Dead End in Norvelt

[Gwinnett County Public Library]

Poor Jackie Gantos (yes, in a quirky semi-autobiographical twist, the author has named the narrator after himself and set the story in his hometown). “Grounded for life” by his parents, Jackie is dreading what looks to be a long, boring summer. In 1962, his family is one of the few families still living in rural Norvelt, Pennsylvania. Founded in the 1930s by Eleanor Roosevelt as a social experiment for “hard working poor families” who want a “hand up, not a handout,” Norvelt is slowly dying out; literally and figuratively. Jackie’s own family illustrates the conflicts faced by residents. His dad longs to fly off in his army surplus plane in search of a better life but Jackie’s mom remains firmly rooted in her small town life. Jackie’s so desperate to be released from his confinement and enforced labor digging his dad’s summer project - a bomb shelter - that he leaps at the chance to assist old Miss Volker as she visits the town’s elderly on their deathbeds in her role as medical examiner and obiturary writer. As he types out her dicatation, we discover that the obituraries tell more than just the history of the deceased; they preserve the history of the Norvelt and small town American life.

Luckily for young readers, there’s also plenty excitement. Jackie is a bleeder. The moment he gets over excited or spooked, “blood sprays out of his nose holes like dragon flames.” There are plenty of blood-spewing episodes that summer as Jackie fires his father’s gun, sees his first dead body, and helps solve a murder mystery.

Jackie is a great narrator, funny and frank. The town is filled with endearingly odd characters and interesting snippets of history are woven in throughout the book. Winner of the 2012 Newberry Award for the year’s best contribution to children’s literature as well as the Scott O’Dell Award for best Historical Fiction, Dead End in Novelt is recommended for ages 10 and up and can be found in the Teen Fiction collection. Request it here.

~submitted by Amy