In Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos, the author used his writing style to engage the reader. He was trying to give a lesson to kid who can’t stay on task. The theme is: to reach you goal you have to work hard and have self-control. I think working hard and having self-control are important in life because in order to succeed you need this personal quality.

A boy named Joey has problems following the rules and sitting still when his meds aren’t working. Joey knows he’s a really good kid, but no matter how hard he tries to do the right things, something always seems to go wrong. Will Joey Pigza’s
meds get him back on track?

Joey Pigza is a nice and kind boy. At one point in the story, by accident Joey tripped with an open scissor and cut Maria’s nose. After a few days he went to Maria’s house to see how she was, but Maria’s dad kick him out. This shows how kind he is
to still be worried about her.

I could describe the author’s style of writing by the quotes, vocabulary and how he adds a lot of adjectives to give the reader a good mind picture. The author used his writing style to engage the reader in the book by writing “Who’s there “! I yelled, and when grandma and I yanked open the door to a strange was standing on the porch mat, like one of those church ladies dressed in shiny shoes and a Sunday hat. “I’m sorry for being gone so long, she said.” Page 7

I could recommend this book to anyone who has a hard time following rules. I am recommending this book because I thought it will help people behave. For people who are having a hard time following rules this is a good book because in this book you could see the result of not following rules or staying on task.