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What Would Joey Do? Audiobook
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(3.06) - 516 listener ratings
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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 home schooling partner, who brags that she is “blind as a brat” and gets 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 conclusion to the Joey Pigza trilogy, Jack Gantos’s acclaimed hyperactive hero is discovering 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.
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"In What Would Joey Do? The story of Joey Pigza continues. His Dad has returned to Lancaster,Pa.; his Mom has a new boyfriend and his Grandma is still determined to die. Of all of these characters, Joey seems to be the most sane one. He tries to be friends with Olivia and at the encouragement of his Mom finds himself being home schooled by Olivia's Mom. This is nothing but trouble. Olivia deliberately causesd Joey to get in trouble . Joey knows that Olivia is trouble but his Grandma insists that he needs to make some friends. Throughout this book, Joey always finds a way out of his situations. I found myself wondering when would life turn around for him. In spite of all the other things going on in his life, he finds time to take care of his Grandma and I was crushed with the ending of this book. Students who read this book will get a first person look at someone who deals with a disability and will see that they are people who have genuine feelings. They only want to be loved and understood. Because this book is told in the first person (by Joey), the text was more meaningful. You really become attached to Joey and want the best for him."
— Donna (4 out of 5 stars)
What Would Joey Do? Listener Reviews
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" My first grader has been reading Gantos' Rotten Ralph books so I thought I'd check out the Joey Pigza series which has been around for over a decade. Hilarious! I listened to this 3rd book in the series on cd (read by the author) and it had me cracking up in the car. Joey is the sane one in this family as he has to watch his divorced parents battle it out (literally). There are some serious issues here and reading them from a child's point of view is quite poignant. "
— Monica, 2/16/2014 -
" This book is great! It made me laugh AND cry! I loved it! A must have for my classroom. "
— Jessica, 2/3/2014 -
" I think that Joey's mother and father had taken it too far. I mean, trying to throw a knife between the eyes of Joey's dad? Isn't that too far? And stealing Joey's dog just to talk to him? Really? Maybe Joey's family is really crazy, but still, it's your family, and you have to except the way they are. It was really sad when Joey's grandma died, Joey's grandma understood his feelings, understood how it is like to live with his dad, they had many things in common, as what Joey thinks, "Grandma is already to past." "
— Alice, 2/1/2014 -
" Third book in the Joey series. The mother is much less sympathetic in this book than the other two--to me it seemed like she was a completely different character. The father is still crazy and completely unlikable and often frightening. The grandmother character is developed more in this book and is actually made much more sympathetic than in the other books. We see a bit more of her past, she tries to convince Joey to go make friends so he doesn't end up like her. Joey is homeschooled with a blind girl, Olivia, who he does eventually become friends with, though it's difficult for him. Joey's still on his meds, and at the end things seemed patched up with his mother and he goes back to his old school. "
— Jessica, 1/30/2014 -
" Couldn't finish reading it because i was tooo upset about the 4th book. "
— Monique, 1/26/2014 -
" I cried like a baby reading this. "
— Lorann, 1/19/2014 -
" I need to read the first two. It's pretty much a trilogy based on the kids I teach. "
— Aimée, 1/11/2014 -
" THE THIRD IN THE SERIES, JOEY GROWS UP A BIT MORE. "
— Michelle, 1/7/2014 -
" I liked this a lot better than the 2nd. Again, Joey again proves to be amazing while surrounded by incredibly selfish adults. "
— Kelli, 12/11/2013 -
" Joey Pigza is one of my favorite characters. "
— Elizabeth, 11/25/2013 -
" Cannot get enough Joey! He is my hero! "
— Sarah, 11/16/2013 -
" A nice wrap up to the trilogy of stories about Joey and his totally crazy family. I love that these books are funny, sad, and honest without being preachy. I love Joey! "
— Treasure, 11/15/2013 -
" It was great but the ending kind of ruined it for me. Best one out of all the Joey Pigza Books "
— ankitA, 10/15/2013 -
" The Joey Pigza books are always a treat. Although he has calmed down from his earlier books, he still has that Joey charm and a bit of a devil in him that keeps things interesting. I liked his relationship with the blind girl. "
— Keith, 9/12/2013 -
" This book is AMAZING! I loved it. Even though I was forced to read it by my school after I started I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this book. "
— Sbarg81, 4/7/2013 -
" This one is different. Not really age appropriate. Everything with his parents disturbed and upset me. Some parts were cute, but I was really bothered by the stuff with his parents. "
— Ashley, 12/11/2012 -
" Another crazy and funny sequel !! "
— Marie, 8/11/2012 -
" A 5th grade teacher was looking for something or other that this book fit in to, so I read it and booktalked it to her class. It was my first Joey Pigza book, but not my last. "
— elissa, 4/21/2012 -
" These books were really great and not at all what I expected from the weird looking covers. Much more serious, but still lots of fun. "
— Amy, 3/12/2012 -
" Loved these books, they were fun and opened my eyes. Some of the few books I read when I was younger. "
— Alexxa, 1/31/2012 -
" Loved these books, they were fun and opened my eyes. Some of the few books I read when I was younger. "
— Alexxa, 3/9/2011 -
" The third story to Joey's dilemma of dealing with his Grandmother's illness, and his parents divorce. "
— Tracy, 3/6/2011 -
" These books were really great and not at all what I expected from the weird looking covers. Much more serious, but still lots of fun. "
— Amy, 9/1/2010 -
" takes place in Lancaster, PA <br/> <br/>I knew all the places mentioned in the book. <br/> <br/>Will recommend it to students. "
— Jean, 7/19/2010 -
" For an excellent review, see Mahrya's below. "
— Rachel, 7/18/2009 -
" I need to read the first two. It's pretty much a trilogy based on the kids I teach. "
— Aimée, 4/26/2009 -
" A nice wrap up to the trilogy of stories about Joey and his totally crazy family. I love that these books are funny, sad, and honest without being preachy. I love Joey! "
— Treasure, 3/23/2009 -
" I cried like a baby reading this. "
— Lorann, 1/23/2009 -
" This one is different. Not really age appropriate. Everything with his parents disturbed and upset me. Some parts were cute, but I was really bothered by the stuff with his parents. "
— Ashley, 12/21/2008 -
" This book is AMAZING! I loved it. Even though I was forced to read it by my school after I started I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this book. "
— Sbarg81, 11/13/2008
About Jack Gantos
Jack Gantos has written books for people of all ages, from picture books and middle-grade fiction to novels for young adults and adults. His works include Hole in My Life, a memoir that won the Michael L. Printz and Robert F. Sibert Honors, Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, a National Book Award finalist, and Joey Pigza Loses Control, a Newbery Honor book. He developed the master’s degree program in children’s book writing at Emerson College and the Vermont College MFA program for children’s book writers. He now devotes his time to writing books and educational speaking. He lives with his family in Boston.