I wish I could share this with my mom...

My mother is spending her first Easter with Jesus face-to-face and I am really happy for her, but man, I miss her.  A LOT!  And I hope that in Heaven she was able to get maybe even an advanced copy of The Missing Half of Joey Pigza.  It is one of the audible-only releases, the third in the Hidden Files of Joey Pigza series, written and READ by the incredible Jack Gantos.  The Dented Head of Joey Pigza was the first one.  Next came Pain in the Pigza, which I read and loved but did not write up because last year was a super icky year and so I didn't write up a lot of my reads.
My mom and I listened to both of those books and enjoyed them so much.  She and I were so happy that these hidden files were discovered!  Joey is such a caring, loving young man.  My mother really didn't like his grandmother very much because she can be mean with her words.  But while she is gruff as usual, in this one, her true heart really comes through loud and clear.  A wonderful addition to Joey's story. 

WOW!

Joey Pigza.
I don't need to "get back to you on that" if asked what I think The Dented Head of Joey Pigza.  This is the sixth installment in one of my most favorite series.  Mr. Gantos has a heart as big as the world and talent to match.  Joey Pigza is wow.

This is actually the first in a NEW Joey Pigza series, The Hidden Files of Joey Pigza!

The Key that Swallowed Joey Pigza is the last chapter in the Joey Pigza series by the incredible Jack Gantos.  I have written a lot about him here.
This book was certainly dark, it brought me to tears several times.  It is so rich and incredible and Gantos makes Joey come alive in a way that just opens your heart to him.  There were times I was so angry with his parents.  Okay, well I was angry at his parents all of the time.  But not Joey.  Joey is just such a good, good, good person.  He makes me want to be a better person.  Gantos reads the audio book and I love hearing his voice.  And he has a special message at the end of the book, talking about how he was inspired to write the Joey books because of a boy he met on a school visit.  He encourages all of us to give the kid who is off the wall or spinning out of control a chance.  Wow.  This whole book is just incredible.

Joey and His Father

Remember the book Ramona and Her Father? I love Ramona. Ramona's dad is a bit different from Joey's dad, however, they both are trying to quit smoking.

The second book in the Joey Pigza series, Joey Pigza Loses Control is a wonderful book, but it is also a sad book. It is a funny book. But it is also really frustrating to read. But in a good way, I the book is wonderfully well written, of course and Joey is lovable, as always, but he's going through a tough, tough time. Joey's dad, Carter, has "turned his life around" and gone to court, seeking time with Joey. Against her gut feeling, Joey's mom agrees that Joey can spend six weeks of summer vacation with Carter and his mom. Joey's dad is just like Joey, wired, but Joey's dad doesn't seem to realize, unlike Joey, that he needs help. The love that Joey feels for both of his parents and his wacky grandma is so palpable, and his conflicted feelings made me squirm for him, because Joey is such a terrific kid. I love this series. Jack Gantos is a master. I read part of it and listened to part of it. The audio CD is great because Mr. Gantos himself does the reading.

I read this book years ago, but this time it was a little different for me. Joey's grandma is very ill with emphysema due to smoking...a lot. When I read this the first time, I was a serious smoker. I was two packs a day and completely in love with smoking. It had a huge hold on me. In some ways, it ran a huge part of my life. It was horrible. I tell everyone now to never smoke, don't. I'm not a drug user and I don't even drink, so I don't know about other drugs and the way they make you feel. I do remember in A Plague Year, students who saw lives ruined by meth said "Not Even Once" because it is said that once you try meth you get hooked right away. I find that cigarettes aren't really like that. Most people start smoking like I did, wanting to be cool, wanting to look older, wanting to fit in with a different crowd. The thing about cigarettes is, the first time you try one, you sort of want to throw up. They taste so darn bad. They make you cough like crazy. But you just keep smoking because for some crazy reason, you want to look older, look cooler, fit in. How foolish. But by then, once your poor little lungs are hardened up to the smoke, you are hooked. I have been tobacco-free since May 3, 2010 and I can't tell you the freedom that I found. I feel better, I smell better, I just, simply, live better. I wish I could talk to Joey's grandma.

"I'll get back to you on that."

If you read Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key you know that when Joey gets really, really, really wired, sometimes he will answer any question with that answer. It is hard not to love Joey. I think that anyone who reads even the first five pages of this book will fall in love with Joey, a fourth (or fifth) grader dealing with ADD/ADHD. I read this book a long time ago after Jack Gantos came to speak at the Sewickley Public Library and I fell in love with him. Right now I am taking a couple of online classes through ALA and one of them is Children with Disabilities in Libraries and this was required reading. It was wonderful to revisit this book.

Joey knows that he is wired like his dad and his grandma. He just can't seem to get his brain to work as he wants it to all of the time. Joey and his mom are such real, incredible characters. You end up cheering for both of them. Great, great, great, great, great book. I love the rest in the series as well.