Fiction, Fantasy, &YA-Review 1

1.BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gantos, Jack. 2000. JOEY PIGZA LOSES CONTROL. New York: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 0439338980

2.PLOT SUMMARY
This is a sequel to Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key (2000). Joey is a young boy troubled by his Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). In this follow-up novel, Joey is spending some time with his father, Carter, who has never been part of his life after running out on his mother and him. Joey is optimistic and wishful for a chance to get to know his father and to be loved by him. Carter is a long time addict to drinking and smoking, who claims he has changed and can now show Joey what a true father is. After his arrival, Joey is enthralled by how fun his father is excited about learning from a man. He joins Carter’s little league baseball team when it is discovered that Joey has a great pitching arm. Not truly recovered from his addictions, after one night of drinking Carter decides it is time to free Joey from his medicine patches that control his ADD. Joey is terrorized from memories of his old him when off the medication and begs his father not to throw them down the toilet. Carter is convinced, however, that this is the best gift he can give his boy. Joey decides to try to live up to his father’s dreams of him being a “normal” kid without medication, but as the days go on the erratic behavior associated with ADD start to control him once again. Finally, Joey’s mother takes Joey back to his stable home where he can be “normal” again with the mother who has always been there for him and with the medication that he needs.

3.CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This realistic fiction novel is a wonderful story for young people. Gantos created a character with familiar dispositions of many families and youngsters now a day. His parents are divorced, he has the desire to win parental approbation, and is learning to live with ADD. His differences have stopped him from making any friends except for his dog, Pablo. Joey experiences joys and disappointments which are primarily delivered to the reader through Joey’s internal thoughts. Most of his disappointments stem from his grandmother and specifically his father whom he realizes has not changed and is not like him at all. As Gantos writes giving voice to Joey’s character, “I just want him to love me as much as I already love him.”

The plot of the story is original as it is based on a boy’s life with ADD, a disorder that has recently become much more openly discussed, accepted, and treated than in earlier years. ADD is positively displayed through Joey’s experiences in using his medication. He lives a normal life through use of his medicated patch until his father decides to throw out his medication and Joey feels “the other Joey had started to catch up to” him. The lack of his medications causes instability as he lacks self-control and focus. The topic of ADD in society is one to be accepted as a reality and should be portrayed, as it is here, with optimism.

The style used by Gantos is highly appropriate for young adults. He uses a well balanced inclusion of dialogue and narration from the first person point of view of Joey. The author is able to transmit Joey’s loss of self-control and focus that he experiences towards the end of the story when he no longer has the effect of his medication. At this point of the story, Joey’s inner dialogue are written in long, seemingly unending thoughts that jump from one thing to another delivering a feel for his lack of control.

The theme of the story is subtly relayed through Joey’s interactions with the other characters. In his quest to being loved and accepted and to bringing a family together again, he realized that he already had a mother who was his true family and who accepted him unconditionally. With her he did not have to measure up to the perfect winner his father wanted to do of him. When Carter realized that Joey was not “normal” without his medication and could not act according to his desires he even called him “a retard”.

4.REVIEW (EXCERPTS)
KIRKUS STARRED REVIEW-
“Sad, scary, blackly funny.”

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY STARRED 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."

NEWBERRY HONOR BOOK

5.CONNECTIONS
-Gantos, Jack. 2000. JOEY PIGZA SWALLOWED THE KEY. ISBN 0064408337
-Gantos, Jack. 2004. WHAT WOULD JOEY DO? ISBN 0060544031
-Explore the author’s web page in a unit of realistic fiction or author study.
-Use for book club or discussion group to develop acceptance, awareness, and understanding of people with disorders such as ADD.