Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Farrar, Straus and Giroux [First Edition]
Pages
229
Description
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.
Description
Are they flirting or fighting? This is Joey Pigza's question when the fireworks suddenly start to explode between his long-separated mom and dad, whom he's never really had a chance to see together. The more out of control his parents get, the less in control Joey feels and the more he wants to help make things better. But Joey's ailing tell-it-like-it-is grandmother wants her grandson to see it like it is with his unpredictable parents. Knowing that she is fading fast, she needs Joey to hurry up and show that he can break the Pigza family mold by making a friend in the outside world. The only potential candidate, however, is Olivia Lapp -- Joey's blind homeschooling partner, who brags that she is "blind as a brat" and acts meaner to Joey the more desperate he gets for her friendship -- even if Joey senses there's more to her than meets the eye.
In this dazzling episode, Jack Gantos's acclaimed hyperactive hero discovers that settling down isn't good for anything if he can't find a way to stop the people he cares about from winding him up all over again.
What Would Joey Do? is a 2003 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
In this dazzling episode, Jack Gantos's acclaimed hyperactive hero discovers that settling down isn't good for anything if he can't find a way to stop the people he cares about from winding him up all over again.
What Would Joey Do? is a 2003 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
Series
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
229 p.; 8.5 inches
ISBN
0374399867 / 9780374399863
Similar in this library
Lexile
860L
User reviews
LibraryThing member Cottonwood.School
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.
LibraryThing member cbruiz
In this satirical account of dysfunctional families and coming of age, Jack Gantos depicts the everyday life of Joey: a hyperactive pre-teenager, who living his Grandma and mother and their querks, is harrased by his deadbeat father, who just cannot leave them alone, as well as tormented by his
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blind home-school mate, Olivia, who has a vendetta against everything she comes into contact with. The book is the third of a trilogy, and although I have not read the previous two, I would imagine them to be just as entertaining. As the book progresses, Joey affirms himself with the title "helper," dubbed such by Olivia's mother, and rightly so, as his intention is to help others. The book, stock full of humor, cleverly conceived, depicts the characters with a flavorful touch of over-dramatization, which enlightens the reader to such a life of dysfunctionality. In the end, the story comes full circle, whereupon Joey matures, becoming more of a responsible agent. The story is about will, Joey's will, hence the title "What Would Joey Do," because it is up to him to keep his revolving world together. Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member RoseMarion
This is the third installment in the Joey Pigza series, and it is equally as good as the first two. In fact, I loved this book even more because Joey really matures into such a caring young boy.
What Would Joey Do? by Jack Gantos begins with the return of Joey's immature and troubled father. Joey
What Would Joey Do? by Jack Gantos begins with the return of Joey's immature and troubled father. Joey
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and is back living with his mothe Show Less
LibraryThing member mrindt
Joey's back, this time for the third and final book in the Joey Pigza trilogy. Joey tries to keep his life from collapsing into total chaos when his mother sends him to be home-schooled with a hostile blind girl (her nickname is Mistress of All Evil); his divorced parents cannot stop fighting; and
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his grandmother is dying of emphysema. Show Less
LibraryThing member Whisper1
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
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
Show More
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.
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LibraryThing member ashleyhill2012
This book is about a boy named Joey who is hyper, home schooled, and whose parents are crazy and grandma wont die until he makes a friend. Joey tries to patch things up between his mom while trying to makes friends with his homeschooling partner who is blind. Eventually he becomes friends with her,
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makes his grandmother happy and learns that he needs to take care of himself and returns to regular school. The theme of this book is life experiences by Joey being taught how to handle and when to stay out of certain situations that he will occur throughout his life. I think this book is a great example for middle school students on how to handle situations that they may not have occurred yet, but will likely encounter similar situations. Show Less
LibraryThing member joeydag
I'm afraid this is the last in the series, but I hope not.
LibraryThing member Salsabrarian
Joey's dad is in town and bent on winning Joey's mom back, mostly by tearing up and down the street in his motorcycle and the two having screaming arguments in front of the neighbors. Joey finds himself caught in the middle of not just his parents, but his mean homeschooling partner Olivia and her
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religious mother, and his grandmother's declarations of her impending death and his not wanting to lose her. Joey wants to help everyone be happy but in the end he sees that sometimes one has to help himself. An earnest voice, and a doozy of funny characters, including Grandma and Olivia. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Award (Nominee — 2005)
BCCB Blue Ribbon Book (2002)
Kentucky Bluegrass Award (Nominee — Grades 3-5 — 2004)
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — Grades 6-8 — 2006)
William Allen White Children's Book Award (Nominee — Grades 6-8 — 2004-2005)
Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (Nominee)
Golden Archer Award (Nominee — Intermediate — 2005)
CCBC Choices (2003)
Call number
J4D.Gan