Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key
Encyclopedia
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, written by Jack Gantos
, is the first in a series of books featuring Joey Pigza
. The book was a National Book Award
finalist.
The book starts off with Joey saying that he is a very wired kid. You later learn Joey has been thinking about changing the world. When his teacher comes back, at recess, he decides to make 1,000,000 bumper stickers. The scissors he uses are too dull, so he sneaks into his teacher's desk and takes the sharper, bigger scissors. He trips over his bunny slippers and cuts the tip off a girl's nose. Blood drips everywhere and she is put in an ambulance and rushed to the hospital. He gets put into the Special Ed Center downtown where he gets a transdermal patch
and his behavior improves. He also gets a dog later in the story.
Jack Gantos
John Bryan Gantos, Jr., better known as Jack Gantos is an American author of children's books renowned for his portrayal of fictional Joey Pigza, a boy with ADHD. Gantos has won a number of awards, including the Newbery Honor, the Printz Honor, and the Sibert Honor from the American Library...
, is the first in a series of books featuring Joey Pigza
Joey Pigza
Joey Pigza is the main character in a series of children's books written by Jack Gantos. Joey has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder . Joey often struggles throughout the series with balancing his desire to behave, and his impulses....
. The book was a National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
finalist.
Plot summary
The story, told from Joey's perspective, deals with Joey's inability to control his impulses. These impulses lead Joey to do numerous things, both at home and at school, which get him in trouble.The book starts off with Joey saying that he is a very wired kid. You later learn Joey has been thinking about changing the world. When his teacher comes back, at recess, he decides to make 1,000,000 bumper stickers. The scissors he uses are too dull, so he sneaks into his teacher's desk and takes the sharper, bigger scissors. He trips over his bunny slippers and cuts the tip off a girl's nose. Blood drips everywhere and she is put in an ambulance and rushed to the hospital. He gets put into the Special Ed Center downtown where he gets a transdermal patch
Transdermal patch
A transdermal patch is a medicated adhesive patch that is placed on the skin to deliver a specific dose of medication through the skin and into the bloodstream. Often, this promotes healing to an injured area of the body. An advantage of a transdermal drug delivery route over other types of...
and his behavior improves. He also gets a dog later in the story.