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Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key: Novel-Ties Study Guide
Use Novel-Ties ® study guides as your total guided reading program. Reproducible pages in chapter-by-chapter format provide you with the right questions to ask, the important issues to discuss, and the organizational aids that help students get the most out of each book they read.
28 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2001
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About the author
Jack Gantos
81 books549 followersJack Gantos is an American author of children's books renowned for his portrayal of fictional Joey Pigza, a boy with ADHD, and many other well known characters such as Rotten Ralph, Jack Henry, Jack Gantos (memoirs) and others. Gantos has won a number of awards, including the Newbery, the Newbery Honor, the Scott O'Dell Award, the Printz Honor, and the Sibert Honor from the American Library Association, and he has been a finalist for the National Book Award.
Gantos was born in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania to son of construction superintendent John Gantos and banker Elizabeth (Weaver) Gantos. The seeds for Jack Gantos' writing career were planted in sixth grade, when he read his sister's diary and decided he could write better than she could. Born in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, and raised in Barbados and South Florida, Mr. Gantos began collecting anecdotes in grade school and later gathered them into stories.
After his senior year in high school (where he lived in a welfare motel) he moved to a Caribbean island (St Croix) and began to train as a builder. He soon realized that construction was not his forté and started saving for college. While in St. Croix he met a drug smuggler and was offered a chance to make 10 000 dollars by sailing to New York with 2,000 pounds of hash. With an English eccentric captain on board they set off to the big city. Once there they hung out at the Chelsea hotel and Gantos carried on dreaming about college. Then, in Jacks own words, "The **** hit the fan" and the F.B.I. burst in on him. He managed to escape and hid out in the very same welfare motel he was living during high school. However, he saw sense and turned himself in. He was sentenced to six years in prison, which he describes in his novel -HOLE IN MY LIFE-. However, after a year and a half in prison he applied to college, was accepted. He was released from prison, entered college, and soon began his writing career.
He received his BFA and his MA both from Emerson College. While in college, Jack began working on picture books with an illustrator friend. In 1976, they published their first book, Rotten Ralph. Mr. Gantos continued writing children's books and began teaching courses in children's book writing. He developed the master's degree program in children's book writing at Emerson College in Boston. In 1995 he resigned his tenured position in order to further his writing career (which turned out to be a great decision).
He married art dealer Anne A. Lower on November 11, 1989. The couple has one child, Mabel, and they live in Boston, Massachusetts.
www.jackgantos.com
Gantos was born in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania to son of construction superintendent John Gantos and banker Elizabeth (Weaver) Gantos. The seeds for Jack Gantos' writing career were planted in sixth grade, when he read his sister's diary and decided he could write better than she could. Born in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, and raised in Barbados and South Florida, Mr. Gantos began collecting anecdotes in grade school and later gathered them into stories.
After his senior year in high school (where he lived in a welfare motel) he moved to a Caribbean island (St Croix) and began to train as a builder. He soon realized that construction was not his forté and started saving for college. While in St. Croix he met a drug smuggler and was offered a chance to make 10 000 dollars by sailing to New York with 2,000 pounds of hash. With an English eccentric captain on board they set off to the big city. Once there they hung out at the Chelsea hotel and Gantos carried on dreaming about college. Then, in Jacks own words, "The **** hit the fan" and the F.B.I. burst in on him. He managed to escape and hid out in the very same welfare motel he was living during high school. However, he saw sense and turned himself in. He was sentenced to six years in prison, which he describes in his novel -HOLE IN MY LIFE-. However, after a year and a half in prison he applied to college, was accepted. He was released from prison, entered college, and soon began his writing career.
He received his BFA and his MA both from Emerson College. While in college, Jack began working on picture books with an illustrator friend. In 1976, they published their first book, Rotten Ralph. Mr. Gantos continued writing children's books and began teaching courses in children's book writing. He developed the master's degree program in children's book writing at Emerson College in Boston. In 1995 he resigned his tenured position in order to further his writing career (which turned out to be a great decision).
He married art dealer Anne A. Lower on November 11, 1989. The couple has one child, Mabel, and they live in Boston, Massachusetts.
www.jackgantos.com
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 21, 2009
It seems like Joey Pigza is always wound up. So much so that it begins to affect the daily routine of his school and home life. His parents abandoned him years ago, leaving him alone to deal with his ADD and abusive grandma. But, things start to change when his Mom returns to take care of him. As Joey says, “…even though I’m difficult I’m very special and smart. Everyone says so (p. 73).” However, the difficulties escalate when another student is accidentally harmed at school. Now Joey has to attend a special facility where his behavior and medication will be monitored before he is allowed to attend ‘regular’ school again.
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key was read by the sixth grade classes at my school earlier this year. My interest was peaked when they all rushed to the library looking for the sequels. So, I was quite excited when Junko suggested Joey Pigza for those that haven’t read it yet.
Joey Pigza represents the many young students struggling with ADD today. Through the easy to read and humorous writing style of Jack Gantos, the reader manages to get inside the head of Joey. The first person narrative provides a personal and relatable feel to Joey’s struggle in which many readers will identify. I like the way Joey’s disorder is inferred and never mentioned, until p.114 by the doctor. By not labeling, the reader identifies with Joey the person and not his affliction. I believe most readers of this book will relate on some level with Joey, whether it is with a fellow student or their own self. I can see why teachers would use Joey Pigza as a class read aloud. This story provides social awareness and endless inquiry and discussion possibilities. Readers can learn from the wisdoms of Joey and his unknowing perseverance when he states “…I didn’t make my own bed, but it’s mine anyway whether I like it or not (p. 148).”
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key was read by the sixth grade classes at my school earlier this year. My interest was peaked when they all rushed to the library looking for the sequels. So, I was quite excited when Junko suggested Joey Pigza for those that haven’t read it yet.
Joey Pigza represents the many young students struggling with ADD today. Through the easy to read and humorous writing style of Jack Gantos, the reader manages to get inside the head of Joey. The first person narrative provides a personal and relatable feel to Joey’s struggle in which many readers will identify. I like the way Joey’s disorder is inferred and never mentioned, until p.114 by the doctor. By not labeling, the reader identifies with Joey the person and not his affliction. I believe most readers of this book will relate on some level with Joey, whether it is with a fellow student or their own self. I can see why teachers would use Joey Pigza as a class read aloud. This story provides social awareness and endless inquiry and discussion possibilities. Readers can learn from the wisdoms of Joey and his unknowing perseverance when he states “…I didn’t make my own bed, but it’s mine anyway whether I like it or not (p. 148).”
August 5, 2009
This is a very wierd book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews