Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos.
Youth Cd Books - Lower Level - GANTOS
Joey Pigza is a hyper little boy who means well, but sometimes he can’t control his impulses. Joey lives with his mother so when he has the opportunity to spend a summer with his father, Joey thinks nothing could be better! He is excited to get to know the man who is “just like him only bigger.” The summer starts off good with visits to Story Book Land, baseball practice, and man to man talks. However, soon Joey realizes that his father, Carter, needs help. As an alcoholic, Carter has uncontrollable mood swings and makes many irrational decisions. For instance, one day Carter decides to take young Joey bungee jumping. Furthermore, he discards all of Joey’s medication which helps keep the young boy calm. Finally, and most hurtfully, Carter turns the fun activity of playing baseball into a nightmare by berating Joey's performances. Soon Joey is wondering why he ever wanted to visit his father in the first place. Can he get back to his mother safely? Does his desire to leave his father mean he doesn’t love him? Can Joey take control of his own life without medication like his father says he can? These are some of the issues that Joey grapples with during his eventful summer.
Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos delves into serious issues, but it does so with much laughter. Read expertly by Mr. Gantos, the cd book which received an AudioFile Earphones Award, will have the reader laughing and feeling sorrow almost in the same breath. It is a true treat and is the second book in the Joey Pigza series. The other books are: Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key , What would Joey do? , and I am not Joey Pigza.