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

My son loved this book. It's difficult to find books for him because he won't read anything with a hint of a dark theme (such as murders, robberies, etc.). He read this cover to cover and asked for more books in this series...

This was a book that touched me in many ways and I am quite happy to have read it. Joey Pigza is an extremely hyperactive 5th Grade boy. As he says to start the book "At school they say I'm wired bad, or wired mad, 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". Through Gantos' deft storytelling, with Joey acting as our narrator, we are quickly taken into Joey's world. Joey's world isn't one that most of us would like to be a part of for very long. Joey has, up until the time we met him, lived in a world punctuated by two things. The fact that he is a wired, or in other words suffering from an extreme case of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and a home life that involves a grandmother taking care of Joey, whose parents are AWOL, who in her own wired way is rather abusive towards Joey. Joey's life changes though with the return of his mother, which causes Joey's grandmother to leave. Joey's mother is a far more together person and is committed to trying to help Joey get better. However, Joey's ADHD causes him to get into ever more destructive situations that culminates in Joey accidentally maiming a girl's nose. With Joey describing the situation, if the reader reads quickly enough, it is quite possible for Joey's ridiculous decisions to make sense. Upon any sort of reflection Joey's decisions look ridiculous, but the fact that Gantos can make the reader understand why Joey acts the way he does is a large part of what makes this an excellent book. After reaching rock bottom Joey is sent to a special school where Joey's desire to not act that way is met with people who can help him get better. And slowly, and not without the occasional set back, Joey with the help of his case worker, "Special Ed", Joey is put on medication that works and he learns to make good decisions. The book ends with one of life's little triumphs as Joey is allowed to leave the Special Education school and return to his normal school. While not everything is OK things are look pretty good for Joey. This sums up the true triumph of Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key. The book manages to capture the shades of grey that are almost always missing from children's book. Joey is an astute 5th grader, but he is still a 5th grader and so sometimes there are just things he doesn't understand, unlike other children's books where the children appear to be nothing short of clairvoyant. This is a book that is fun to read while being so much more. I highly recommend this book.

This is an inspiring, funny and at times very moving story of a child with enormous learning difficulties and the sometimes hillarious situations he finds himself in. EVERY child should read this and the other books in the Joey Pigza series.

This is the best book to read out loud to a 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade class. When I read it to my 4th grade class each year, my students who had ADHD told me this book was about them. As for the other students, they loved the book, too. It made them understand how it feels to have ADHD and that Joey Pigza wishes to be able to stay still like his classmates. So many students wanted to borrow this book, that my book eventually fell apart!

I've actually never read this book but I HAVE listened to the audio version SEVERAL time. It's like one of those movies you go back to maybe once a year or so. It's funny and poignant and you will fall in love with Joey while you cringe at his antics. Jack Gantos is the author and reader . Sometimes that doesn't always work out but for this audio, it's perfect. If you're an adult with a Child's heart read or listen, then decide what child you'd like to share it with.