Series:

Joey Pigza

3 primary works • 8 total works

Book 1

Cover of Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key

by Jack Gantos

Published 1 October 1998
To the constant disappointment of his mother and his teachers, Joey has trouble paying attention or controlling his mood swings when his prescription medications wear off and he starts getting worked up and acting wired.

Book 4

Cover of I Am Not Joey Pigza

I Am Not Joey Pigza

by Jack Gantos

Published 24 July 2007
Irrepressible Joey must draw upon all of his emotional reserves to face his latest challenge. His good-for-nothing dad shows up, having won the lottery and acquired a new identity. Carter Pigza is now Charles Heinz; he's won back Joey's mother, Fran (renamed Maria); and Joey is expected to forgive him his past sins and reinvent himself as Freddy Heinz. Dad has big plans for the family. He's bought a run-down diner and will use his son to drum up business by standing by the roadside in a bee costume. Mom is on a spending spree and pressures Joey to forgive his father and do as he says. But Joey senses how wrong this is, and his struggle is palpable. By the time he concedes, his father has given up on the diner idea and has spent all of his money on losing lottery tickets. As usual, when the chips are down, Carter takes off, just as Fran is about to have a baby. Gantos tells the tale with unfailing humor, delicious wordplay, and many hilarious scenes, but this is the darkest Joey book to date. Carter's unreliability is a given, but Fran Pigza's willingness to buy into the surreal scene is unsettling and underscores the fact that Joey is really on his own. Nevertheless, readers will cheer as his indomitable spirit prevails; he neither rescinds nor regrets his forgiveness, and he is thrilled to have a baby brother. The appearance of Junior Pigza promises a new purpose in Joey's life, the possibility of a future ally in his crazy world, and, perhaps, adventures to come.

Book 5

Cover of The Key That Swallowed Joey Pigza

The Key That Swallowed Joey Pigza

by Jack Gantos

Published 2 September 2014
"Everything goes topsy-turvy for Joey as he becomes the man of the house, looking after his new baby brother, taking care of his troubled mother, and seeking out his missing father"--

Everything goes wrong for Joey as he becomes the man of the house, looking after his new brother, taking care of his troubled mother, and seeking out his missing father. The book contains family dynamics that may be disturbing to younger readers. Book #5

Cover of Joey Pigza Loses Control

Joey Pigza Loses Control

by Jack Gantos

Published 1 September 2000
Joey's dad is well and truly wired!

After months of nagging, Joey Pigza is finally allowed to spend the summer holidays with his dad. But he soon finds out why Mom was so worried. If people think Joey has problems, they should meet his dad!

Joey's dad insists he can cope without medication and that Joey can too. Joey so wants to believe his dad is right - but Joey remembers just how manic he felt before he got help. Can Joey live life his dad's way - or will the chaos take over?

Cover of What Would Joey Do?

What Would Joey Do?

by Jack Gantos

Published 21 October 2002
Joey tries to keep his life from degenerating into total chaos when his mother sends him to be home-schooled with a hostile blind girl, his divorced parents cannot stop fighting, and his grandmother is dying of emphysema.

Cover of La Mitad Desaparecida de Joey Pigza

Cover of La Cabeza Abollada de Joey Pigza

Cover of Un Dolor En La Pigza

Un Dolor En La Pigza

by Jack Gantos

Published 6 April 2021