and wing a dart at the closest bull's-eye. " "And one time I kept spinning until everything was blurry like you tape a bottles bottom over your eyes and when I stopped I threw a dart at the first animal I saw and heard Pablo yelp and when I could get my balance and focus my eyes I found him quivering in a corner of the couch with a dart through his ear (12-13). " This describes his personality. The characters and setting in this book are unique and believable. Joey's character is believable because there are children that can read this story and relate to him. There are children who live with separate or divorced parents and visit the other parent during summer vacation or holidays. Children with ADD can also relate to Joey and understand what he goes through and his experiences throughout the story. The setting in the book is at Joey's house, and with his family in various common places. There are a couple major questions you ask when reading this story. For example, what will Joey think of his dad? Has his dad stopped drinking and smoking? And what will happen to Joey if or when he stops taking his medication? The pace and style of the book flows well and it is hard to put the book down because you want to find the answers to your questions. The content is appropriate for children in sixth grade or higher and this would be a good book for your library collection in the classroom.

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Summary: Calling All Kids!
Review: If you have anyone in your family who has trouble staying in their place, and is constantly "on the go," then this book is for you! Joey Pigza is a young boy who tries to do things the right way, but he can't help it that he is hyper. He has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and has to wear a "patch" that helps him make the right choices. Joey's parents are divorced and is spending the summer with his dad. Joey's dad is as hyper as Joey, and spends time trying to get Joey to be a star baseball player. He doesn't want Joey to depend on the "patch" too much, so Joey attempts to lead his life without his medication. On top of all this, Grandma, who is hooked to an oxygen tank, yet continues to smoke cigarettes, is sending confusing messages to Joey. He doesn't know what to do, but he tries his best.
This book is laugh out loud funny. One part was so funny, that when I was reading it aloud, I started crying I was laughing so hard! Everyone can relate to Joey, because everyone knows someone who has ADHD, or divorced parents. Read and enjoy the whole series!

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Summary: Joey Pigza Loses control
Review: I give Joey Pigza five stars bacause it was intrsesting because it tells you about a kid named Joey and in the story Joey is causing a problem and during that time his mom is working and he comes running down the road to the barber shop saying that he acidently hit is dog named Poblo in the ear and with a dart and so Joey ran back home and raped a bandage around his ear and made him rest. Now for the middle of the book, what happens to Joey during the the time is that there on the way to his dads and poblo is car sick so Joey sticks him in the glove box. When they finly arrive there his dad and grandma is sitting on the porch and after joey's mom leaves and after a while they start off out talking about going to story book land. By the way Joey's grandma has been smoking and she may a while and Joey can't get to sleep at night.Thats why I give it 5 stars.

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Summary: Joey Pigza Goes Bonkers!
Review: Joey Pigza Loses Control is a very up beat and exciting book. After Joey get's bored with his mom at the house they decide to send him off to his dad's house in Pittsburgh. Joey's dad is an recovering alchaholic that isn't doing very well. He has a girlfriend named Leezy, she takes care of him. Joey has a condition called ADD. So Joey is always hyper. But to help not go bonkers he has patches that have some meds on them. Anyway, when Joey is at his dad's house in Pittsburgh, Carter, the dad, decides that he and Joey don't need any of their meds, that they should start being realy men. After Carter dumped the patches down the toitlet at like midnight, Joey starts going hay wire and he loses control of his body. He can't focus, and that's not good since he's a pitcher for his father's baseball team. He is the best pitcher there. At one if his big baseball games he decides that he needs all these things, his dog, Pablo, his tape player, all these really unusual things. But he didn't get all of the things so he decides to stop throwing good, in other words he throughs one in the dirt. One of the good things about this book is that there is alway's something new to think about. Joey ends up running away at a baseball game and then hiding in an office until his mom comes to rescue him from his crazy dad. In the book it said that Carter is like a grown up version of Joey, and beleive me, it is very true. Joey Pigza is a very good book, the great discriptive writing by Jack Gantos makes you keep on wanting to read. I'm not very into reading but i still wanted to finish the book, and i'm glad i did.

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Summary: Joey Shines Again
Review: AWESOME SEQUAL... You must read this tormented child's experiences with his father, grandmother, and the new lady.

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Summary: Joey Pigza Loses Control
Review: Book Title: Joey Pigzas Loses Control
Author: Jack Gantos

Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos is told from the point of view of Joey who is diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and is an exact replica of his dad. From Joey's point of view, his life is under control when he uses his medicated patches. After visiting his dad who is separated from his mom, he sees himself in his dad as his mother had told him but only as a bigger person.
Jack Gantos writes using unique characters through the dialogue provided by each character. The role played by Joey, his dad, his mom and grandmother where each unique. For example, Joey's mom is portrayed as a very supportive and patient person with Joey as he gains control of his life while his dad thinks he doesn't need patches and can function with out them as a normal child does.
Finally, Jack presents surprise observations of Joey after his dad flushes his patches. I thought that he would lose control immediately but Joey was as surprise as I was when he said "I waited to bounce around the walls like a cricket in a shoe box, but nothing like that happened". The settings for each scene brought me - the reader to the actual place, a place like the baseball field that I am familiar with and would be able to imagine and picture Joey's behavior.
Parents, teachers, or students may use this book because they will be provided with information about children with ADD. They will learn to be more patient with those children. As a student, they will understand that children can be different.
Joey Pigza Loses Control may be used as a part of a literature project or as an introduction to a unit. It may also be included as a part of a text set or just as a discussion to help in classroom management helping children learn how to react and act to situations that are different.