A review by jessalynn_librarian
Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos

3.0

In this sequel to Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, Joey has a chance to reconnect with his dad. Of course this leads to plenty of disasters, since his dad is a grown-up version of Joey - wired differently, and often a little out of control. Like the first book, this one has plenty of humor and is a fascinating insight into life with ADHD. But this one felt darker than the first one - maybe because Joey is actually better than his dad at keeping things together and making smart decisions. Gantos is not afraid to show us adults who screw up; I don't know how much of that would go over the heads of kids who read this, and maybe it bothered me as an adult more than it would bother a child, because I could see more clearly all the bad choices made by adults in Joey's life. Still, I can imagine for kids like Joey, that it might be a huge relief to see someone like yourself in a book.