LitPick Review
In the book, I Am Not Joey Pigza by Jack Gantos, Joey, a troubled boy tries to find his true identity. Joey lives with his mother because his father left the family. While Joey's father is away, he purchases a winning lottery ticket and receives a lot of money. His father thinks he is a new man when he receives the money. He goes back to his family and says he changed and wants to be part of the family again. The mom accepts him but Joey hates the idea. Joey's dad then changes the names of the family members. The mother's name becomes Maria Heinz and Joey's name becomes Freddy Heinz. The father thinks that changing the names will be a new start for the family and they will forget the past experiences. The genre of this book is realistic fiction.
Opinion:
The mood of the book is freewheeling, calm and always changing. The author makes Joey seem like a real character as he describes him vividly. I like the main character, Joey, because he cares about his mother; he also tries to be himself and keep his real identity. The author's voice is descriptive. The story is told in the first person view and it was appropriate. The writing is powerful and the vocabulary was age appropriate. I learned from the book that family is important and that everyone deserves a second chance in life. I would recommend this book to others becasue it tells a good story and is very realistic.
