Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key: (National Book Award Finalist): 1 - Softcover

Gantos, Jack

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1250061687 ISBN 13: 9781250061683

Publisher: Square Fish, 2014

Synopsis

"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.

About this title

Review

Age: 9-11 years

At school they say I'm wired bad, or wired nad, or wired sad, or wired glad, depending on my mood and what teacher has ended up with me. But there is no doubt about it, I'm wired.

Joey is undoubtedly a handful: his tendency to literally spin down the school halls or bounce around the kitchen can, understandably drive the adults in his life insane. But Joey has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and he really has no control over his actions. He just does whatever pops into his head. And if that includes swallowing a key, then so be it...

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key is one of the most unusual and absorbing books any child, or adult, is ever likely to read. Joey's story is at once wildly funny and despairingly sad, but most of all totally convincing. Jack Gantos writes with a dead-pan style that avoids patronising either the readers or Joey himself, and takes us into a world that swings from being breathtakingly wild and exciting to unbelievably confusing.

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key is an unforgettable book that everyone should read at least once, and Joey Pigza is an extraordinary boy--not always likeable, but always real--who will undoubtedly stay in the hearts and minds of anyone who gets to know him. --Susan Harrison

Review

"* In this rollercoaster of a ride, ingenuously and breathlessly narrated by Joey himself, readers are treated to an up-close introduction to life with attention deficit disorder--or being wired, as Joey puts it. . . . Readers of this compelling tragicomedy will know almost from the start that Joey's not just a good kid--he's a great kid." --The Horn Book, starred review

About this edition

• Publisher: Square Fish
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1250061687
• ISBN 13: 9781250061683
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176