Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Agent, corey egbert, graphic novel, graphic novels, Jack Gantos, Joey Pigza

Corey Egbert To Adapt Jack Gantos' Joey Pigza As Graphic Novels

Published Thu, 24 Mar 2022 04:58:10 -0500

Last updated Sun, 09 Jul 2023 07:39:34 -0500

Comic book illustrator Corey Egbert has been signed to adapt and illustrate Jack Gantos' Joey Pigza four middle-grade novels into graphic novel form. Originally published between 1998 and 2015, these novels about a middle-school boy surmounting challenges with ADHD and his off-the-wall family were National Book Award finalists and a Newbery Honor Awarded book. Publication of the first title, Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, by editor Wesley Adams at publisher FSG will be in the spring of 2024.

Corey Egbert To Adapt Jack Gantos' Joey Pigza At Graphic Novels

Egbert posted to Facebook, saying "Some crazy big news. I'm very excited and honored to have the opportunity to adapt @jgantos amazing stories to a new medium so they can be shared with new audiences. Joey is a kid I can relate to on so many levels – a boy with a good heart who's been dealt some tough life circumstances. He does his best despite being far from fitting the mold of a normal kid. His journey of finding the light in himself is very touching and empowering.

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. 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. Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key was a finalist for the National Book Award, and Joey Pigza Loses Control received the Newbery Honor. Jack Gantos' series is full of humor and real situations that many children can relate to.

Corey Egbert is an illustrator based in Virginia who says that he" believes in creating imaginative and hopeful art that empowers young people to make their world better." Corey Egbert's agent Nicole Tugeau at Tugeau 2 and Jack Gantos' agent Amy Berkower at Writers House negotiated the deal.

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