Title: The Key That Swallowed Joey Pigza
Author: Jack Gantos
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Humor
Description: The fifth and final book in the groundbreaking Joey Pigza series brings the beloved chronicle of this wired, wacky, and wonderful boy to a crescendo of chaos and craziness, as everything goes topsy-turvy for Joey just as he starts to get his feet on the ground. With his dad MIA in the wake of appearance-altering plastic surgery, Joey must give up school to look after his new baby brother and fill in for his mom, who hospitalizes herself to deal with a bad case of postpartum blues. As his challenges mount, Joey discovers a key that could unlock the secrets to his father’s whereabouts, a mystery that must be solved before Joey can even hope that his broken family might somehow come back together—if only it doesn’t pull him apart first.
Lexile: 5.4
Word Count: 36,453
Location: FIC GAN
My Review: I fell in love with Joey Pigza and Jack Ganto’s writing when I read Joey Pigza Swallowed a Key for my librarian class several years ago. At the time I was teaching 5th grade still and had a boy who was almost exactly like Joey in my class. He was a very smart and sweet kid, but he would do the strangest things at time. I honestly felt like he was just trying to drive me crazy at times. Reading Joey Pigza helped me realize what students with ADHD are going through. I felt so bad for Joey. I just wanted to adopt him and make all of his problems go away. Throughout the series, I was hopeful that Joey’s life would get easier and he could find a happily ever after. In The Key That Swallowed Joey Pigza Gantos wraps up the Joey’s story. While he may not end up with a happily ever after, you are left with some peace knowing that Joey will be okay regardless of his circumstances.
One of my all time favorite series!
Rating: A+