Review of JOEY PIGZA SWALLOWED THE KEY

Gantos, Jack. 1998. JOEY PIGZA SWALLOWED THE KEY. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 0-374-33664-4

First in a series of four books, JOEY PIGZA SWALLOWED THE KEY is a telling and, at times, heartbreaking story of a fifth grader’s life with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Gantos thrusts readers into the mind of Joey as he disrupts class, swallows a key, climbs the rafters of a barn, and worse. Adult readers will find themselves asking, “is that really what he’s thinking?” Gantos pushes the realism envelope as many of Joey’s situations teeter on the brink of implausibility. His support system, however, is helpful yet fallible and quite realistic. As Joey makes his way from one mishap to another and lands himself in the “big special-ed center,” the plot is consistently engaging and logical. The writing style creates a sense of non-stop thought and action by streaming together multiple phrases using “and” and “but.” These run on sentences give the reader a sense of what it is like inside a brain with ADHD. The setting is relatively nonspecific. The story takes place in a district with the resources to accommodate children like Joey. Joey’s story would be unlikely—or more tragic—were it to take place in a small school district with fewer resources.

This edgy piece of contemporary realistic fiction is recommended for mature readers grades 5-8 and adults seeking a new perspective on the subject of ADHD.