Amigas! Bienvenidos! So glad you are here. I am feeling so much better about this whole “31 Days of Writing” business. I can’t tell you how pressured I was feeling. But I think I’ve got this thing in the bag now. Hurray!
We are continuing today with fiction chapter books that feature a male main character. I guess I shouldn’t say they are children’s novels FOR BOYS but I think, for the most part, they would appeal to boys. And girls, too.
Meet children’s author Jack Gantos.
I had the pleasure of meeting him at a dinner during the 2011 Texas Library Association annual conference. The book he is holding in the photo on the right, Dead End in Norvelt, was the Newbery Medal winner in 2012. At the time of the conference, I am sad to say I hadn’t read any of his chapter books for kids. I only knew Jack as the author of the “Rotten Ralph” picture books.
Which, if we are laying it all out here and being perfectly honest, I have never read! But I can vouch for their popularity among the elementary set.
So, you might be asking, how is it that I am writing a review about Jack Gantos’s books if I haven’t read them? Well, I have read this book, right here.
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, the first in the “Joey Pigza” series. And it immediately became my go-to book for third, fourth and fifth grade kids who can’t find any good books to read in the library. If the first chapter of this book doesn’t get their attention, nothing will! Because in the first chapter of the book, Joey actually swallows his house key. And Gantos leaves little to the imagination when he explains how Joey finally gets his house key back. We are talking potty language, folks!
Like the main character Bradley Chalkers in Louis Sachar’s There’s a Boy in the Girl’s Bathroom, reviewed here, Joey has learning disabilities that have created behavior issues at school. One minute you want to give Bradley and Joey a big hug and the next minute you want to turn them over your knee.
As Joey puts it so profoundly, “They say I’m wired bad, or wired sad, but there’s no doubt about it — I’m wired” [source]. A summary of the book on Amazon.com describes it this way:
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 downtown, 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.
If you have been in education in any capacity, chances are you’ve known your share of Joeys. Seems our schools have them at every grade. Sweet children who are bright but can’t sit still, can’t focus, can’t control themselves. This book is told through the first-person narrative from Joey’s point of view and it is an eye-opening account of his struggles to be a “good, normal boy”.
Joey’s story continues throughout the other four book series, concluding with The Key the Swallowed Joey. These books should be required reading for all of us in the business of educating children.
I often say ‘there are no coincidences in this life’. And an example of that just happened as I prepared this post. Last week, I was talking about the Newbery Medal winners with Priscilla, the other librarian where I am currently doing a long-term sub job. She mentioned how much she loved the book Dead End in Norvelt. She went to the shelf, found the book and brought it to me to read. I didn’t realize until today that it was written by Gantos! I checked it out and will take it with me to read in Arizona when my Prince and I head there this weekend.
Jack Gantos has an interactive, kinestetic-kind of website that would appeal to ADHD-ers and others. Check it out, here. Or check out this video interview of the author.
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key is written on a 4.9 (4th grade, ninth month) reading level. It is available on Amazon.com, here. If I can read Dead End in Norvelt fast enough, maybe I will share a review of it with you before my “31 Days of Children’s Books” series concludes.
Wasn’t that easy? I got this post written in a jiffy! And because I like the Joey Pigza books so much, it was labor of love.
Thanks for stopping by today. I think I will continue with chapter books a few days longer. Then we are going to move into the Caldecott Award winning picture books. Those are really special!
Hugs and kisses,
VALERIE PRICE
I love Jack Gantos chapter books but am not sure I have ever even read a Rotten Ralph book. Shelved many in my life but don’t think I have read one. Will give it a try soon.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
I always thought Rotten Ralph was, well, rotten…kind of rude and icky. But the kids used to like him a lot. In my last years at Moye, he had lost some favor.
Sheila @ Making the Most of Every Day
Joey sounds like my brother as a child! Haha!