NEW YORK (AP) — For his next tale about the chaotic life of young Joey Pigza, Jack Gantos has a special pitch.
Gantos is releasing "The Dented Head of Joey Pigza" as an original audiobook. The audio distributor and producer Audible told The Associated Press on Monday that the book comes out Sept. 18. (Audible is owned by Amazon.com.)
The project was a natural for Gantos, whose previous books include "Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key," a finalist for the National Book Award, and "Joey Pigza Loses Control," a finalist for the Newbery medal. He has narrated the audio editions of the other Pigza novels, whose title character struggles with attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder, and told the AP in a recent email that he looked forward to again sharing his character's "amped up, magnetic voice."
"I'm phrasing in a bit more physical detailing to give the listener a sharper visual world. I'm also adding a touch more dialogue to round out the characters — provide easier voice-to-character transitions, and to punch up the characteristic 'Joey Pigza' humor," he wrote. "There are no special sound effects at play in this recording — this is high intensity literature delivered directly to the audience."
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