I Am Not Joey Pigza

Plot

Things have settled down for Joey Pigza since the events of the last book until his unpredictable father, Carter, returns once again. This time, he's changed his name to Charles Heinz, and claims to have turned over a new leaf after winning the lottery. To Joey's surprise, his mother, Fran, takes him back, becomes Maria Heinz, and changes Joey's name to Freddie.

Joey's father concocts an ill-conceived plan to purchase and renovate a roadside diner, and Joey is forced to leave school to move and work there. Between the new name, new home, and new job, Joey begins to suffer an identity crisis.

His immature parents prove to be of no help. His father is completely convinced that the failing Beehive Diner was a good decision, and his mother is too distracted by shopping to notice otherwise. When Joey speaks up, she simply tells him to forgive his father for his past mistakes and follow along with the plan.

Joey struggles with this, but eventually learns to forgive his dad and accept him for who he is. Meanwhile, unfortunately, Joey's father abandons his plan, and spends his remaining winnings trying unsuccessfully to recoup his losses with more lottery tickets. Furthermore, Joey's mother is pregnant again.

Predictably, Carter Pigza once again abandons his family when they need him most. Joey, however, doesn't regret or rescind his forgiveness. Instead, he comes to realize that you can't change who people are, not even yourself. He resolves to forgive and looks to the future, optimistic about his new baby brother.