I Am Not Joey Pigza - Jack Gantos

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⭐ 9.0/10

(Originally written by Rebecca)

Joey Pigza is back! Only this time, his crazy Grandma has passed away, and his even crazier dad is back with a new name, a bunch of money, and a handful of wacky get-rich-quick schemes to win back Joey's mom. Also, his parents keep trying to convince him to use a new name (Freddie Heinz) and become a new person, but Joey doesn't really want to become a new person, and he's trying really hard to figure out what it means to be who you are and be a better version of yourself.

I really loved this book, and I really love Joey, who is super impulsive and makes a lot of bad decisions (as 10-year-olds with ADHD will) but is also full of heart and genuine concern about who he is and how he can be better. I love the positive view these books have on medication, and the way Joey is such a good kid even without many positive influences. His relationships with his family are really complex and sometimes difficult to swallow, but I love that, too, because he knows his parents/guardians are imperfect, but he can tell which ones really care about him and when they're being unkind to him.

My biggest complaint is that Joey doesn't have any positive influences, so it might be difficult for kids reading it to recognize what that might look like for him without a comparison. But maybe I'm underestimating kids!

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