Jack Gantos

Had a name written on inside of front cover from a previous owner. Also has Highlighting & notes throughout book (See pictures). Enjoy. 

Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

Ohio

To the constant disappointment of his mother and his teachers, Joey has trouble paying attention or controlling his mood swings when his prescription medications wear off and he starts getting worked up and acting wired.

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key

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"They say I'm wired bad, or wired sad, but there's no doubt about it—I'm wired." 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. Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key is a 1998 National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature.

Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

Pennsylvania

Dead End in Norvelt

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Kentucky

The author relates how, as a young adult, he became a drug user and smuggler, was arrested, did time in prison, and eventually got out and went to college, all the while hoping to become a writer. An ALA Notable Book. Reprint.

Hole in My Life

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The sequel to Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, a National Book Award Finalist When Joey Pigza meets his dad for the first time in years, he meets a grown-up version of his old out-of-control self. Carter Pigza is as wired as Joey used to be -- before his stint in special ed, and before he got his new meds. Joey's mom reluctantly agrees that he can stay with his dad for a summer visit, which sends Joey racing with sky-high hopes that he and Carter can finally get to know each other. But as the weeks whirl by, Carter has bigger plans in mind. He decides that just as he has pulled himself up by his own bootstraps, Joey can do the same and become as normal as any kid, without the help of a doctor's prescription. Carter believes Joey can do it and Joey wants to believe him more than anything in the world. Here is the continuation of Jack Gantos' acclaimed Joey Pigza story, affirming not only that Joey Pigza is a true original but that it runs in the family. This title has Common Core connections. Joey Pigza Loses Control is a 2000 New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year and a 2001 Newbery Honor Book.

Joey Pigza Loses Control

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"He was wired. No dought about it...Now I knowwhat Mom meant when she said he was like me, only bigger." Joey Pigza really wants his six-week visit with his dad to count, to show him he's not as wired as he used to be, to show his dad how much he loves him. But Carter Pigza's not an easy guy to love. He's eager to make it up to Joey for past wrongs and to show him how to be a winner, to take control of his life. With his coaching, Joey's even learned how to pitch a baseball, and he's good at it. The trouble is, Joey's dad thinks taking control means giving up the things that "keep Joey safe. And if he wants to please his dad, he's going to have to play by his rules, even when the rules don't make sense.

Book series for kids. I have other books by this author available on my shelf.

New York

Just when Joey Pigza's wired world finally seems to be under control, his good-for-nothing dad pops back into his life. This time, though, Carter Pigza is a new man - literally. After a lucky lotto win, Carter Pigza has a crazy new outlook on life, and he's even changed his name to Charles Heinz. He thinks Joey and his mom should become new people, too. Soon Joey finds himself bombarded with changes: a new name, a new home, and a new family business - running the beat-up Beehive Diner. He knows he should forgive his dad as his mom wants him to, and get with the new family program. But in I Am Not Joey Pigza, Joey is afraid that in changing names and going with the flow he will lose sight of who he really is.

In Jack Gantos' rocket-paced new chapter in Joey Pigza's life, a favorite hero discovers what identity and forgiveness really mean, and how to cook a delicious turkey burger. This title has Common Core connections.

I Am Not Joey Pigza

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"Fourteen-year-old Jack falls under the spell of a delinquent Florida neighbor and gets way more trouble than he bargained for"--

The Trouble in Me

It's carnival time for Ralph, Sarah, and Percy, Ralph's cousin! Ralph is ready to play games and win prizes. But perfect Percy has been practicing. He keeps beating Ralph and wooing Sarah with his winnings. Fed up with losing, Ralph decides to cheat his way to victory . . . until Sarah puts a stop to it.

School Library Journal hailsRotten Ralph Helps Out, the first Rotten Ralph Rotten Reader, as a "wise choice for youngsters making the transition from picture books to chapter books." In this feisty new adventure, the world's favorite come-back cat shows Percy and Sarah that all his practice at losing can make him a winner in the end.

Practice Makes Perfect for Rotten Ralph

Oklahoma

I expect you might think the story I am about to tell you is untrue or perversely gothic in some unhealthy way . . .'

Everyone loves their mother. but what happens when you love her so much you can't bear to let her go - ever? That's the sign of the Love Curse. And Ivy's got it . . . bad.

The Love Curse of the Rumbaughs

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On an unseasonably warm Easter Sunday, a young girl named Ivy discovers a chilling secret in the basement of the Rumbaugh pharmacy across the street from the hotel where she lives with her mother. The discovery reveals a disturbing side to the eccentric lives of family friends Abner and Adolph Rumbaugh, known throughout their small western Pennsylvania town simply as the Twins. It seems that Ab and Dolph have been compelled by a powerful mutual love for their deceased mother to do something outrageous, something that in its own twisted way bridges the gap between the living and the dead. Immediately, Ivy's discovery provokes the revelation of a Rumbaugh family curse, a curse that, as Ivy will learn over the coming years, holds a strange power over herself and her own mother.

Arizona

This rocket-paced follow-up to the Newbery Medal-winning novel Dead End in Norvelt opens deep in the shadow of the Cuban missile crisis. But instead of Russian warheads, other kinds of trouble are raining down on young Jack Gantos and his utopian town of Norvelt in western Pennsylvania. After an explosion, a new crime by an old murderer, and the sad passing of the town's founder, twelve-year-old Jack will soon find himself launched on a mission that takes him hundreds of miles away, escorting his slightly mental elderly mentor, Miss Volker, on her relentless pursuit of the oddest of outlaws. But as their trip turns south in more ways than one, it's increasingly clear that the farther from home they travel, the more off-the-wall Jack and Miss Volker's adventure becomes, in From Norvelt to Nowhere, a raucous road novel about roots and revenge, a last chance at love, and the power of a remarkable friendship.

A Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of 2013

From Norvelt to Nowhere

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"Everything goes topsy-turvy for Joey as he becomes the man of the house, looking after his new baby brother, taking care of his troubled mother, and seeking out his missing father"--

The Key That Swallowed Joey Pigza

South Carolina

A Rotten Ralph Rotten Reader

Rotten Ralph the cat's love of food from trash cans has given him an upset stomach, and it's up to Sarah to get him to understand his bad eating habits are to blame.

Rotten Ralph Feels Rotten

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The character Rotten Ralph was created more than twenty years ago. Now the world's most rotten cat and his friend, Sarah, set out again on a variety of capricious capers. In three brand-new boisterously entertaining stories, Rotten Ralph is sure to weasel his way into the hearts of another generation of readers.

In Back to School for Rotten Ralph, summer is over, and Sarah can't wait to start school and make some new friends -- other than her rotten cat, Ralph. But Ralph wants to be Sarah's only friend, and he won't be left behind. When Sarah boards the school bus, he disguises himself as a student, follows her to class, and starts his scheme of sabotage. Ralph's plan works brilliantly until his true identity is revealed and the entire class wants to be friends with Sarah and Ralph!

Back to School for Rotten Ralph

Sequel to Joey Pigza Loses Control, a Newbery Honor Book

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 homeschooling partner, who brags that she is "blind as a brat" and acts 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 episode, Jack Gantos's acclaimed hyperactive hero discovers 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.

What Would Joey Do? is a 2003 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

What Would Joey Do?

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Joey's dad just roared into town on a motorcycle, his mom is chasing her ex-husband away with a broomstick, and his grandma's camped out on the couch behind a plastic shower curtain. What's more, Joey's chihuahua has been dognapped, and his mom insists that he be homeschooled with a mean blind girl and her super-religious mother. Welcome to Joey's world. With his new self-assumed role as "Mr. Helpful," Joey's on a mission to make everything and everyone better. Can Joey accomplish all this or will his wild, wired behavior spin him out of control all over again?

Previous library copy in good condition . Vintage, printed 1997. ￼

Florida

Comic misadventures ensue when seventh-grader Jack tries to write the great American novel.

Jack's Black Book

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A Jack Henry Adventure

From the Newbery Medal-winning author ofDead End in Norvelt, the uproarious final volume of Jack Henry stories

According to his new motto--A WRITER'S JOB IS TO TURN HIS WORST EXPERIENCES INTO MONEY--Jack Gantos's alter ego Jack Henry is going to be filty rich even before he gets out of junior high, for his life is filled with the worst experiences imaginable. For instance, in the course of the few months covered in this closing cycle of interlinked stories, Jack is humiliated by a gorgeous syncronized swimmer, gets a tattoo the size of an ant on his big toe, flubs an IQ test and nearly fails wood shop, and has to dig up his dead dog not once but twice. And that's not the half of it!

At the close of this final book of semi-autobiographical stories, Jack may not end up rolling in dough, but he will prove once again "a survivor, an 'everyboy' whose world may be wacko but whose heart and spirit are eminently sane" (School Library Journal).

This title has Common Core connections.

Using Your Journal to Snoop Out and Craft Great Stories

Acclaimed author Jack Gantos's guide to becoming the best brilliant writer.

Writing Radar

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The Newbery Award-winning author of Dead End in Norvelt shares advice for how to be the best brilliant writer in this funny and practical creative writing guide perfect for all kids who dream of seeing their name on the spine of a book.

With the signature wit and humor that have garnered him legions of fans, Jack Gantos instructs young writers on using their "writing radar" to unearth story ideas from their everyday lives. Incorporating his own misadventures as a developing writer, Gantos inspires readers to build confidence and establish good writing habits as they create, revise, and perfect their stories. Pop-out text boxes highlight key tips, alongside Gantos's own illustrations, sample stories, and snippets from his childhood journals. More than just a how-to guide, Writing Radar is a celebration of the power of storytelling and an ode to the characters who--many unwittingly--inspired Gantos's own writing career.

Praise for Writing Radar:

Evanston IL Public Library Best Books of the Year
CPL: Chicago Public Library Best of the Best

"An excellent guide for aspiring authors. . . And while the book is directed at serious writers in the making, there's enough exaggeration and grossness to keep readers laughing." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Gantos's journey as a young writer learning his craft and the stories he actually wrote in middle school, all told with his characteristic humor, will appeal to fans of his novels whether or not they aspire to a writing career. Teachers will also find Gantos's breakdown on the creation of a story valuable for teaching critical reading as well as writing skills." --VOYA, starred review

Jon Scieszka

Christopher Healy

Sharon Creech

Cathy Camper

Laurie Halse Anderson

Ingrid Law

Deborah Hopkinson

Pam Muñoz Ryan

Eugene Yelchin

Lemony Snicket

Excellent condition lightly used Ex-Library book, NO MAJOR DAMAGES may contain library stickers. 

Heroes and Villains, the seventh volume in Jon Scieszka’s Guys Read Library of Great Reading, is chock-full of adventure featuring an array of characters—with and without capes. Featuring ten all-new, original stories that run the gamut from fantasy to comics to contemporary adventure to nonfiction, and featuring eleven of the most acclaimed, exciting writers for kids working today, this collection is the perfect book for you, whether you use your powers for good—or evil. Authors include Laurie Halse Anderson, Cathy Camper and Raúl Gonzalez, Sharon Creech, Jack Gantos, Christopher Healy, Deborah Hopkinson, Ingrid Law, Pam Muñoz Ryan, Lemony Snicket, and Eugene Yelchin, with illustrations by Jeff Stokely.

Guys Read: Heroes and Villains

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Heroes and Villains, the seventh volume in Jon Scieszka's Guys Read Library of Great Reading, is chock-full of adventure featuring an array of characters--with and without capes.

Featuring ten all-new, original stories that run the gamut from fantasy to comics to contemporary adventure to nonfiction, and featuring eleven of the most acclaimed, exciting writers for kids working today, this collection is the perfect book for you, whether you use your powers for good--or evil.

Authors include Laurie Halse Anderson, Cathy Camper and Raúl Gonzalez, Sharon Creech, Jack Gantos, Christopher Healy, Deborah Hopkinson, Ingrid Law, Pam Muñoz Ryan, Lemony Snicket, and Eugene Yelchin, with illustrations by Jeff Stokely.

The author of the book has wrote a small message for the owner of the book on the title page. (Please see it photo #5.)  There are a couple small visible creases on the back cover, but they don’t get in the way of reading the book. 

Illinois

Four Seasons of Fifth Grade

From the Newbery Medal-winning author ofDead End in Norvelt, nine semi-autobiographical stories that will make you laugh so hard it hurts

InJack on the Tracks, fifth-grader Jack Henry is hoping for fresh adventure when he moves to a new home in Miami with his family, but he can't escape his old worrying ways. He worries about being fascinated with all things gross and disgusting. He worries about his crazy French-obsessed schoolteacher. And most of all he worries about worrying so much.

In this cycle of interrelated stories, there may be light at the end of the tunnel, if only Jack can get on the right track to survive his outrageous year.

This title has Common Core connections.

Jack on the Tracks

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Connecticut

From the Newbery Medal-winning author ofDead End in Norvelt, eight side-splitting stories about a boy who is doing his best to keep his head above water

As the Henry family sets sail for a new life on Cape Hatteras, fourth-grader Jack is struggling to chart a course between his parents' contradictory advice on making friends and influencing people. Just tell people what they want to hear, Dad advises. Just tell the truth, Mom cautions. Jack finds there are no easy answers as he drifts through his crazy school year, falling desperately in love with his young teacher, getting suckered into becoming a bad-behavior spy for the principal, and being forced to make a presentable pet out of a duck with backward feet. Indeed, with an airheaded, air-guitar-playing neighbor the closest thing to a friend, and a judgmental older sister his relentless enemy, it's all he can do to stay afloat.

This colorful and comic new collection of interrelated stories featuring the author's hapless alter ego is the first of five books in the Jack Henry series, praised byBooklistfor their "hilarious, exquisitely painful, and utterly on-target depiction" of a boy's life.

This title has Common Core connections.

Jack Adrift: Fourth Grade Without a Clue

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Francess Lantz

Graham Salisbury

Will Weaver

Nancy Werlin

Donald R. Gallo

Chris Crutcher

Angela Johnson

Joan Bauer

Alden R. Carter

M. E. Kerr

Ronald Koertge

In every school at every grade, there's a pecking order among students--an in crowd and those outside it, who are often ridiculed mercilessly for the "crime" of being different. This powerful anthology explores the teen outsider experience in electrifying, never-before-published stories by eleven of today's most acclaimed YA authors. A tomboy finds the relief of self-expression through her music, while in another tale a relentless bully tests the faith of an intensely religious girl. A cheerleader discovers that the true soul of her school can't be found within the cool clique; a football player finally stands up for a harassed fellow student; and a boy watches in horror as the school "freak" marches into his classroom with a loaded rifle.Offering insights into popularity and peer pressure, nonconformity and persecution, acceptance and hate, these riveting, provocative tales will leave readers thinking and start them talking.

On the Fringe

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Ralph, a very, very, nasty cat, finally sees the error of his ways--or does he?

Rotten Ralph

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Ralph, a very, very nasty cat, finally sees the error of his ways -- or does he?

"Rotten Ralph is one cat who can make reading fun for kids. And he does!" --Marc Brown

Sarah needs a topic for her school project on ancient Egypt. Her rotten red cat, Ralph, thinks history is a bore. Only after he spoils a research trip to the library does Ralph decide to help. According to Sarah, the ancient Egyptians believed cats were wise and had special powers. And Rotten Ralph knows he can prove them right!

This antic adventure is the first Rotten Ralph Rotten Reader, a rambunctious new series for beginning readers.

Rotten Ralph Helps Out

Santa Claus is coming to town and Rotten Ralph is determined to make a purr-fect impression.

The Christmas Spirit Strikes Rotten Ralph

Willy's Raiders

Rotten Ralph is not at all nice to the Christmas visitor.

Browse by categories

Jack Gantos

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key

Jack Gantos

Dead End in Norvelt

Jack Gantos

Hole in My Life

Jack Gantos

Joey Pigza Loses Control

Jack Gantos

I Am Not Joey Pigza

Jack Gantos

The Trouble in Me

Jack Gantos

Practice Makes Perfect for Rotten Ralph

Jack Gantos

The Love Curse of the Rumbaughs

Jack Gantos

From Norvelt to Nowhere

Jack Gantos

The Key That Swallowed Joey Pigza

Jack Gantos

Rotten Ralph Feels Rotten

Jack Gantos

Back to School for Rotten Ralph

Jack Gantos

What Would Joey Do?

Jack Gantos

Jack's Black Book

Jack Gantos

Writing Radar

Jon Scieszka

Guys Read: Heroes and Villains

Jack Gantos

Jack on the Tracks

Jack Gantos

Jack Adrift: Fourth Grade Without a Clue

Francess Lantz

On the Fringe

Jack Gantos

Rotten Ralph

Jack Gantos

Rotten Ralph Helps Out

Jack Gantos

The Christmas Spirit Strikes Rotten Ralph

Jack Gantos

Willy's Raiders

Jack Gantos

Rotten Ralph's Rotten Christmas