audio

juvenile fiction....humorous.... attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder...single-parent families...brothers
I did this audio for a juvenile read challaenge.

Jack was born in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, and grew up in the nearby town of Norvelt.

Dead End in Norvelt and From Norvelt to Nowhere, I've also done in audio.
Jack narrates his own work.
I love small town living and Norvelt is nearby.
I had fun with "young Jack Gantos and his utopian town of Norvelt in western Pennsylvania." ( )

Narrated by Jack Gantos. Joey deals with a lot having a pair of dysfunctional parents, yet manages to hold it together. The scene detailing his mother's mental breakdown is pretty intense, not something you'd expect to find in a children's book. Kids probably won't see it that way and will likely be more interested in how Joey takes care of Carter Jr. as they live on their own in their mother's absence. Gantos reads his work with affection for his character, expansive and over the top. With the series' conclusion, the author's closing note describes how Joey Pigza came to be. ( )

Read by the author, The Key that Swallowed Joey Pigza is a rollercoaster ride into the last installment of Joey's saga. ( )

Another in the series regarding an incredibly likable Joey Pigza who bounces off the wall with AHDH while his parents bounce off everything in trying, but not succeeding, in getting their act together.

At times difficult to follow the reading style, like the character of Joey, if you hang in there, it all comes together for a remarkable story of a very special young boy who tries to make sense of his life and that of his non sensensical parents.

Gantos is a highly accredited and remarkable award-winning author. Some of his credits include Newbery awards, a National Book Award and a Michael L. Pritz winning book.

In this tale, once again Joey's father has skipped out on the family. There is a new baby brother in the house, and while Joey's mother is severely depressed, leaving Joey to take care of baby Carter Junior, he does the absolute best he can.

Knowing his parents are very messed up, he brings self doubt to the process because he also believes he is messed up just like them. Baby Carter Junior represents a new start, and Joey never wants Carter to be messed up like the rest of the family.

When his mother announces she is leaving and going to take a rest in the hospital, she leaves Carter Junior in his hands. Taking the food stamps to the store, he buys the diapers and food needed to get them through an indefinite period of time. Knowing he desperately needs his medication to hold it together and take care of the baby and himself, he tries to find where his illogical mother may have placed the patches.

When his near-do-well father tries to kidnap the baby, Joey has his blind girlfriend come to his aid in taking care of the baby and keeping his father at bay.

Once again, Gantos wrote a book that seems sheer madness and yet, it all comes together in a logic thinking pattern of a boy who ricochets throughout life, literally pulling his hair out of his head.

Through it all, the reader laughs and cries at this wonderful character who is challenged, and yet way more astute and mature than his parents.

Floated as a possible Newbery winner, I am sorry this book did not get that well-deserved honor. ( )

Starts well then wrapped up sloppily. ( )