Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jenny Nimmo

Plot Summary:

Jenny Nimmo begins Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by hooking the reader as he states, “They say I'm wired bad, or wired sad, but there's no doubt about it -- I'm wired.” You have to empathize with Joey; his life is not all that great. This insightful book is about a boy with ADHD and a seriously dysfunctional life. Joey gets into trouble continuously throughout the book. After he gets suspended from school, he attempts to get help for his condition. He begins to take medication but begins to think it is not working because of his dysfunctional family. His alcoholic does mother seems to love him in her own way but cannot take care of him. His grandmother is plain cruel to him. Despite his illness, Joey is a good kid, he just can’t seem to help it. Joey’s wired and revved up life enables his to get into trouble without the realization as to the degree of trouble he gets into. The title for this book derives from they what Joey does to his key. Usually, he swallows his key that is tied to a sting and then retrieves it. Until one day, Joey forgets to tie the fey to a string and actually swallows his key. Hence the name, Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key. As an educator, I can relate to this book. I will always remember a certain student who would ask me to run around the perimeter of the fence during recess because his parents refuse to give him meds. He knew he had a problem just like Joey. Had this book been published then, I would have recommended this book to him because there were times when that student seemed to feel misunderstood.

Impression about the book

My impression about Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jenny Nimmo is how precise the author depicted Joey’s struggle with ADHD. The book is very detailed and may seem inappropriate at times.

Reviews / Reviews Excerpts

This is a great book. It gives insight to the life of those struggling to figure out what to do or how to cope with ADHD. This book is recommended with reservations.

Suggestions for library use:

Librarians could use this book as an insight to students with similar experiences. The librarian can read aloud the first page and be captivated by Joey’s struggle.