Dead End in Norvelt

Jack Gantos is the author of this book. "Jack Gantos" is also the name of the main character. Both the real Gantos and the fictional Gantos grew up in little town called Norvelt in the early 1960s. But did the real Gantos get nosebleeds whenever his emotions ran high? Was he really grounded for a whole summer for shooting his dad's Japanese rifle and mowing down his mom's corn field? Did he really type obituaries for the town's medical examiner because she had terrible arthritis? Was his best friend the daughter of the town undertaker? The answers to these questions are unknown to me, but I'll tell you one thing for certain: This book has some moments that are truly hysterical. Like, set the book down and catch your breath from laughing show more hysterical.

I was dismayed to hear from a school librarian that many of her students would check this book out and bring it back unfinished. And it's true that it gets a little slow in the middle. I wish that Gantos had brought in the mystery of all the old ladies dying earlier in the story. That's why I give this 4 stars instead of 5. It's truly got some 5-star laughs, but suffers a bit from under-editing. I personally really enjoyed all the history told by Miss Volker, but it slowed down the plot.

UPDATE: And now this has won the Newbery Medal! Hooray for funny man Jack Gantos. show less

I love Jack Gantos! As such a hilarious and creative author it’s no surprise that I couldn’t stop reading Dead End in Norvelt. Gantos tells the story of Norvelt – a crazy town filled with an equally crazy cast of characters – and the summer young Jack Gantos was “grounded for life” but still managed to spend enough time outside of his room to go one unfortunate adventure after adventure. I suggest you pick this book up, open to the first page, begin reading, laugh, and then repeat until you’ve finished the book.

Young Jack Gantos is growing up in the town of Norvelt, Pennsylvania, a town that was founded by Eleanor Roosevelt as a place where poor people could live with dignity and where folks could trade their services instead of depend on cash. Now, in the decade after World War 2, the Norvelt "originals" are older and dying, and poor Jack is grounded because he let off his father's gun and caused a scare. Miss Volker, his older neighbor with arthritic hands, is Jack's "get out of jail free" card when she calls and needs his help writing obituaries.

This year's Newbery Award winner is the first book I've read by Jack Gantos, but now I want to go back and read his other books. His narrative follows a typical summer in that it's more episodic a show more traditional plot line, though Norvelt has its share of quirky, original characters and more than a few of the events are unbelievable. Jack's parents are great, and their interactions ring true, how they disagree fundamentally about some things, but also love each other as much as they drive each other nuts. I was regularly chuckling or even laughing out loud at some of the events (some of the obits in particular stand out memorably). This story was a lot of fun to read, and I'll certainly be recommending it to kids at the library. show less

This is supposed to be a middle grade novel, but I enjoyed it immensely myself. It provides a look back on the early Sixties from a young boy's point of view, and I didn’t feel it was too simplistic for an adult in the least. I listened in the car (the author reads it himself) and often found myself laughing out loud and repeating anecdotes later to my husband as if it were about a boy we both knew.

The book is touted as semi-autobiographical, sharing with us one memorable summer in 1962 for 11 year-old Jack Gantos, who was grounded for almost the entire period. The only time he was allowed out was to help an elderly neighbor, Mrs. Volker, who composed the local obituaries. As it turned out, Jack got out quite a bit, since all the old show more ladies in town were dying mysteriously.

Mrs. Volker likes to combine her obituaries with history lessons, so we learn a lot about “this day in history” along with Jack, and how the lessons of the past apply to the present. We also learn about the irony of Jack's particular situation in Norvelt, Pennsylvania, where people were caught up in taking advantage of the opportunities of capitalism even while constantly reviling the threat of the “Commies.” The funny part was that Norvelt (named for EleaNOR RooseVELT) is a real town that was created during the depression by the US government as a model "socialist" community, intended to increase the standard of living of laid-off coal miners.

It is hard not to get caught up in Jack’s enthusiasm as he gets excited over all that he is learning, and when he begins an amateur sleuthing effort to solve the mystery of the rash of deaths in the town. By the end of the summer, he has learned some great lessons about life, and won our hearts as well.

Evaluation: This is a joyous book that will appeal to kids of all ages, including the adult kind. show less

I may be a bit biased here, especially when Jack Gantos himself visited my elementary school and signed my very own copy of Dead End in Norvelt, but I beg to differ. I received this book from my parents, coming with a set of Newbery Medal books, and this one was definitely my favorite. It follows Jack, and I remember it is semiautobiographical as he does even include photos of himself from when he was 11, the age he is in the book. I've also read a few of his short storeis about his adventures in childhood, and none of them failed to make me laugh. Dead End in Norvelt was no different.
Jack helps his elderly neighbor, Mrs. Volker write obituaries of old people who are passing away in the town, and it just so happens that Mrs. Volker show more believes that there is foul play going on with the deaths, as they seem to be happening much more frequently than usual. This sends the both of them on a wild and hilarious chase across town through the span of a Summer as both them, and the reader will have the time of their lives encountering dead Hells Angels members, old ladies burning their skin off, a very annoying bloody nose, and a bunker shelter for when the Commies bomb.
It is almost criminal that I haven't read the second book in the series because I absolutely ate this one up, and I must do so soon, otherwise I really won't forgive myself. show less

Bomb shelters, WWII surplus equipment, a dying town, the Hell's Angels, a local newspaper, the sharp-tongued elderly neighbor, Miss Volker, and of course, Jack Gantos and his family are the foils for a very funny, yet affecting book of life in rural, post-war America.

The story begins as young Jack is grounded for the summer due to an unfortunate incident involving a loaded firearm and the drive-in theater. Things get progressively worse as Jack, following his father's orders, mows down the cornfield to make room for a bomb-shelter, which in actuality is merely cover for a private airstrip. The usually kindly and practical Mrs. Gantos quickly takes charge of her two wayward men,

""Well, mister," she informed me with no trace of sympathy show more in her voice, "I'm going to march your father into this room and make him cut you down to size. And when he finishes with you I'll make him wish he had already built that bomb shelter because he might be living in it." ... It took two days for Dad to march into my room and cut me down to size. He knew he had gotten me in trouble with Mom and so he quickly wrangled a construction job in West Virginia for a couple days of paid work. He thought Mom might cool down, but he could have been away for two years and she would still have been just as angry. It was as if she could preserve her anger and store it in a glass jar next to the hot horseradish and yellow beans and corn chowchow she kept in the dank basement pantry. And when she needed some anger she could just go into the basement and open a jar and get worked up all over again."

Throughout the long, hot summer, Jack's only respite from digging the bomb shelter and reading in his room are the frequent calls from the elderly Miss Volker, the town medical examiner and writer of obituaries for the local paper. Her arthritic hands prevent her from typing and Mrs. Gantos, ever solicitous of neighbor's needs, sends Jack to help. In doing so, Jack learns much more than the history of his town, founded by Eleanor Roosevelt.

Realistic fiction with a humorous and historical twist, Dead End in Norvelt is one of the year's best novels.

Best for grades 6 and up.

(more @ www.shelf-employed.blogspot.com) show less

Some folks in Norvelt think the town is dying. But it’s just one of the many things that seem to be going belly up in Jack’s life during the summer of 1962.

At the beginning of the story, Jack watches his summer plans kick the bucket – he’s been grounded until school starts. So when his elderly neighbor wants his help typing obituaries, he jumps at the chance to get out of the house. Because of this “job” and the fact that his best friend’s dad owns the funeral parlor, Jack becomes aware that Norvelt’s original residents are dying off at an alarming rate. Also, a mysterious tattooed stranger is mowed down by a car while dancing down a Norvelt street, which draws a gang of angry motorcycle thugs to town. Even the life of a show more house comes to an end in a fire.

But somehow…this book is really funny. Jack glimpses death in such strange and often ridiculous ways that he slowly sheds his fear of it and begins to appreciate being alive. Also, the characters are quirky. Mr. Spizz, self-appointed citizen law enforcement, rides around on an adult tricycle, ticketing people for absurd things like their weeds being too high. Mrs. Volker has to cook her hands in hot wax to make them work. The kids’ baseball team only has five players, and they’re sponsored by the funeral parlor. And Jack’s nose spews blood at even the tiniest of surprises.

There is a mystery in this book, but it’s more of a backdrop for Jack’s personal journey. If you liked Okay for Now or A Long Way from Chicago, this is a great pick for you. show less