Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key is a children's novel by Jack Gantos, published in 1998. It is the first of a series of books featuring the hyperactive Joey Pigza. The book was a National Book Award finalist.[1]
Plot summary
The story, told from Joey's perspective, deals with his inability to control his impulses, due to Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These impulses lead Joey to do numerous things, both at home and at school, which get him in trouble.
Joey has been thinking about changing the world and makes his move after sneaking into an assembly. When his teacher comes back, at recess, he decides to make 1,000,000 bumper stickers. The scissors he uses are too small and hurt his hand, 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 (Maria Dombrowski) nose. Blood drips everywhere and she is put in an ambulance and rushed to the hospital. Joey's moved to the Special Ed Center downtown where he's medicated via a transdermal patch, and his behavior improves. Later in the story he gets a Chihuahua who is just as hyper as Joey is, which he calls a "Joey Pigza dog."
References
- ↑ "National Book Award Winners and Finalists since 1950" (PDF). Retrieved 3 February 2010.