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

Jack Gantos

Jul 2011 · Joey Pigza Book 1 · Sold by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

About this ebook

"They say I'm wired bad, or wired sad, but there's no doubt about it–I'm wired."

Explore the energetic world of Joey Pigza, a young boy with a heart of gold and a mind that's faster than light. Join Joey as he navigates misadventures, quirky decisions, and educational hurdles, always driven by his unwavering quest to fit into a world that seems to operate at a different rhythm.

This book, a National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature, provides a much-needed perspective for those navigating neurodiversity—or for anyone seeking an understanding of a different walk of life.

Author Jack Gantos masterfully bridges the gap between education and entertainment, crafting an engaging adventure that also serves as an enlightening discussion about hyper-activity.

This title has Common Core connections.

Ratings and reviews

My primary school teacher Mrs. Ownby read this book to all of 20 of us, 17 years ago. This book always resonated with me. It's about a kid with severe ADHD, who's absent mother of 8 years comes back. He was being taken care of by his grandma. This first book in the series is all about Joey getting the help he needs and learning to control his impulses. He handles his anger from his mother choosing his father over him. His mother has to handle the guilt of drinking while she was pregnant with him. She learns to be a mother and faces similar challenges other mother's and father's face, with mentally handicap or ADHD children. Anyone with a little one with ADHD, should READ THIS BOOK. It's accurate on ADHD, the struggles children face in primary, lower secondary and secondary school face.

This is a great book! It was really heart filled story it makes me think about in real life there's people that struggle just like that but it was a good one !

This book was laugh out loud funny! Many times, I felt bad for Joey because he truly wanted to do the right thing, but it went all wrong. As a teacher, it was good for me to read about a boy who struggles to pay attention. It helps me understand where some of my students may be coming from.

About the author

Jack Gantos has written books for people of all ages, from picture books and middle-grade fiction to novels for young adults and adults. His works include Hole in My Life, a memoir that won the Michael L. Printz and Robert F. Sibert Honors; the Joey Pigza series, which include a Newbery Honor book and a National Book Award Finalist; Dead End in Norvelt, winner of the Newbery Medal and the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction; and the Rotten Ralph series.