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    Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key: (National Book Award Finalist)
    Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key: (National Book Award Finalist)
    Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key: (National Book Award Finalist)
    Ebook172 pages2 hours

    Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key: (National Book Award Finalist)

    By Jack Gantos

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    "They say I'm wired bad, or wired sad, but there's no doubt about it–I'm wired."

    Explore the energetic world of Joey Pigza, a young boy with a heart of gold and a mind that's faster than light. Join Joey as he navigates misadventures, quirky decisions, and educational hurdles, always driven by his unwavering quest to fit into a world that seems to operate at a different rhythm.

    This book, a National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature, provides a much-needed perspective for those navigating neurodiversity—or for anyone seeking an understanding of a different walk of life.

    Author Jack Gantos masterfully bridges the gap between education and entertainment, crafting an engaging adventure that also serves as an enlightening discussion about hyper-activity.

    This title has Common Core connections.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateJul 5, 2011
    ISBN9781429936262
    Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key: (National Book Award Finalist)
    Author

    Jack Gantos

    Jack Gantos is the celebrated author of Joey Pigza Loses Control, a Newbery Honor Book. He is also the author of the popular picture books about Rotten Ralph, and Jack's Black Book, the latest in his acclaimed series of semi-autobiographical story collections featuring his alter ego, Jack Henry. Mr. Gantos lives with his wife and daughter in Boston, Massachusetts.

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    Reviews for Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key

    4.5/5

    38 ratings43 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Joey struggles to obey. His medication only helps sometimes. He finds his attention span and his ability to sit still stops when his medication wears off. He feels trapped to do what his body wants him to do, even when he knows he should sit still and listen.

      The author presents a compelling case for medicating behavior. It allows the reader to enter the child's mind and struggle to do what is right. It also gives hope for parents who have children who were drug/alcohol babies who are now violent, hurt themselves, have difficulty learning, sitting still and understanding consequences.

      The author's conclusion---finding the right medicine that will control Joey's behavior, is based on the assumption that behavior can be controlled by the body's chemical disfunction, and not by a soul who chooses wrong. This premise I would disagree with---but would sympathize with the mother's desire to find something that would help.

      Some parts of the book were too gross even for my boys to want to read, although their laughter at other parts let me know they could relate.

      Some parts were too real in what we saw with an example we know about drug babies to 'enjoy' the book---but did give witness that it wasn't an isolated example.

      Perhaps not a children's book, but more for a parent who has a child like this. His antics from a parent's view was nothing to be laughed at, yet some of my boys thought he was hilarious. Others thought it sad, (too real to laugh at.)

      Glad the mother and Joey were given hope.
    • 5/5
      Joey gives us a glimpse into the mind of a child who appears to be purposefully driving everyone else nuts been all reality is attempting to make the right choice. Hearing his internal dialogue prior, during, and after an event makes you just want to reach out to hug him. I also felt this deep anger for the way they treated him at school but I think it's written in that way to really get the reader thinking. I believe this book would help children with ADHD hear a portion of their voice in it as well as helping other children understand ADHD. It would also prompt a great discuss on our impulses vs. our control. I found this book highly refreshing because the main character wasn't "perfect" but a normal child struggling with something in his life. It felt like reality.
    • 5/5
      Joey Pigza is many of my students, or so it seems. The difference is that while Joey can have a sense of humor about his predicaments, some of the students I’ve met can’t. I liked how the condition he deals with is shared by family members and others. For those of us that don’t experience such a disorder, this is a great book that, at least, pushes us in the direction of understanding if not some empathy. The characters are written intelligently and have intelligence, something that can be easily overlooked by an author that is more focused on laughs. Gantos’s use of humor is a key to reaching all readers, not just those with a vested interest in ADHD.
    • 4/5
      Both hysterically funny and heartbreaking all at once, Joey Pigza is a kid everyone can root for. When we first meet Joey Pigza, he is bouncing off the walls - literally! Joey is wired all the time, but especially in the afternoons, even though his medication is supposed to help him focus through the whole school day. Life is definitely never dull around Joey - you never know what he'll get into his head to do next: Sharpen his fingernails with a pencil sharpener? Pretend to be a tasmanian devil? Eat a whole shoofly pie and jump out of a hayloft? Swallow his house key? Joey's mom and his teachers do what they can to help Joey make good decisions, but these adults are far from perfect and they don't always know how to help. While Joey's adventures can be funny, they get more and more dangerous and soon he's landed himself in Special Ed - his last chance - what happens if he can't make it work? Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key is an insightful look into the mind of a kid who's doing the best he can against the overwhelming odds of ADD and an unstable home.

      Parts of this book just tore my heart out while I was reading them. When Joey's grandmother tricks him into thinking his mom has called and that if he can just sit still and quiet she'll come home, it's absolutely gutwrenching. I love that Gantos makes most of the adults far from perfect, but still invested in Joey's best interests. This was a great discussion title for my 3rd-5th graders; although some of them thought it was too gross, they all had interesting things to say about what they had read.

      March 2009 Cover 2 Cover selection.
    • 5/5
      Funny but heart rendering.
    • 3/5
      Grades: 2nd and up Genre: Contemporary Realistic FictionLesson/Topic: ADHD, Special Education, and neglectReview: A story written from the perspective of a boy with ADHD and his journey to get help with school and try to stay under control. I enjoyed it as a future teacher to help me better understand these "trouble" students, who it may not be completely their fault when things go what we consider as "wrong".
    • 4/5
      I have never worked with students who had ADHD, so this book was very insightful for me. It tells the story of a boy who has ADHD and how he goes through school. Since the story is told through Joey's eyes, this book allows readers to understand what children with ADHD are thinking and how they make their decisions. As a teacher, reading this book can help me be more understanding of my students who have ADHD.
    • 5/5
      Gantos speaks in the voice of Joey himself; so well written and so believable that I wondered if Gantos himself had adhd--Joey has some knowledge of what he is doing but he is compelled and cannot stop himself. His feet move, he can feel his meds wearing off, he does not want to get in trouble but his brain, his ability to think logically and make good decisions, is different than ours and he makes some spectacularly bad decisions, occasionally hurting himself and other people. Joey is getting worse; he has trouble every day at school; the other kids think he is weird, are afraid of him, bully him, etc. Both Joey and his mother resist his placement in the "special school" downtown, but his options are running out, and everything is NOT okay. His family life is far from perfect; family members have the same disorder, plus alcoholism, abandonment, poverty, neglect, abuse-- but the characters are so complex and nuanced... just as in real life, they are not black and white, but imperfect. And...most amazing of all, the book is funny! We genuinely like Joey and his family and are sympathetic. I loved this book but i wonder if a 4th or 5th grader will get the sublety , especially without adult guidance. I would put it at 5th grade at least. Powerful and funny and moving. and real. i will always pause before i get mad at another kid who is "just not listening."
    • 4/5
      Genre: Contemporary Realistic FictionThis book is definitely possible because it tells of the perspective of a boy named Joey Pigza and how he grows up with some form of a cognitive disability. The story and characters are made up by the author Jack Gantos. Through the book Joey is discovering what it means and looks like to live with his disability. THe heart wrenching story is sad on many levels. Joey's home life is very unstable, and his school like is spun into a whirlwind as his teachers try to deal with his behavior. This would definitely be a difficult book to giv to one of my students to read, and I am not sure it's entirely appropriate on every level, but with a mature student I think it could be a beneficial read to help them to understand where others come from or to help them relate to a character that has a similar story. I could also read excerpts from the story to illustrate how people that feel different can think about themselves, and how friends can help with those feelings. This is a chapter book so there isn't any media throughout the book but the covere looks like mixed media for the illustration.
    • 4/5
      Joey Pigza is wired differently than other people. It leads to a lot of problems in school. Over the course of the book he struggles to find a way through medical treatment and educational settings to make things work. There are loads of humorous episodes in this quick read.
    • 4/5
      Shades of my childhood, Joey is emotionally abused by his Grandmother, and appears to have what is now labeled as ADD. He himself is an emotional prisoner and the reader is dragged kicking and screaming through this mess of his life. As I have learned with my Mother, his meds are not helpful, they merely mute the chaos. The patch seems to work for him, and one exhales a long sigh of relief when he recognizes that he is not a bad kid after all.If You Liked This, Try: Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos, What Would Joey Do? By Jack Gantos, The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis, Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan, Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis.Awards: California Young Reader Medal
    • 5/5
      I'm not sure why people tagged this as humor--my reactions ranged from cringing to crying. Joey is a great character, and the author does an amazing job of describing, in Joey's words, what is going on in his brain. You can also imagine, through the adults' words and actions, what they're really thinking about him. What really impressed me, and the 5th grade students I recently read the book with, was his perseverance, his willingness to keep on trying after so many disappointments. Everyone who works with children should read this book.
    • 4/5
      This book teaches children that having an illness such as ADHD does not make them bad; they are good kids with good hearts. These children need help from adults, parents and teachers, and through regulated medications, these children can lead a normal functioning life, at home and at school. The book also teaches non-ADHD children what the illness is about and why some children are “wired” and can’t behave in school or at home. This is an excellent example of a children’s realistic fiction book that deals with a real problem—ADHD. There are many children with developmental and learning disabilities. The characterization of Joey is well done. He is convincing real and life-like and could easily be a child’s classmate or next door neighbor. The book is a 1999 Notable Book from the ALSC.
    • 3/5
      I hate Joey. And his mother. And his grandmother. I cannot empathize or even sympathize with any of them. Everything Joey does he "can't help" because of his brain or his drugs. I can't accept that. I know plenty of children (and adults) just like Joey and Joey just seems to have zero self-control. Self-control is difficult for everyone, but if you provide a strong enough motivation, it can be found. Instead, Joey is routinely rewarded or excused from his lack of self control. Nope. Nope nope nope.
    • 5/5
      This is what I was thinking as I read: I've read a lot of good (and not so good) books about kids with autism and asperger's. This is the only one I've read about ADHD, which is more common. And yet, the thing is, it's the only one necessary. Gantos masterfully makes the reader feel just as 'wired' as Joey, and just as frustrated.

      He's such a lovable and smart and loving kid, and everyone is really trying to do right by him. Even his grandma in her own messed up way did love him and get him this far. I love that it's made clear that Joey isn't just hyper, he's also impulsive, easily distracted, and impatient. And meds aren't a magic bullet. I'm definitely going to read the sequels.

      Two bookdarts: You know you're a kid with challenges when you're leaving the school nurse's office and she casually says, See you later."

      And I like his mom's advice, for any of us, "When you think of anything bad, you quick have to think of something good. And you can never, never think of three things bad in a row or else you will feel just awful."

      I found it interesting that my library copy had pencil scribbles on several pages, as if an impulsive kid had gotten his hands on it?"
    • 3/5
      4Q 3PJoey Pigza is a young boy dealing with the return of his long absent mother and struggling with severe ADHD. While some of his outbursts and mishaps are comical and will make readers laugh, other moments are jarring and reveal the great difficulties the disorder creates. An enriching book that informs as it entertains.
    • 3/5
      Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key is a book about a young boy who struggles with attention and emotional disorders. Jack Gantos wrote this story through the eyes of Joey, giving readers insight on the thoughts and struggles of a child dealing with ADHD. The book chronicles Joey's attempts at being "normal" and the aftermath of what happens once his medication wears off. Although there are funny parts in this story, younger readers will not understand the underlining meaning of his problems. Furthermore, the content in this book is heavy because Joey not only is dealing with health issues, he was mentally abused by his Grandmother and was abandoned by his parents (his mother does return). The story does realistically portray aspects of growing up in a broken home, the school system (specifically special education), experiences of a child dealing with this type of condition and how adults and children respond to others with a disability. This story exposes the severity and hardships of an individual living with such conditions along with the cruelty and compassion that lies within others. In the end, Joey gains confidence and hope in his situation and himself with the change of medication and a structured environment. Overall this book is enlightening and thought-provoking, but one that I would not consider for younger children to read. Aside from talks of poop and gory details of cutting the tip off of someone's nose, the book deals with issues that are for mature readers and in some parts the story moves slow. Age Appropriate: 6th grade and UpFamilies with children living with ADHD, educators and older kids with ADHD could identify with Joey. The book will provoke emotions.
    • 4/5
      Joey Pigza has a bad case of ADHD. He is taking medications, but they do not work very well. After he has been living with his not-very-kind grandmother for several years, his mother finally returns to take care of him. Joey constantly gets in trouble at school because he loses control of himself, and starts behaving in ways that can be dangerous to him (such as sticking his finger in the pencil sharpener, or walking on a beam at the top of a barn during a field trip), and to others (he cuts off the tip of one of his classmates’ nose). He ends up being sent to a special education center in order to help him gain better control of his life. Thanks to the structure of that school, the caring attention of a teacher, and new medication, he does get better by the end of the book, and is allowed to return to his original school. This book accurately portrays the struggles and shifting emotions that a child suffering from ADHD might go through. The anguish and guilt caused by seeing oneself do things uncontrollably when one wants to behave well is well conveyed. The first-person narrative puts the reader in Joey’s shoes, and we almost feel ourselves spinning out of control when he does. Joey is an endearing little kid, and after being taken for a wild rollercoaster ride along with Joey, the reader really feels for him, and wants him to succeed in his quest to get better. This is definitely a book that would interest children with ADHD as well as their parents and teachers. Grade 5 and up.
    • 5/5
      this book is about this kid names joey pigza and he has ADHD and he is having problems at school he cuts one of the girl nose off,he swallows a key and has to be sent to the nurse and also when he cut that girls nose off he had to go to a special school for special kids he only had to stay their for a little while but he learned how to control tha but he had to get new medicine so he went to a different state to wa special doctor to get the right medicine because the other wasnt working very well for him and all i have to say about this book is that it is awesome and that it would be a great book for someone in 6th grade!!! my favorite book ever
    • 5/5
      I really liked this book because it was very funny and i would recommend this boook for anyone one who likes historical fiction.joey is a kid that has some problems who cant stay still or anything and who gets in trouble alot for that.Also my favorite part in this book is when he swallowes this key and he went to the nurses office and she gives him a choice of going to the doctor or her give him some medcine and let nature take its course...... To find out what he picks read Joey Pigza swallowed th key.
    • 4/5
      Gantos, J., (1998). Joey pigza swallowed the key. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux."Joey Pigza," is a realistic fiction book about a boy with ADHD. It is written in a way that is believable, and it gives much insight into the mind of a child with ADHD. The reader can gain a greater understanding of what a child might be thinking before, during, and after their actions. Joey has had a tough go of it, but he believes that he is a good kid, and he never means to do the things he does. The reader can totally sympathize with his character, and for someone who doesn't understand what a child with ADHD goes through, this book can certainly clear up any questions. Although the story was written over 10 years ago, the subject is contemporary and universal. It can also be a controversial topic, and Gantos deals with this issue carefully and respectfully. It is not only an excellent book to help other children that might have come into contact with friends in school, or even relatives with this condition, but it is also excellent read for adults.
    • 4/5
      Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, by Jack Gantos, is an unflinching look inside the world of a child with ADHD. Joey is an out-of-control kid who just can’t seem to get his act together, much to the dismay of his teachers, classmates, and family. Without a strong parental figure at home and without the right medication, it’s no wonder that Joey is a destructive whirlwind of a boy. However, Gantos helps the reader to understand and sympathize with Joey, a truly remarkable accomplishment for a protagonist of Joey’s nature.Over the course of the novel, we see Joey Pigza’s behavior in all its ugly glory: he chops off the tip of a classmate’s nose, climbs the rafters of an Amish barn, and (of course) swallows his house key… which is returned to him later in the expected, defecating fashion. Of course, Joey isn’t entirely to blame for his behavior: early on in the novel, Gantos explains that Joey’s father abandoned the family long ago, his grandmother is even crazier than he is, and his long-absent mother has just returned to his life. Gantos even hints that Joey’s ADHD is a result of Joey’s mother drinking too much during her pregnancy. With family like this, it’s no wonder that poor Joey is such a mess!Gantos’s stream-of-consciousness narration cleverly recreates the ADHD within Joey’s brain, and helps the reader to identify with behavior that otherwise seems outlandish and unrealistic. Of course, we all know children like Joey: kids who simply lack the self-control to maintain basic, “normal” behavior. There is a kid like Joey in every classroom, albeit sometimes with better medication and self-control than others. Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key will help readers to sympathize with each “Joey” encountered in life, and will (hopefully) humanize real individuals with such disabilities. This is an incredible book with a powerful message, and it will undoubtedly help children develop tolerance and understanding for others.Citation:Gantos, Jack. Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998. Print.
    • 5/5
      Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos is the first book in a series of four books about delightfully hyper Joey Pigza.Joey's parents are divorced, and when he was quite young his mother left him with his ornery grandmother to look for Joey's alcoholic father, Carter Pigza. Thus, for a few years of his life, Joey is raised by his grandma (his father's mother). Joey's grandma is mean and grouchy and is unable to help Joey with his own problematic behavior which is a result of his ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).As a result, when Joey's mom returns one day, Joey is kind of a mess. He is on "dud meds" and has caused many problems at school. Poor Joey means well, but he gets so curious and energized that he often makes poor decisions. Eventually, there is an accident at school, and Joey is sent to a special education center. While at the center, Joey is given thorough attention and learns some positive tools to use in order to be successful in life. Most importantly, with the help of new medication, Joey learns he isn't "bad" or "crazy." He's just a bit different. The story is interesting and well told. It is a great book to read for all those curious about what it is like to have ADHD. Also, the audio version which is read by Jack Gantos is extremely entertaining. Mr. Gantos really knows Joey and brings the story to complete life. I love this series and would highly recommend it to anyone!
    • 4/5
      Joey Pigza cannot sit still; his world is in constant motion, and he runs and bounces from one misadventure to the next. The first person narration is dizzying. Joey’s repeated response: “I”ll have to get back to you” reveals the zipping pace of his concentration. By the time someone asks for his attention, he has moved onto a new set of actions. The story remains consistent in its first person telling of Joey’s world. We can feel his quickening pulse, sense his confusion over school rules, and feel the upheaval of his home life.The story also does a good job of showing the possible genetic factors contributing to his attention deficit as well as the inability of family members to help him. His father abandoned him when he was young. His grandmother’s care of him was erratic and cruel, and his mother, who re-enters his life, copes by downing an amaretto when Joey takes his medications. We root for Joey as help comes his way, but some of the changes happen a little too quickly to be fully believable.
    • 4/5
      Wish I had read this last year when Joey Pigza was a student of mine. Thank you fiction.
    • 3/5
      I wanted to like the book, but exhausting. Although - I d=felt for him. If I was this exhausted reading his thoughts, how hard was it to have the thoughts? What age to use with - marketed for 10 + but probably better middle grades? Hard to say
    • 4/5
      I don't know if I would have categorized this as humor, but I found it on a list in the Nilsen text for books that will make readers smile. I did smile and laugh, but somewhat guiltily. I thought Jack Gantos did a great job of describing the "wired" feeling that ADHD children probably feel and how an innocent act of curiosity can appear to be destructive. When Joey sticks all the band aids on his body, you as the reader laugh and find it harmless, but at the same time when his mother and doctor see it you understand their frustration and misunderstanding. I liked that there wasn't really a villain in this story. You know that Joey has been bullied, but the people close to him really do have his best interests in mind. I think the strongest part of this book was that Gantos got you to look at one situation from several perspectives and realize that no one was really in the wrong. This was a fun and easy read. I think it is great for anyone who is curious about what it might be like to have ADHD or for anyone who just likes to read about good kids who get into trouble.
    • 4/5
      I wanted to cry at times while reading this book. A kids view and a teachers view while reading will be different. Kids might see a little of themselves in Joey or see classmates who act like Joey and understand how hard it can be to go to school for kids with ADHD.
    • 5/5
      In Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, Joey isn't the best in school. He thinks he's cool because he can swallow his house key. What he doesn't know is that when he goes to the nurse, he has to take medicne to make him "go". Read it to see what happens!
    • 4/5
      Everything is wrong in Joey Pigza’s life and it seems like there is nothing Joey can do to fix things. His grandmother, left to raise him after his parents disappeared, treats him cruelly. Joey can’t seem to sit still or stop getting in trouble. Then Joey’s mom returns and he desperately wants to get his life in control. But, still, Joey continues to sharpen his own finger and to swallow his house key and to cause problems on the class field trip. It is only after Joey goofs up worst of all, only after Joey cuts off his classmate’s nose and is sent to a special school, that Joey meets a teacher who shows Joey how to get the help he needs. This book takes a reader right inside the mind of a child with ADD. It’s a painful book to read at times, but it feels very authentic.

    Book preview

    Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key - Jack Gantos

    1

    At school they say I’m wired bad, or wired mad, or wired sad, or wired glad, depending on my mood and what teacher has ended up with me. But there is no doubt about it, I’m wired.

    This year was no different. When I started out all the days there looked about the same. In the morning I’d be okay and follow along in class. But after lunch, when my meds had worn down, it was nothing but trouble for me.

    One day, we were doing math drills in class and every time Mrs. Maxy asked a question, like What’s nine times nine? I’d raise my hand because I’m really quick at math. But each time she called on me, even though I knew the answer, I’d just blurt out, Can I get back to you on that? Then I’d nearly fall out of my chair from laughing. And she’d give me that white-lipped look which meant, Settle down. But I didn’t and kept raising my hand each time she asked a question until finally no other kid would raise their hand because they knew what was coming between me and Mrs. Maxy.

    Okay, Joey, she’d say, calling on me and staring hard at my face as if her eyes were long fingers that could grip me by the chin. I’d stare right back and hesitate a second as if I was planning to answer the question and then I’d holler out really loud, Can I get back to you on that? Finally, after a bunch of times of me doing that in a row, she jerked her thumb toward the door. Out in the hall, she said. And the class cracked up.

    So I went and stood in the hall for about a second until I remembered the mini-Superball in my pocket and started to bounce it off the lockers and ceiling and after Mrs. Deebs in the next class stuck her head out her door and yelled, Hey, cut the racket, like she was yelling at a stray cat, I remembered something I wanted to try. I had seen the Tasmanian Devil on TV whirling around like a top so I unbuckled my belt and pulled on the end really hard, as if I was trying to start a lawn mower. But that didn’t get me spinning very fast. So I took out my high-top shoelaces and tied them together and then to the belt and wrapped it all around my waist. Then I grabbed one end and yanked on it and sort of got myself spinning. I kept doing it until I got better and better and before long I was bouncing off the lockers because I was dizzy too. Then I gave myself one more really good pull on the belt and because I was already dizzy I got going really fast and began to snort and grunt like the Tasmanian Devil until Mrs. Maxy came out and clamped her hands down on my shoulders. She stopped me so fast I spun right out of my shoes and they went shooting up the hall.

    You glue your feet to the floor for five whole minutes or you can just spin yourself down to the principal’s office, she said. Now, what is your choice going to be?

    Can I get back to you on that? I asked.

    Her face turned all red. Five minutes, she said. Settle down for five, and you can rejoin the class.

    I nodded, and when she was gone I wrapped the belt and laces around my middle and gave it a good tug and began to spin and spin and slam into the lockers and I got going so good the gum I had under my tongue flew out and my Superball slipped out of my hand and went bouncing down the hall and I kept going and going like when you roll down a steep hill and before long I was bumping on the glass walls around the principal’s office like a dizzy fish in a tank. Then the principal came out and pinned me against the wall and we had a little talk about my behavior goals and I spent the rest of the day on her office floor sorting out all the used crayons that the kindergartners kept in big plastic tubs until I had separate piles of blue and green and red and yellow and you know the rest.

    2

    My dad ran off when I was in kindergarten and my mom went after him. My grandmother raised me until this past summer. That’s when my mom finally stopped trying to get my dad turned around and remembered about me. One morning she rang the doorbell.

    Who’s there! I yelled, and when Grandma and I yanked open the door a stranger was standing on the porch mat, like one of those church ladies dressed in shiny shoes and a Sunday hat.

    I’m sorry for being gone so long, she said.

    I’m sorry you’re back, Grandma snapped, and shoved me out of the way with her elbow, which nearly jammed my Tootsie Pop down my throat.

    I just want to smooth things out, said the lady who was my mom.

    I’ve heard this all before, Grandma shouted, and shoved me back again because I kept sticking my head around her hips so I could see what was going on.

    I really wasn’t sure what either of them was talking about because I didn’t recognize the lady. Then she pushed the door open and took one big giant step right into the living room before anyone told her she could. Hi, Joey, she said. I’m your mom.

    When she reached out and tried to touch my head I ducked away and said I wasn’t sure she was my mom because I didn’t even remember what she looked like. She got an awful pain across her face and I figured she must be my mom because no stranger would have been so hurt by what I’d said. But she didn’t crumble. Instead she started walking all through the rooms, just shaking her head at the way Grandma and I kept things.

    Now that I’m back, she said, things are going to change around here. No more living in a pigpen. Then right away she started making up new rules and trying to take control of me and Grandma and the house. I didn’t like her at all, and during those first weeks she was back we all fought pretty good.

    I was a wired-up mess by the time Mom came back to live with me and Grandma. By then everyone thought my grandma was the nutty old lady responsible for my bad behavior. But I am how I am because Grandma was born wired, and my dad, Carter Pigza, was born wired, and I followed right behind them. It’s as if our family tree looks like a set of high-voltage wires strung across a field from one steel tower to the next. Grandma all the time said I was just like my dad, bouncing off the walls twenty-four hours a day. But he hasn’t yet bounced in our direction so I guess he is still bouncing around somewhere else. Grandma said he bounced over to Pittsburgh. But someday he might spring back and just bounce right through our front door. I wish he would because I only just hear about him now, and I’d like to see for myself what he is like. I have one of those windup cars with twisty wheels that when it bumps into things can change direction and bump into something else over and over. When I play with it I always think my dad is steering, eyes spinning in his head and his foot all the way down on the gas. My toy car gets drained and stops, but I’m guessing that he never winds down. He just keeps on smashing into buildings and signs and parked cars.

    I figure we got a lot in common because once when Grandma was in a sudden good mood she said to me as a helpful warning, Joey, I want you to pull your act together. You don’t want to turn out like your father, do you?

    Can I get back to you on that? I yelled as I tried to run off.

    Listen to me, she said, grabbing me as I ran by. Your dad’s such a nervous wreck he couldn’t stand still long enough to line up for free medicine down at the clinic.

    Then Grandma held me by the ears and I lifted my feet off the floor until I wiggled like a snake and screamed and she let go.

    People who blame Grandma for my behavior are unfair to think that she was really the crazy one and I was innocent. It was more that we were whacked-out partners. We zipped around the house and slapped at each other like one of those World Wrestling tag teams. I’d be the Hulk and she’d be Doctor Doom and when the phone rang we’d run at it screaming and yelling and slam into each other, and by the time one of us got the upper hand the person on the other end had freaked out and hung up. And nothing in the house was ever finished or cleaned up right. A jigsaw puzzle of ancient Egypt outlined the dining room table with the extra pieces piled up like pyramids spilling over onto the floor. I had stacks of homework I had forgotten and drawings of my grandmother’s face on big locust bug bodies all taped to the floors as if she’d been squashed by a truck. I stuck wet leaves over the Windows, glued my stuffed animals to the chairs, hid all the oven knobs in the dead plant pots, and made huge string spider webs between the door knobs and ceiling lights and floor vents. Every now and again I’d catch Grandma in a web and she’d get tangled up.

    Help meeee. Help meeee, she’d squeak like the fly with the human face in that crazy bug movie. Sometimes she could be funny. But not

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