Joey Pigza Loses Control

Read an Excerpt

When Joey Pigza meets his dad, Carter, for the first time in years, he meets a grownup version of his old hyperactive self -- the way he was before his stint in special ed, the way he was before he got his new meds. 

"He was wired. No doubt about it . . . Now I knew what Mom meant when she said he was like me, only bigger."

During their summer visit together, Carter is eager to make up to his son for past wrongs. He wants to teach Joey how to be a winner. He wants to show Joey how to take control of his own life. And Joey is willing to do whatever his dad says, even though -- in this high-energy sequel to the acclaimed Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key -- he fears it will do him more harm than good.

"All I could imagine was the worst part of me getting on a train a long ways off. That old Joey was coming to get me and I couldn't do anything about it . . . There was nothing to do but wait, and worry."

Awards and Honors
American Library Association Notable Children's Books
Book Links
Booklist Editors' Choice
Bulletin Blue Ribbon, Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Children's Books: 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing, New York Public Library Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award (VT)
Horn Book Magazine Fanfare List
Massachusetts Children's Book Award
New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Books of the Year
Newberry Honor Book
Parents' Choice Award Winner
Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books of the Year
School Library Journal Best Books of the Year

Recommendations
Booklist, American Library Association, Starred Review
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Starred Review
Horn Book, Starred Review
Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
New York Times Book Review
Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
School Library Journal, Starred Review
VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)

Reviews
"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."
--Starred, Publishers Weekly

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Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
2000
ISBN: 0-374-39989-1