Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key

by Jack Gantos

Author	: Jack Gantos
Publisher	: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Total Pages	: 166
Release	: 2011-07-05
Genre	: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN	: 1429936266

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"They say I'm wired bad, or wired sad, but there's no doubt about it -- I'm wired." Joey Pigza's got heart, he's got a mom who loves him, and he's got "dud meds," which is what he calls the Ritalin pills that are supposed to even out his wild mood swings. Sometimes Joey makes bad choices. He learns the hard way that he shouldn't stick his finger in the pencil sharpener, or swallow his house key, or run with scissors. Joey ends up bouncing around a lot - and eventually he bounces himself all the way downown, into the district special-ed program, which could be the end of the line. As Joey knows, if he keeps making bad choices, he could just fall between the cracks for good. But he is determined not to let that happen. In this antic yet poignant new novel, Jack Gantos has perfect pitch in capturing the humor, the off-the-wall intensity, and the serious challenges that life presents to a kid dealing with hyper-activity and related disorders. This title has Common Core connections. Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key is a 1998 National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature.

What Would Joey Do?

by Jack Gantos

Author	: Jack Gantos
Publisher	: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Total Pages	: 244
Release	: 2002-10-21
Genre	: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN	: 0374706492

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Sequel to Joey Pigza Loses Control, a Newbery Honor Book 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.

Joey Pigza Loses Control

by Jack Gantos

Author	: Jack Gantos
Publisher	: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Total Pages	: 220
Release	: 2011-07-05
Genre	: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN	: 0374706158

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The sequel to Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, a National Book Award Finalist. When Joey Pigza meets his dad for the first time in years, he meets a grown-up version of his old out-of-control self. Carter Pigza is as wired as Joey used to be -- before his stint in special ed, and before he got his new meds. Joey's mom reluctantly agrees that he can stay with his dad for a summer visit, which sends Joey racing with sky-high hopes that he and Carter can finally get to know each other. But as the weeks whirl by, Carter has bigger plans in mind. He decides that just as he has pulled himself up by his own bootstraps, Joey can do the same and become as normal as any kid, without the help of a doctor's prescription. Carter believes Joey can do it and Joey wants to believe him more than anything in the world. Here is the continuation of the acclaimed Joey Pigza story, affirming not only that Joey Pigza is a true original but that it runs in the family. This title has Common Core connections. Joey Pigza Loses Control is a 2000 New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year and a 2001 Newbery Honor Book.

Hole in My Life

by Jack Gantos

Author	: Jack Gantos
Publisher	: Macmillan
Total Pages	: 212
Release	: 2002
Genre	: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN	: 9780374430894

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In this Michael L. Printz Honor Book, the Newbery Honor-winning creator of the Joey Pigza books shares the true story of how he became a writer the hard way by learning a valuable lesson while he was in college.

Dead End in Norvelt

by Jack Gantos

Author	: Jack Gantos
Publisher	: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Total Pages	: 350
Release	: 2011-09-13
Genre	: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN	: 142996250X

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Dead End in Norvelt is the winner of the 2012 Newbery Medal for the year's best contribution to children's literature and the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction! Melding the entirely true and the wildly fictional, Dead End in Norvelt is a novel about an incredible two months for a kid named Jack Gantos, whose plans for vacation excitement are shot down when he is "grounded for life" by his feuding parents, and whose nose spews bad blood at every little shock he gets. But plenty of excitement (and shocks) are coming Jack's way once his mom loans him out to help a fiesty old neighbor with a most unusual chore—typewriting obituaries filled with stories about the people who founded his utopian town. As one obituary leads to another, Jack is launced on a strange adventure involving molten wax, Eleanor Roosevelt, twisted promises, a homemade airplane, Girl Scout cookies, a man on a trike, a dancing plague, voices from the past, Hells Angels . . . and possibly murder. Endlessly surprising, this sly, sharp-edged narrative is the author at his very best, making readers laugh out loud at the most unexpected things in a dead-funny depiction of growing up in a slightly off-kilter place where the past is present, the present is confusing, and the future is completely up in the air.

The Trouble in Me

by Jack Gantos

Author	: Jack Gantos
Publisher	: Macmillan
Total Pages	: 223
Release	: 2015-09
Genre	: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN	: 0374379955

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"Fourteen-year-old Jack falls under the spell of a delinquent Florida neighbor and gets way more trouble than he bargained for"--

From Norvelt to Nowhere

by Jack Gantos

Author	: Jack Gantos
Publisher	: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Total Pages	: 288
Release	: 2013-09-24
Genre	: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN	: 0374324743

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This rocket-paced follow-up to the Newbery Medal–winning novel Dead End in Norvelt opens deep in the shadow of the Cuban missile crisis. But instead of Russian warheads, other kinds of trouble are raining down on young Jack Gantos and his utopian town of Norvelt in western Pennsylvania. After an explosion, a new crime by an old murderer, and the sad passing of the town's founder, twelve-year-old Jack will soon find himself launched on a mission that takes him hundreds of miles away, escorting his slightly mental elderly mentor, Miss Volker, on her relentless pursuit of the oddest of outlaws. But as their trip turns south in more ways than one, it's increasingly clear that the farther from home they travel, the more off-the-wall Jack and Miss Volker's adventure becomes, in From Norvelt to Nowhere, a raucous road novel about roots and revenge, a last chance at love, and the power of a remarkable friendship. A Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of 2013

Jack on the Tracks

by Jack Gantos

Author	: Jack Gantos
Publisher	: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Total Pages	: 193
Release	: 1999-07-01
Genre	: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN	: 1429978864

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From the Newbery Medal–winning author of Dead End in Norvelt, nine semi-autobiographical stories that will make you laugh so hard it hurts In Jack on the Tracks, fifth-grader Jack Henry is hoping for fresh adventure when he moves to a new home in Miami with his family, but he can't escape his old worrying ways. He worries about being fascinated with all things gross and disgusting. He worries about his crazy French-obsessed schoolteacher. And most of all he worries about worrying so much. In this cycle of interrelated stories, there may be light at the end of the tunnel, if only Jack can get on the right track to survive his outrageous year. This title has Common Core connections.

This Is Not the Abby Show

by Debbie Reed Fischer

Author	: Debbie Reed Fischer
Publisher	: Delacorte Press
Total Pages	: 322
Release	: 2016-07-12
Genre	: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN	: 0553536346

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“Abby’s funny and engaging first-person narrative recalls the tone of Jeff Kinney’s Wimpy Kid and Rachel Renee Russell’s Dork Diaries, and the ultimate message—friends can help bring out the best in someone—is heartwarming.” —Booklist Fans of Joey Pigza, Meg Cabot, and Because of Mr. Terupt will root for hilarious, one-of-a-kind Abby as she navigates ADHD, middle school, family, and friendships. Abby was born for the spotlight. Now it’s her time to shine! Abby is twice exceptional—she is gifted in math and science, and she has ADHD. Normally, she has everything pretty much under control. But when Abby makes one HUGE mistake that leads to “The Night That Ruined My Life,” or “TNTRML,” she lands in summer school. Abby thinks the other summer-school kids are going to be total weirdos. And what with her parents’ new rules, plus all the fuss over her brother’s bar mitzvah, her life is turning into a complete disaster. But as Abby learns to communicate better and finds friends who love her for who she is, she discovers that her biggest weaknesses could be her greatest assets. Hilarious and heartwarming, This Is Not the Abby Show is for everyone who knows that standing out is way more fun than blending in. “Like Jack Gantos’s Joey Pigza books, this lively novel from Fischer offers a firsthand view of life with ADHD.” —Publishers Weekly “A captivating portrayal of one girl’s experiences with ADHD. . . . Fischer’s spunky and introspective protagonist offers a sympathetic mirror for many kids, both boys and girls.” —Kirkus Reviews “The characters are likable and fun to follow from start to finish, and their growth rings true. The author does a great job of shining some light on ADHD and how it can affect people differently.” —School Library Journal