Melding the entirely true and the wildly fictional, Dead End in Norvelt is a novel about an incredible two months for a kid named Jack ...
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Feb 07, 2012
Caren
rated it: 
I see that the reviews for this book are all over the place. I actually really enjoyed it. I don't think it is the best thing I ever read, but it is highly entertaining and a change from the angst-ridden books that often garner the Newbery Medal. It kind of reminded me of some of Richard Peck's books ("A Long Way from Chicago" and "A Year Down Yonder")with the quirky characters and humorous situations. I had really enjoyed Mr. Gantos' Joey Pigza books, and this one follows th
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Dec 27, 2011
Wendy
rated it:
I got impatient with this about halfway through. Occasional moments of clever brilliance, but Newbery-wise, I can't see this standing out in a field that includes Okay For Now. Also, the punk kid with quirky elderly neighbor plot ought to be locked in the vault for the next ten years or so.
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Jul 08, 2011
Angela
rated it: 
I was lucky enough to experience this via Advanced LISTENING Copy. This means I got to hear Jack Gantos do Jack Gantos. It was a genuine summer treat.
The real charm here is the colorful cast of characters that include Jack's parents, childhood friend, neighbors and quirky community members. While there is a grim aspect to the story, there is thoughtfulness in the historical bytes and socialist ideals that contrast to a burgeoning capitalist community.
I don't mean to More...
The real charm here is the colorful cast of characters that include Jack's parents, childhood friend, neighbors and quirky community members. While there is a grim aspect to the story, there is thoughtfulness in the historical bytes and socialist ideals that contrast to a burgeoning capitalist community.
I don't mean to More...
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Feb 22, 2012
Terri
rated it:
"Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos is this year's Newbery Medal winner. I am just OK with this choice.
Set in 1962 in Norvelt, Pennsylvania, this darkly comedic mystery is narrated by Jack Gantos (yes, it is semi-autobiographical). Jackie begins the summer of his twelfth year by making the mistake of playing with his father's WWII souvenir "Jap" rifle. When the gun accidentally goes off, he is grounded for the summer. Then he is forced by his father to mow down More...
Set in 1962 in Norvelt, Pennsylvania, this darkly comedic mystery is narrated by Jack Gantos (yes, it is semi-autobiographical). Jackie begins the summer of his twelfth year by making the mistake of playing with his father's WWII souvenir "Jap" rifle. When the gun accidentally goes off, he is grounded for the summer. Then he is forced by his father to mow down More...
Feb 18, 2012
Betsy
rated it:
What did I think? I don't really know what I think on this one. Maybe it's a good thing that the Newbery committee changes every year and that folks on that committee see things in books that I don't see? Maybe that this book would be more appealing to kids than it is to me?
Norvelt had more socialist leanings than I expected. It's also longer than I expected. I did appreciate the classic boy humor in it and the frequent crazy happenings (like myriad nosebleeds, irreverent takes on hist More...
Norvelt had more socialist leanings than I expected. It's also longer than I expected. I did appreciate the classic boy humor in it and the frequent crazy happenings (like myriad nosebleeds, irreverent takes on hist More...
Feb 17, 2012
Joella
rated it:
Young Jack Gantos is grounded for the summer. His mom grounded him because he followed his dad's instructions to mow down the plot of corn. His dad grounded him because he shot off a Japanese riffle that was loaded (even though Jack didn't load it) and he wasn't supposed to. Now his only "get out of jail free card" is when his mom loans him to Miss Volker to type the town obituaries that she writes for the newspaper.
I love how there are bits of history thrown in the story. I More...
I love how there are bits of history thrown in the story. I More...
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Feb 17, 2012
Amy
rated it: 
Jack Gantos has to be one of the funniest authors writing for children these days, and he doesn’t disappoint in this novel. I laughed at the very first sentence: “School was finally out and I was standing on a picnic table in our backyard getting ready for a great summer vacation when my mother walked up to me and ruined it.” So begins this semi-autobiographical tale of 12-year-old Jack Gantos, a good yet mischievous lad who is growing up in the small town of Norvelt, PA. He dooms himself to a s
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Feb 16, 2012
Marjorie
rated it:
It took me a while to get into it. (And my 10-year-old avid reader gave up.) Forty or so pages in, though, I was hooked. This is a very weird book, a true American tall tale, a mix of autobiography and insanity. Looking around Goodreads at reviews from folks from the actual town of Norvelt, well, uh, dude seriously messes with the town's history, mashing-up real-life and hyperbolic nuttiness in a way the locals do not always appreciate.
The plot is pretty rambling, as befitting the ta More...
The plot is pretty rambling, as befitting the ta More...
Feb 14, 2012
Janet
rated it:
Who is killing the little old ladies who were the original residents of the utopian planned community of Norvelt, PA? It's a real place, and the narrator, a 12-year-old kid with the curious name of "Jack Gantos", sounds like a real person, but some of the goings-on in this 1960s slice-of-black-comedy are a heck of a lot more tall-tale than memoir. That's OK; it's a novel. Our narrator is grounded for the summer, largely because for him, obeying one parent means incurring the wrath o
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Feb 11, 2012
Mary Ronan
rated it: 
Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos. Children's books have always been didactic, since books expressly for children surfaced in the 17th century. They have been used to teach children to read and to entertain them and the temptation to teach lessons has often been irresistable. Fairy tales, Hans Brinker, Heidi, Uncle Remus, Pinocchio, The Wizard of Oz, and Peter Rabbit - all reinforce the lessons adults want children to learn. Unselfishness, generosity, religion, truthfulness, obedience, and ther
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Feb 09, 2012
Lauren
rated it:
3.5 stars.
Dead End in Norvelt is loosely based on author Jack Gantos' childhood. This year's Newbery award winner is a fun adventure, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. Jack is a young boy in the sixties who has just been grounded for the summer- for plowing down his mom's corn crop and shooting his dad's rifle. As punishment, Jack's mom makes him help their elderly neighbor write obituaries and record the history of their strange town. There are a lot of funny moments, such as when M More...
Dead End in Norvelt is loosely based on author Jack Gantos' childhood. This year's Newbery award winner is a fun adventure, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. Jack is a young boy in the sixties who has just been grounded for the summer- for plowing down his mom's corn crop and shooting his dad's rifle. As punishment, Jack's mom makes him help their elderly neighbor write obituaries and record the history of their strange town. There are a lot of funny moments, such as when M More...
Feb 07, 2012
Penny
rated it:
The Newbery winner for 2012! This was another book I didn't want to put down. Indeed I stayed up all night to finish it.
This is the semi-autobiographical story of eleven-year-old Jack, growing up in the ho-hum village of Norvelt PA in 1962. Jack is grounded for the summer, so his only outlet is helping an elderly neighbor write obituaries for the local paper. Jack learns about the incredible history of his community, even as it appears to be fading away. (After I finished the boo More...
This is the semi-autobiographical story of eleven-year-old Jack, growing up in the ho-hum village of Norvelt PA in 1962. Jack is grounded for the summer, so his only outlet is helping an elderly neighbor write obituaries for the local paper. Jack learns about the incredible history of his community, even as it appears to be fading away. (After I finished the boo More...
Feb 05, 2012
Debbie (Readerbuzz)
rated it:
There are authors you suspect must be dead. Face it, when you haven’t heard anything from an author in years, you think they must have passed on and perhaps you just missed seeing the obit.
I thought Jack Gantos was dead. Well, I thought he was dead until I saw him at last fall’s Texas Book Festival, alive, amazingly, with Elvis Costello glasses and shirt and pants, like was an image straight from the Kennedy sixties. Oddly, he wasn’t a geezer, either, just a older fellow, very close More...
I thought Jack Gantos was dead. Well, I thought he was dead until I saw him at last fall’s Texas Book Festival, alive, amazingly, with Elvis Costello glasses and shirt and pants, like was an image straight from the Kennedy sixties. Oddly, he wasn’t a geezer, either, just a older fellow, very close More...
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Feb 05, 2012
Karen
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I liked Jack Gantos’ semi-autobiographical novel about being 12 years old during the summer of 1962 in a small Pennsylvania town -- but I didn’t love it. It’s quite funny in parts and effectively depicts how different life was for teens in that time period as compared to now. The quirky characters are interesting and likeable. The story meanders without much of an arc though, and I’m not sure if too many middle school students will have the patience for it or be able to relate to the time per
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Feb 03, 2012
Denise
rated it: 
I waited anxiously for the ASLA to announce the awards in January and was surprised that 
won. It seemed to sneak in from nowhere, possibly due to it being published later in the year. After picking it up from the library I excitedly started reading right away. Since I view the Newbery Award as being the best and most elite children's book of the year, I have to disagree with the ASLA on this choice.
* * spoiler alert* *
This book just really left a bad impression on m More...
won. It seemed to sneak in from nowhere, possibly due to it being published later in the year. After picking it up from the library I excitedly started reading right away. Since I view the Newbery Award as being the best and most elite children's book of the year, I have to disagree with the ASLA on this choice. * * spoiler alert* *
This book just really left a bad impression on m More...
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Feb 02, 2012
Drewkosztyo
rated it:
"The Mysteries of Pittsburgh" meets "Twin Peaks" meets "Tom Sawyer"...
While quirky and charming, Gantos fails to capture the true essence of Norvelt. Where is the distinctive Western Pennsylvania syntax and lexicon and accent? And why does the lower middle-class 12-year-old protagonist have the vocabulary of an ivy league grad student?
Plus the real Norvelt is NOT populated by violin prodigies, scheming real estate speculators, brilliant histo More...
While quirky and charming, Gantos fails to capture the true essence of Norvelt. Where is the distinctive Western Pennsylvania syntax and lexicon and accent? And why does the lower middle-class 12-year-old protagonist have the vocabulary of an ivy league grad student?
Plus the real Norvelt is NOT populated by violin prodigies, scheming real estate speculators, brilliant histo More...
Jan 29, 2012
Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids
rated it:
3.5 stars
An interesting story with a unique voice and cast of eccentric characters makes for an intriguing read. There's something about the quirkiness of the story that kept me reading it, when normally this style of writing isn't my thing. Dead End in Norvelt has this great mix of history, laugh out loud moments, lots of history, and some entertaining characters. I was really drawn to the voice of twelve year old Jack, who's the only child to two constantly feuding parents, and liv More...
An interesting story with a unique voice and cast of eccentric characters makes for an intriguing read. There's something about the quirkiness of the story that kept me reading it, when normally this style of writing isn't my thing. Dead End in Norvelt has this great mix of history, laugh out loud moments, lots of history, and some entertaining characters. I was really drawn to the voice of twelve year old Jack, who's the only child to two constantly feuding parents, and liv More...
Jan 27, 2012
Trudy
rated it:
Dead End in Norvelt was selected as the 2012 Newbery Award Winner. About ten years ago, I made (and met!) a goal to read all the Newbery Award winning books from the inception of the award in 1922 to that date. Since that time, I look forward to the announcement of the year's Newbery winner so that I can read it and keep my achievement current. Winners of this prestigious award are quite often remarkable literary works (as one might expect), but sometimes the selected book makes me shake my h
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Jan 26, 2012
Jessica
rated it:
The winner of this year's Newbery medal, this book tells a fascinating story that is sure to captivate its reader. This book will appeal to a variety of readers from a variety of backgrounds without making anyone feel isolated. While I didn't enjoy it as much as last year's winner, I still found it intriguing, especially when the semiautobiographical element is taken into consideration.
This book, like several others before it, deals latently with what it's like for a child whose fathe More...
This book, like several others before it, deals latently with what it's like for a child whose fathe More...
Jan 26, 2012
Lori
rated it:
Twelve year old Jack Gantos lives in the historic but dying town of Norvelt, Pa. Named after its founder EleaNOR RooseVELT, it was started to help the laid off coalminers have their own homes and subsistence gardens. It is now 1962 and Jack is just about to celebrate summer freedom when he is grounded for mowing down his mother’s corn and shooting his father’s gun. He has to help his elderly neighbor Miss Volker, write the town obituaries as her severe arthritis is hampering her typing. T
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Jan 19, 2012
Elizabeth
rated it:
This is another one that is simply Not My Thing. And I feel like it's a decent enough book if it IS your thing, but it's not mine. Plot: kid in a small town populated by quirky people in, um, late 1950s? early 1960s? is grounded for the summer and his main opportunity to leave his house is when he assists an elderly neighbor with writing obituaries for other elderly townsfolk.
Never, in my life, have I been able to "get" this kind of exaggeration for comic effect. It h More...
Never, in my life, have I been able to "get" this kind of exaggeration for comic effect. It h More...
Jan 09, 2012
EParkinson
rated it:
Jack Gantos (protagonist and coincidentally the name of the author…is this really fiction?) is grounded for the summer. Not only did he shoot his father’s World War II Japanese rifle (the one he’s not allowed to touch), but under strict orders from his mother to not touch her corn crop, he plowed it down for his father’s runway. Now eleven-year old Jack is grounded for the entire summer of 1962. Jack’s only hope of reprieve is a phone call from Miss Volker, the Norvelt coroner and original ob
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Dec 31, 2011
Sandra
rated it:
Jack is caught between his arguing parents. His mother has grounded him for firing a Japanese gun his father owned. She has also volunteered him to help Mrs. Volker, a neighbor who writes obituaries.
Mrs. Volker has arthritis in her hands and can no longer write or type up the obituaries for the Norvelt News. Through the obituaries she tells the history of the deceased. The deceased have recently become the original women of the town of Norvelt. Jack loves this new job since he lov More...
Dec 27, 2011
Lisa
rated it:
Dead End in Norvelt offers up a historical comedy that chronicles one summer in the life of young Jack Gantos living in Norvelt, Pennsylvania. Gantos writes a funny, off-beat, and nostalgic tale about childhood growing up in the shadows of World War II, a simpler time in many ways, but also one marked by impending change. You have to like a character who loves "to sniff the insides of books...Because each one has its own special perfume." And who firmly believes that "history i
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Dec 03, 2011
Barbara
rated it:
It's the summer of 1962, and the plans Jack Gantos has for a few months of fun are shot down by his mother. He ends up grounded for obeying his father's instructions to mow down his mother's corn crop so that he can create a runway for a small plane and a bomb shelter. Jack turns 12 over the course of the book, and while the set-up for the story makes it clear that he lives in the decidely strange town of Norvelt, named for Eleanor Roosevelt, the town's elderly citizens all seem to have had sati
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Nov 12, 2011
Grier
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I have only one thing to say about Dead End in Norvelt—Jack Gantos' "entirely true and wildly fictional" anti-memoir of young Jack Gantos—and that's this: Cheezus crust. This book is fabulous. Okay, that's two things, and one of them is a regular utterance of the story's anti-hero, so if it offends anyone to read it, don't read on.
Set in the dying town of Norvelt sometime during the 1960's, young Jack Gantos is having to spend the summer digging a faux bomb shelter as punis More...
Set in the dying town of Norvelt sometime during the 1960's, young Jack Gantos is having to spend the summer digging a faux bomb shelter as punis More...
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Nov 04, 2011
Sarah
rated it:
It's 1962 and Jack's summer is one giant bummer. He lives in the small town of Norvelt where everyone knows everyone's business and it's hard to keep secrets. Jack accidentally fires his dad's antique rifle, and then gets grounded for two months when his mom finds out.
As part of his punishment, his mom makes him help out their elderly neighbor, Mrs. Volker. She's got arthritis in her fingers, and has to put them in melted wax to get them to work properly. Mrs. Volker is in charg More...
As part of his punishment, his mom makes him help out their elderly neighbor, Mrs. Volker. She's got arthritis in her fingers, and has to put them in melted wax to get them to work properly. Mrs. Volker is in charg More...
Sep 20, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
Pub. Date: September 2011
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Format: Compact Disc
Age Range: 12 and up
ISBN-13: 9781427213563
ISBN: 1427213569
I got this audiobook based upon the reviews that I was reading about it. Everyone had positive things to say, so how could I go wrong. After spending my seven hours listening to it, I’m surprised by the reviews that it received. As an adult, I appreciate the h More...
Pub. Date: September 2011
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Format: Compact Disc
Age Range: 12 and up
ISBN-13: 9781427213563
ISBN: 1427213569
I got this audiobook based upon the reviews that I was reading about it. Everyone had positive things to say, so how could I go wrong. After spending my seven hours listening to it, I’m surprised by the reviews that it received. As an adult, I appreciate the h More...
Sep 01, 2011
Lea
rated it:
I received this as a GoodReads FirstReads giveaway win.
"Dead End In Norvelt" is a book by Jack Gantos about a boy named, well . . . Jack Gantos. The blurb on the back of the book says it's a mix of truth and fantasy, but it's difficult to see where one leaves off and the other begins!
The book begins some time during the early 1960s, with young Jack Gantos earning a summer long grounding after accidentally shooting his father's rifle. Unable to spend the More...
"Dead End In Norvelt" is a book by Jack Gantos about a boy named, well . . . Jack Gantos. The blurb on the back of the book says it's a mix of truth and fantasy, but it's difficult to see where one leaves off and the other begins!
The book begins some time during the early 1960s, with young Jack Gantos earning a summer long grounding after accidentally shooting his father's rifle. Unable to spend the More...
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Aug 24, 2011
maryanne
rated it:
I received an advanced copy through Goodreads giveaway and it was well worth reading. Although a young adult/teen book genre, the historical references provided ample occasion for reminiscing as well as colorful characters who are thoroughly entertaining. Jack Gantos is twelvish, and living in Norvelt PA, a planned community built in the 1930s with the admiration and support of Eleanor Roosevelt as an example of people helping people.
Summer school vacation in the early 1960s turns o More...
Summer school vacation in the early 1960s turns o More...
