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Joey Pigza #3
What Would Joey Do?
Joey's dad just roared into town on a motorcycle, his mom is chasing her ex-husband away with a broomstick, and his grandma's camped out on the couch behind a plastic shower curtain. What's more, Joey's chihuahua has been dognapped, and his mom insists that he be homeschooled with a mean blind girl and her super-religious mother. Welcome to Joey's world.
With his new self-assumed role as "Mr. Helpful," Joey's on a mission to make everything and everyone better. Can Joey accomplish all this or will his wild, wired behavior spin him out of control all over again?
With his new self-assumed role as "Mr. Helpful," Joey's on a mission to make everything and everyone better. Can Joey accomplish all this or will his wild, wired behavior spin him out of control all over again?
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
About the author
Jack Gantos
70 books548 followersJack Gantos is an American author of children's books renowned for his portrayal of fictional Joey Pigza, a boy with ADHD, and many other well known characters such as Rotten Ralph, Jack Henry, Jack Gantos (memoirs) and others. Gantos has won a number of awards, including the Newbery, the Newbery Honor, the Scott O'Dell Award, the Printz Honor, and the Sibert Honor from the American Library Association, and he has been a finalist for the National Book Award.
Gantos was born in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania to son of construction superintendent John Gantos and banker Elizabeth (Weaver) Gantos. The seeds for Jack Gantos' writing career were planted in sixth grade, when he read his sister's diary and decided he could write better than she could. Born in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, and raised in Barbados and South Florida, Mr. Gantos began collecting anecdotes in grade school and later gathered them into stories.
After his senior year in high school (where he lived in a welfare motel) he moved to a Caribbean island (St Croix) and began to train as a builder. He soon realized that construction was not his forté and started saving for college. While in St. Croix he met a drug smuggler and was offered a chance to make 10 000 dollars by sailing to New York with 2,000 pounds of hash. With an English eccentric captain on board they set off to the big city. Once there they hung out at the Chelsea hotel and Gantos carried on dreaming about college. Then, in Jacks own words, "The **** hit the fan" and the F.B.I. burst in on him. He managed to escape and hid out in the very same welfare motel he was living during high school. However, he saw sense and turned himself in. He was sentenced to six years in prison, which he describes in his novel -HOLE IN MY LIFE-. However, after a year and a half in prison he applied to college, was accepted. He was released from prison, entered college, and soon began his writing career.
He received his BFA and his MA both from Emerson College. While in college, Jack began working on picture books with an illustrator friend. In 1976, they published their first book, Rotten Ralph. Mr. Gantos continued writing children's books and began teaching courses in children's book writing. He developed the master's degree program in children's book writing at Emerson College in Boston. In 1995 he resigned his tenured position in order to further his writing career (which turned out to be a great decision).
He married art dealer Anne A. Lower on November 11, 1989. The couple has one child, Mabel, and they live in Boston, Massachusetts.
www.jackgantos.com
Gantos was born in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania to son of construction superintendent John Gantos and banker Elizabeth (Weaver) Gantos. The seeds for Jack Gantos' writing career were planted in sixth grade, when he read his sister's diary and decided he could write better than she could. Born in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, and raised in Barbados and South Florida, Mr. Gantos began collecting anecdotes in grade school and later gathered them into stories.
After his senior year in high school (where he lived in a welfare motel) he moved to a Caribbean island (St Croix) and began to train as a builder. He soon realized that construction was not his forté and started saving for college. While in St. Croix he met a drug smuggler and was offered a chance to make 10 000 dollars by sailing to New York with 2,000 pounds of hash. With an English eccentric captain on board they set off to the big city. Once there they hung out at the Chelsea hotel and Gantos carried on dreaming about college. Then, in Jacks own words, "The **** hit the fan" and the F.B.I. burst in on him. He managed to escape and hid out in the very same welfare motel he was living during high school. However, he saw sense and turned himself in. He was sentenced to six years in prison, which he describes in his novel -HOLE IN MY LIFE-. However, after a year and a half in prison he applied to college, was accepted. He was released from prison, entered college, and soon began his writing career.
He received his BFA and his MA both from Emerson College. While in college, Jack began working on picture books with an illustrator friend. In 1976, they published their first book, Rotten Ralph. Mr. Gantos continued writing children's books and began teaching courses in children's book writing. He developed the master's degree program in children's book writing at Emerson College in Boston. In 1995 he resigned his tenured position in order to further his writing career (which turned out to be a great decision).
He married art dealer Anne A. Lower on November 11, 1989. The couple has one child, Mabel, and they live in Boston, Massachusetts.
www.jackgantos.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 119 reviews
March 16, 2007
When asked to make a list of his wishes, Joey comes up with "I wish my dog could speak," and "I wish jam and jelly were the same thing." That was only one of the moments in the book that made me want to laugh out loud. The book is not just funny, but also thoughtful and sad at times. Gantos' narrative feels rather like a hurricane, but then, so does Joey's behavior. The ending is happy without being trite and makes a nice resolution for the series.
November 13, 2008
Gantos, Jack. What Would Joey Do? Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 229 pages. Fictional chapter book, series book.
Description: Ever since going on medicine for ADHD, Joey is intent on helping people. He tries to help his childish parents, his ailing grandma and a blind girl who he is also desperately trying to befriend. In the end, Joey realizes that you really only have control over yourself.
Review: What Would Joey Do? does a wonderful job of occupying the headspace of the hyperactive, Ritalin-medicated Joey. Readers get a first-hand glimpse of the kind of idiosyncratic thoughts that run through Joey's head, which makes the character endearing, interesting and often times, very funny. Older kids will be able to identify with the kinds of thoughts Joey has--especially when Joey struggles to reconcile his wishes with the sometimes harsh realities of his life.
It is actually quite an accomplishment that the book is able to remain so light and funny. In the story, Joey's parents are irresponsible and ridiculously selfish, his grandmother (and sometime guardian) is dying, and the girl who Joey tries to befriend is mean to him. Yet in spite of all this, Joey remains optimistic. Although this is the last book in the Joey Pigza series, I found that the book could be read and enjoyed without having read the two earlier books.
Professional Reviews:
Daley, Maura. Childhood Education, Spring 2003.
Daley's review is actually more of a brief plot summary. She does mention an element of suspense, which is definitely present in the book.
Inchbald, Elizabeth. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, February 2003.
Inchbald stresses that this book is a well done coming-of-age story where Joey realizes that he can only control his own behavior and not other people's. I agree with her that these themes are handled with a light touch and a kind of refreshing irreverancy.
Description: Ever since going on medicine for ADHD, Joey is intent on helping people. He tries to help his childish parents, his ailing grandma and a blind girl who he is also desperately trying to befriend. In the end, Joey realizes that you really only have control over yourself.
Review: What Would Joey Do? does a wonderful job of occupying the headspace of the hyperactive, Ritalin-medicated Joey. Readers get a first-hand glimpse of the kind of idiosyncratic thoughts that run through Joey's head, which makes the character endearing, interesting and often times, very funny. Older kids will be able to identify with the kinds of thoughts Joey has--especially when Joey struggles to reconcile his wishes with the sometimes harsh realities of his life.
It is actually quite an accomplishment that the book is able to remain so light and funny. In the story, Joey's parents are irresponsible and ridiculously selfish, his grandmother (and sometime guardian) is dying, and the girl who Joey tries to befriend is mean to him. Yet in spite of all this, Joey remains optimistic. Although this is the last book in the Joey Pigza series, I found that the book could be read and enjoyed without having read the two earlier books.
Professional Reviews:
Daley, Maura. Childhood Education, Spring 2003.
Daley's review is actually more of a brief plot summary. She does mention an element of suspense, which is definitely present in the book.
Inchbald, Elizabeth. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, February 2003.
Inchbald stresses that this book is a well done coming-of-age story where Joey realizes that he can only control his own behavior and not other people's. I agree with her that these themes are handled with a light touch and a kind of refreshing irreverancy.
February 27, 2009
I bought this youth book because one of the characters is a blind homeschooled girl. But I don't think I would want kids to read this book. It is very sad, the boy Joey has ADHD and only gets by using medicine patches, his family is totally dysfunctional, his grandma dies and nobody cries, and it is just not a book with any good values. This is one of a series, and I would hate to see what the rest are like.
July 21, 2018
I felt a sort of pity for this book. But this book took a very hilarious turn for Joey. But in real life, his childhood is miserable. His parents don’t even know he had existed. His bully is going to be his home school partner. And especially, it’s all up to him to fix it.
Here’s a disclaimer that I may have got from one of our country’s commercial warnings.
“An unexpected story which contains themes may require and seek parental guidance and direction. “
Here’s a disclaimer that I may have got from one of our country’s commercial warnings.
“An unexpected story which contains themes may require and seek parental guidance and direction. “
March 22, 2015
Spoiler Alert
If you like sad stories and drama books, I think you might want to read this book. The genre of this book is realistic fiction because of the way the book describes real life problems. The reviewer's opinion of the book is that it's a great book and an outgoing story.
The setting takes place at Joey's house and mostly at his mom's work place. Joey wanted his mom and dad to stop fighting and love each other. So, Joey decided that he was going to try to put them together without fighting but that didn't work. Then Joey and his grandma were trying to make a movie for his mom and dad but in the middle his grandma died right in front of him. The conflict is person vs. person because Joey's mom and dad are trying to kill each other but Joey won't let that happen.
I was surprised when Joey was like to his grandma all mean to her then she died and he's like ma i'm sorry. I was moved by Joey getting on the bus then getting off and on. Then when the bus driver saw him he locked him out of the bus. Then when he followed it and then he tripped and lost the bus. Now he has to find the bus because his grandma is still on it.
My favorite part was when Joey's mom tried killing her own husband cause he was being a jerk. Then the dad crashed into a tree and almost died. So when the police came they asked the mom what happened and she told them that "I was going to kill him but you got in my way" she said to the cops. Now she has to go to jail for 1 week and now grandma has to take care of Joey.
A theme of the book is learning how to deal because his grandma dies and his parents are always fighting. Joey was trying to make a movie for his parents and he found his grandma dead in the middle of the movie. He didn't finish the movie, so his parents kept fighting because his father liked to drink a lot and his mom didn't like it. Joey had to learn to try to take care of himself.
I thought the ending of the book was good because they became a family again. They went to a carnival and Joey's dad bought his mom a gift to make up. His mom was happy again and Joey was happy too.
In conclusion i rate this book a 3-5 stars cause I liked the way how it put nice details in the book. I recommend this book to all my friends in need to read more and more books in the school year. If you like sad stories and drama book you might want to read this awesome book.
If you like sad stories and drama books, I think you might want to read this book. The genre of this book is realistic fiction because of the way the book describes real life problems. The reviewer's opinion of the book is that it's a great book and an outgoing story.
The setting takes place at Joey's house and mostly at his mom's work place. Joey wanted his mom and dad to stop fighting and love each other. So, Joey decided that he was going to try to put them together without fighting but that didn't work. Then Joey and his grandma were trying to make a movie for his mom and dad but in the middle his grandma died right in front of him. The conflict is person vs. person because Joey's mom and dad are trying to kill each other but Joey won't let that happen.
I was surprised when Joey was like to his grandma all mean to her then she died and he's like ma i'm sorry. I was moved by Joey getting on the bus then getting off and on. Then when the bus driver saw him he locked him out of the bus. Then when he followed it and then he tripped and lost the bus. Now he has to find the bus because his grandma is still on it.
My favorite part was when Joey's mom tried killing her own husband cause he was being a jerk. Then the dad crashed into a tree and almost died. So when the police came they asked the mom what happened and she told them that "I was going to kill him but you got in my way" she said to the cops. Now she has to go to jail for 1 week and now grandma has to take care of Joey.
A theme of the book is learning how to deal because his grandma dies and his parents are always fighting. Joey was trying to make a movie for his parents and he found his grandma dead in the middle of the movie. He didn't finish the movie, so his parents kept fighting because his father liked to drink a lot and his mom didn't like it. Joey had to learn to try to take care of himself.
I thought the ending of the book was good because they became a family again. They went to a carnival and Joey's dad bought his mom a gift to make up. His mom was happy again and Joey was happy too.
In conclusion i rate this book a 3-5 stars cause I liked the way how it put nice details in the book. I recommend this book to all my friends in need to read more and more books in the school year. If you like sad stories and drama book you might want to read this awesome book.
September 2, 2016
This is the third in a series of books about Joey Pigza. In the first two books Joey was evidently diagnosed with ADHD and, after a series of incidents at his original school, sent to a special school. Joey is certainly having a tough time - his parents are too busy with their love/hate separation dramas for either of them to have much time for him; meanwhile his grandmother is wheezing her way through her final days in a partitioned section of the lounge-room and mum’s new boyfriend is trying hard to be friendly to all. Joey’s mum has decided that Joey being homeschooled by a neighbour will solve everything. For Joey the reality is being ‘home’ educated next door with a determinedly unfriendly girl and by her mother who makes an odd habit of greeting him each day with the question, “What would Jesus do?”
Poor Joey valiantly comes up with an answer each day but quickly realises the more pertinent question is about what he should do in each situation he finds himself.
I wanted to hate this book for its poor portrayal of home education and for the fact that Joey had been so summarily diagnosed, labelled and medicated (he continually applies medication patches to try and calm himself down throughout the story) however Joey is such an irrepressible character, I felt many home-ed kids could identify with his situation - in terms of his diagnosis, feeling different and struggle to get life under control; hopefully there aren't any home ed parents like his though! I couldn’t help feeling the parents were the problem, not poor Joey. Unfortunately, as is so often the case with books featuring home-ed characters, the happy ending is that Joey gets to go back to school.
Home Ed. Style: Christian with a structured curriculum
Home Ed Portrayal: Home ed is portrayed as a last resort for desperate families of troubled children, or religious zealots who want to cloister their children from the world.
Conclusion: An enjoyable story with a likeable protagonist despite the poor portrayal of home-ed
Poor Joey valiantly comes up with an answer each day but quickly realises the more pertinent question is about what he should do in each situation he finds himself.
I wanted to hate this book for its poor portrayal of home education and for the fact that Joey had been so summarily diagnosed, labelled and medicated (he continually applies medication patches to try and calm himself down throughout the story) however Joey is such an irrepressible character, I felt many home-ed kids could identify with his situation - in terms of his diagnosis, feeling different and struggle to get life under control; hopefully there aren't any home ed parents like his though! I couldn’t help feeling the parents were the problem, not poor Joey. Unfortunately, as is so often the case with books featuring home-ed characters, the happy ending is that Joey gets to go back to school.
Home Ed. Style: Christian with a structured curriculum
Home Ed Portrayal: Home ed is portrayed as a last resort for desperate families of troubled children, or religious zealots who want to cloister their children from the world.
Conclusion: An enjoyable story with a likeable protagonist despite the poor portrayal of home-ed
November 23, 2015
I have always been a Gantos fan, and I'm not ashamed to admit my fanatical love for Joey Pigza in particular. If you enjoy audiobooks, this series is absolutely one to listen to, as Gantos himself does a phenomenal reading of each book.
The thing I think Gantos does so well is how he creates such a relatable, good-hearted, vulnerable, yet ultimately believable character with Joey. I thought his experiences and reactions to those experiences were completely authentic to his character, and even when Joey made mistakes, there was never a moment in the book when the reader stops rooting for him.
Also, if you want to cry a lot in your car,
Gantos has that rare and magical ability to blend hilarity and sincerity in a way that makes this book one of those you'll-laugh-you'll-cry types. Out of all the Joey Pigza books, I think this is my favorite.
The thing I think Gantos does so well is how he creates such a relatable, good-hearted, vulnerable, yet ultimately believable character with Joey. I thought his experiences and reactions to those experiences were completely authentic to his character, and even when Joey made mistakes, there was never a moment in the book when the reader stops rooting for him.
Also, if you want to cry a lot in your car,
Gantos has that rare and magical ability to blend hilarity and sincerity in a way that makes this book one of those you'll-laugh-you'll-cry types. Out of all the Joey Pigza books, I think this is my favorite.
April 14, 2019
Joey's life is a mess. His parents are constantly fighting, and making a public spectacle of it. His grandmother is dying, and keeps reminding him of her impending death. His impulsive nature makes school and so many things in life difficult for him. In fact, his mother pulls him out of public school to be homeschooled by the mother of a blind girl his age. While he tries his best to befriend her, she just isn't interested. Joey tries so hard to help everyone, but finds that helping doesn't always work the way he hopes. Gantos' story is both hilarious and heartbreaking, with hope sprinkled in. His characters are so real, and show a full range of human emotion and behavior. An absorbing read. Highly recommended gr. 4-8
January 15, 2012
I liked this a lot better than the 2nd. Again, Joey again proves to be amazing while surrounded by incredibly selfish adults.
December 17, 2021
Caiden Smith
What Would Joey Do?
What Would Joey Do? By Jack Gantos I will be reviewing this book in this book review. It is about a kid named Joey who is home schooled next door. Who has never been to a school before and had always wanted to. He does not like his homeschooling next door at his neighbor's house, with a girl named Olivia who is blind. Joey lives with his mom after a divorce with Joey’s dad. His parents keep fighting over little stuff. Joey and his grandma know that they still like each other and are just acting out to keep the flow. Joey lives with his grandmother who also smokes a lot and tries to hide it. Joey also has a pet Chihuahua that he is very close to.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Joey goes next door on every weekday and next door at Olivia’s house Olivia’s mom is super religious and she made a saying when Joey comes over for school every day. The saying is WWJD? It stands for What Would Jesus Do? And Joey would answer that when she says that in any way he wants. With thanksgiving around the corner something not so good happens. Joey’s pet Chihuahua gets kidnapped and when Joey finds out he is not happy and he makes, have you seen this dog? Posters and hopes for the best for his Chihuahua. Olivia is not nice to Joey and acts good in front of her mom to seem nice. He soon finds out that his dad kidnapped his dog and visits where he lives behind a grocery store and finds a lot of Chihuahua’s that have been missing for a while and returns all of them. But one Chihuahua did not go home because the original owner, the son of the house owner, left for college so Joey kept that Chihuahua. Joey has a good relationship with his dad but his mom and dad do not have a great relationship together. Then thanksgiving is about to happen and Olivia and her mom are coming over but then Joey’s dad comes over and Joey’s mom gets really mad while Olivia and her mom was walking over and they saw and heard it happen so they went back to their house to celebrate thanksgiving. After Thanksgiving Joey’s grandma isn’t in good condition and later ends up dying. Then they plan her funeral and the book ends. In my opinion this book is my favorite book I've read so far.
What Would Joey Do?
What Would Joey Do? By Jack Gantos I will be reviewing this book in this book review. It is about a kid named Joey who is home schooled next door. Who has never been to a school before and had always wanted to. He does not like his homeschooling next door at his neighbor's house, with a girl named Olivia who is blind. Joey lives with his mom after a divorce with Joey’s dad. His parents keep fighting over little stuff. Joey and his grandma know that they still like each other and are just acting out to keep the flow. Joey lives with his grandmother who also smokes a lot and tries to hide it. Joey also has a pet Chihuahua that he is very close to.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Joey goes next door on every weekday and next door at Olivia’s house Olivia’s mom is super religious and she made a saying when Joey comes over for school every day. The saying is WWJD? It stands for What Would Jesus Do? And Joey would answer that when she says that in any way he wants. With thanksgiving around the corner something not so good happens. Joey’s pet Chihuahua gets kidnapped and when Joey finds out he is not happy and he makes, have you seen this dog? Posters and hopes for the best for his Chihuahua. Olivia is not nice to Joey and acts good in front of her mom to seem nice. He soon finds out that his dad kidnapped his dog and visits where he lives behind a grocery store and finds a lot of Chihuahua’s that have been missing for a while and returns all of them. But one Chihuahua did not go home because the original owner, the son of the house owner, left for college so Joey kept that Chihuahua. Joey has a good relationship with his dad but his mom and dad do not have a great relationship together. Then thanksgiving is about to happen and Olivia and her mom are coming over but then Joey’s dad comes over and Joey’s mom gets really mad while Olivia and her mom was walking over and they saw and heard it happen so they went back to their house to celebrate thanksgiving. After Thanksgiving Joey’s grandma isn’t in good condition and later ends up dying. Then they plan her funeral and the book ends. In my opinion this book is my favorite book I've read so far.
March 22, 2022
I'm hooked on the Joey Pigza series! The story and writing is very engaging, and Joey is such a fun and lovable character. This particular book in the series focuses less on Joey's ADHD and more on his dysfunctional family. Joey is getting his life together through being responsible and helpful to those around him, however, his parents can't seem to get their lives under control. The irresponsibility and selfishness of Joey's parents are really affecting his success. I loved the message of this book of letting go of the things you can't control and taking charge of one's own decisions.
April 22, 2024
In this third and originally final instalment of the series, Joey, whose boundless sense of heart and resilience outshines the adults in his life. Gantos skillfully portrays Joey as a beacon of hope, showcasing his ability to navigate life's complexities with wisdom and kindness beyond his years. Through Joey's eyes, readers witness the transformative power of empathy and the profound impact of love amidst adversity. Joey Pigza's story is a testament to the extraordinary strength found within the human spirit.
September 18, 2017
Joey is back in Lancaster, PA with his mother and grandmother. He is being homeschooled with a neighbor who is a blind girl. Dad shows up and things start to go downhill. If you liked the first two, you'll like this one as well. The back of my book claimed this was the last book in the trilogy, but there are two more books written. I'll read them as well, but the trilogy could have ended here.
April 23, 2018
This book is actually rated 2.5 stars. I kind of liked this book because it has a really good story, but lacks adventure and excitement. His grandma dies. It was sad. I think the best part was when Joey was organizing the stuff in the grocery store. It was my favorite part because it was the most peaceful.
February 7, 2019
I continue to be enamored with this character. Really, just this series is a whole -- I love the way Joey and his world grow from book to book. He never stopped being endearing and heart wrenching to me. I was continually surprised by how well Gantos could use Joey's voice to get insightful points across. Gantos has been a great reader, too. Again -- I've really, really enjoyed this series.
June 1, 2020
I hated the adults in this book. How could they all be so selfish and horrible to Joey? It's amazing how caring a person Joey is when everyone around him treats him so terrible. I know this book is supposed to be humorous and yes, there are some funny parts, but I didn't really find it all that funny. I just felt sad for Joey.
B rating.
B rating.
January 26, 2019
Favorite quote (paraphrase - it was an audiobook): Mom says, "Go to your room and think about your behavior." Joey says, "Mom, I've got ADHD. I'm always thinking about my behavior... I've been doing some thinking about your behavior."
October 2, 2023
In the third book in the series, Joeys grandma has moved back in with him and his mom. Carter is trying to win his mom back and poor Joey is caught in the middle. Joey makes a friend. I love these books, they are funny but honest.
May 18, 2017
Iv'e read the last 2 Joey Pigza books. This is my favorite so far. Joey is hyper and crazy as ever. That's what I like about these books: they make me laugh and make me wonder what'll happen next.
May 19, 2017
This book made my childhood. I would like to read it again but I'm scared that I'll be depressed because it won't feel the same.
April 16, 2018
The book is a bit mature for children but it is ok.
May 6, 2018
An average kids novel but with an ADHD character who kids will find relatable.
September 3, 2018
A little confusing but it was a good book overall. I couldn't really connect to the character. But it was fun to know how other people's lives went.
October 12, 2020
Another great Joey Pigza book! The boy is finally getting it and trying to lead his parents on the path to appropriate behavior. It's rough but he keeps on keeping on! Go Joey!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 23, 2022
This one was sad 😔
December 26, 2022
A little more outlandish than the first two, but a little more mature at the same time. My heart breaks for all the Joeys I have known and had in my classes. Funny, thoughtful, and tragic.
January 5, 2024
I began reading this to my child as a way to relate to a character with ADHD, and I can't say I've totally enjoyed it. Mostly, I feel for Joey, because he seems to be surrounded by a bunch of selfish assholes. As a parent, I am not even trying to say I'm perfect, but there are a lot of choices his parents made that I hope I would have done differently. I do think his mother is trying, and even his grandmother has come around from traumatizing him to being a more loving, but not necessarily warm, person. I can say that this book sparked a lot of good conversations with my child, but so much of the book, I just wanted to hug Joey and take him home to a more stable, loving environment. I guess the one, or one of, the upsides of his situation is that he's had to mature a lot.
March 18, 2015
Joey Pigza was a boy with a divorced mother and father that do nothing but argue and wears pads that controls him from being too hyper. He is mom's helper, Mrs. Lapp's helper, Olivia's helper, Grandma's helper, Dad's helper, Pablo's helper, and even a helper for a sack full of dogs! Joey tries to correct everything in his life and the lives of the people in his life before he learns that he should be putting himself first and letting the others figure out their lives on their own. He lives with his mother and Grandmother in a house and his father, who also has ADHD, always rides his motorcycle around the neighborhood to make his mother mad. One time, his mother even got the broom and flung him into the tree and had to go to the hospital. His mother eventually had to get a restraining order put out for Joey's father because he wouldn't leave them alone. Joey just started being homeschooled with a blind girl that always gets him in trouble and isn't a fan of it and her mother wanted Joey to come because he would be a good influence on her. Joey soon finds out that his dog has ran away and when he goes to tell his mom about it, she tells him that she is leaving him and his Grandma to go live with her new boyfriend Booth. Joey starts to like Olivia, and begs her to come in and meet his Grandma because she said before she passes, she wants to meet at least one of Joey's friends but she never comes in. The cops came looking for Joey but he escaped in time and ran to Olivia's house. Olivia and Joey came up with a master plan to get Joey back at his school that he likes, he was going to be the bad boy and Olivia was going to act like a good, nice girl for the plan to work. Olivia made another deal with Joey that if he found a way to take her to the Godspell play she would tell his Grandma that they were friends. She ended up telling the Grandma they were friends and Joey took her to Godspell just before she was sent off to boarding school. Joey's Grandma eventually passes and leaves everything to him and Joey's dad leaves town. His mom gets dumped by her boyfriend and in the end, Joey and her start a new chapter with just them two and their dogs. I like that throughout this book, WWJD, 'What would Joey Do' gets mentioned throughout. It ties in with the title of the book and it shows that Joey is growing up and he wants to be viewed as a more mature Joey and not react like when he didn't have his ADHD under control and he acted out. I really enjoyed this book. I think I would have this book in my classroom library for my future fourth and fifth grade students. I feel like students who also suffer from ADHD and a dysfunctional family can relate this book and feel comfort by reading about another family that is like theirs or someone that deals with ADHD too. I think that they would appreciate this book and really enjoy it just as much as I did. I think that this book is also good at putting yourself in someone else's shoes and letting you experience someone else's life if you don't have to deal with this type of experiences. This can help students relate to other students better and show students to have empathy towards others because we don't always know someone's background and life experiences. I think the story had a very good ending that was a happy ending, so that made it that much better. I think that Joey has a bright future ahead of him and I owe this to his Grandma. I feel that she pushed him to make friends and really wanted a different/better life for Joey, not like the one his mother and father lived. I could see how much Joey's Grandma meant to him and this is why he pushed himself to make a friend, because that is what she wanted. I really enjoyed this book.
February 23, 2012
I like this book so much that words will not suffice to list all the reasons why.
I'll start by stating that anyone who scoffs at the YA genre might want to give this a try and see if you feel the same after you have finished the final page.
No stranger to awards, Jack Gantos received the Newbery honor for Joey Pigza Loses Control, the Newbery Medal for Dead in Norvelt the Printz Honor and the Sibert Honor for Hole In My Life and he was a National Book Award finalist for Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key.
What Would Joey Do is the third book in the series of ADHD pre-teen Joey Pigza.
Gantos has the unique ability to create a loving character who struggles to cope with his disability. While he now can control the level of his medications and has a keen sense of what triggers episodes, his parents continue to be crazy and out of control.
Longing for stability in an exceedingly unstable home life, Joey's loving, but somewhat erratic grandma is one of the few sources of sanity. Hiding behind a plastic shower curtain in the living room, she puffs cigarettes in equal measure to oxygen. Warning him that her end is near, she tells Joey he must find a friend.
When he is home schooled by the mother of a blind, nasty girl, he adopts her as his friend. In this religious atmosphere, he is asked daily "What would Jesus do?" Claiming this mantra for himself, Joey decides to do good and thus tries to live his life by "What would Joey do?"
As his insane, hyper neglectful father races throughout town in a beat up motor cycle trying to re-claim his son and x wife, Joey's mother spins further into violent episodes of rage.
This book is heart wrenchingly sad and also humorously, undeniably funny.
In the end, Joey realizes that what he must do is take care of himself because no one else will.
Here is a quote that resonates:
"Everyone had to wake up to somebody. Everyone had to wake up to themselves. And I was wondering who I might be if I didn't have the nutty family I had. And then I realized it didn't matter where I came from. It was where I was going that counted. And as long as I helped myself, I'd be going in the right direction."
Destined to be one of my top reads for 2012.
I'll start by stating that anyone who scoffs at the YA genre might want to give this a try and see if you feel the same after you have finished the final page.
No stranger to awards, Jack Gantos received the Newbery honor for Joey Pigza Loses Control, the Newbery Medal for Dead in Norvelt the Printz Honor and the Sibert Honor for Hole In My Life and he was a National Book Award finalist for Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key.
What Would Joey Do is the third book in the series of ADHD pre-teen Joey Pigza.
Gantos has the unique ability to create a loving character who struggles to cope with his disability. While he now can control the level of his medications and has a keen sense of what triggers episodes, his parents continue to be crazy and out of control.
Longing for stability in an exceedingly unstable home life, Joey's loving, but somewhat erratic grandma is one of the few sources of sanity. Hiding behind a plastic shower curtain in the living room, she puffs cigarettes in equal measure to oxygen. Warning him that her end is near, she tells Joey he must find a friend.
When he is home schooled by the mother of a blind, nasty girl, he adopts her as his friend. In this religious atmosphere, he is asked daily "What would Jesus do?" Claiming this mantra for himself, Joey decides to do good and thus tries to live his life by "What would Joey do?"
As his insane, hyper neglectful father races throughout town in a beat up motor cycle trying to re-claim his son and x wife, Joey's mother spins further into violent episodes of rage.
This book is heart wrenchingly sad and also humorously, undeniably funny.
In the end, Joey realizes that what he must do is take care of himself because no one else will.
Here is a quote that resonates:
"Everyone had to wake up to somebody. Everyone had to wake up to themselves. And I was wondering who I might be if I didn't have the nutty family I had. And then I realized it didn't matter where I came from. It was where I was going that counted. And as long as I helped myself, I'd be going in the right direction."
Destined to be one of my top reads for 2012.
March 4, 2016
I liked Jack Gantos What Would Joey Do. I like Jack Gantos because he does a nice job of making you feel like the book. I also like the Jack Gantos because he explains the characters. He explained Joey's grandmas situation and when and how she died. I liked the book because it reminds you that nobody is perfect.
He makes the grandma not care even when the dad is in the tree. He makes olivias mom religes so that joey can learn to like his family. He makes joeys dad be crazy to make his mom crazy so he has to grow up fast not only for himself but to take care of his grandma. The whole book joeys grandma wants joey to make a friend so she could die happy but then she meets her and she lives for a while then she dies. He has joeys dad steal his dog Pablo so he would try to find him and then he does and gets Pablo back and gets another dog and names her Pablito.
I would recomend this book to anyone from 2nd grade to ninth grade. It would be hard for younger kids to get the meaning behind the fights ad to think about themselves. I liked the book because it teaches life lessons that you might not otherwise learn. The book is very hard to know whats coming next until it hits you. It was confusing at times but it was still mostly easy to read. I liked the ending because it tells you only to worry about yourself. My favorite part was when joeys mom hits the motorcycle and hags his dad in a tree. I could almost connect some of these to my aunt. The author's likes to write creativly like who would think of a shower curtain in the living room and calling it a bedroom.
He makes the grandma not care even when the dad is in the tree. He makes olivias mom religes so that joey can learn to like his family. He makes joeys dad be crazy to make his mom crazy so he has to grow up fast not only for himself but to take care of his grandma. The whole book joeys grandma wants joey to make a friend so she could die happy but then she meets her and she lives for a while then she dies. He has joeys dad steal his dog Pablo so he would try to find him and then he does and gets Pablo back and gets another dog and names her Pablito.
I would recomend this book to anyone from 2nd grade to ninth grade. It would be hard for younger kids to get the meaning behind the fights ad to think about themselves. I liked the book because it teaches life lessons that you might not otherwise learn. The book is very hard to know whats coming next until it hits you. It was confusing at times but it was still mostly easy to read. I liked the ending because it tells you only to worry about yourself. My favorite part was when joeys mom hits the motorcycle and hags his dad in a tree. I could almost connect some of these to my aunt. The author's likes to write creativly like who would think of a shower curtain in the living room and calling it a bedroom.
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