Joey Pigza Loses Control (Joey Pigza Books (Paperback)) (urspr publ 2000; utgåvan 2002)

00010200

Joey goes to stay with his estranged dad for the summer, hoping to form a relationship with him, but his mother's warnings about how wired and weird his dad can be may prove too true, and Joey is also still learning a new balance of meds to help with his own excess of wired energy.

This is a Newbery Honor Book and has one other acclaims, but I can't seem to figure out how to appreciate Gantos' stories. I've tried other of his books, and for some reason he's just not my cuppa. I'm happy that others appreciate his work, though. ( )

A really cute story. Joey Pigza really wants his six-week visit with his dad to count, to show him he's not as wired as he used to be, to show his dad how much he loves him. But Carter Pigza's not an easy guy to love. He's eager to make it up to Joey for past wrongs and to show him how to be a winner, to take control of his life. With his coaching, Joey's even learned how to pitch a baseball, and he's good at it. The trouble is, Joey's dad thinks taking control means giving up the things that "keep Joey safe. And if he wants to please his dad, he's going to have to play by his rules, even when the rules don't make sense. ( )

Joey Pigza's family are all people with problems who don't have it all together. He has to come to terms with his Dad and Grandma being selfish, greedy and sometimes abusive. Most kids have to realize at some point that their parents aren't always right or good, and decide how they're going to deal with the realization. Joey is saddened by his Grandma's declining health and wants her to be happy, even though she seems to have little empathy for him and plays some pretty mean tricks on him. He also wants to connect with his Dad and be a good son, even as we see that his Dad is reckless, irresponsible and self-absorbed. Despite the dysfunction of Joey Pigza's family, Gantos creates a some terrific humor. The book opens with Pigza's broke and stressed mom telling him that they must drive carefully, because "My license is slightly expired and I don't have insurance, so just bear with me." I'm sure plenty of kids can relate to having parents who are at the end of their rope and barely holding it all together.

I enjoy Gantos' descriptive language and humor. He describes someone's smile as looking like a "cracked bar of soap in a gas station bathroom;" his grandma reaching out her hand for money "like a music-box monkey;" she also "ripped a pack (of cigarettes) open like they were the only medicine in the world to save her from a rattlesnake bite." ( )

This book is about a boy names Joey Pigza who suffers from ADHD. The story begins with his mother taking him to spend a summer with his father whom he has not seen for a long time before due to his alcoholism. He spends the summer by joining his dads baseball team and catching up on old times. His father still suffers from adhd and addiction and tries to be a good mentor to Joey by making him feel like he can control his life without his medications. After his medicine gets flushed down the toilet the ends of summer for Joey is spent trying to keep control but it ends up turning into a disaster.