Dead End in Norvelt ~Jack Gantos
–published 2011
–Farrar, Straus and Giroux
–352 pages
–audio recorded 2011, read by author
–Macmillan Young Listeners
–7 hours (includes mp4 video interview)
–Awarded the 2010 Newbery Medal for excellence in children’s literature
–Awarded the 2012 Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction
–10/10 stars
Young Jack Gantos is beyond thrilled. It is the summer of ’62 in the small Pennsylvania town of Norvelt and Jack has plans to enjoy every minute of his freedom. But that freedom is cut short when, in true boyish fashion, Jack makes a mistake that frightens his mother and his neighbor, Old Lady Volker, nearly to death. Thus ends the summer as far as Jack is concerned. He is grounded for the season with his only reprieve coming in the person of Miss Volker, who requires his help getting the obituaries of original Norvelt residents ready for the town paper whenever they happen to pass away. Jack can feel his own life passing away. But what Jack doesn’t realize is that he is about to have the most exciting summer of his young life, with events far beyond the adventures he had imagined for himself.
Part autobiography and part wonderfully constructed fiction, Dead End in Norvelt is a young adult novel that will captive the hearts and minds of readers young, old, and everywhere in between.
My wife and I heard a brief interview with author Jack Gantos a couple of weeks ago on the highly entertaining NPR show, Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me (link to interview here). His story was so enjoyable that I knew I had to grab this book immediately. And once I discovered that he was the one narrating the audio version of this novel I knew there was no way in the world I would be experiencing it any other way. Jack Gantos is a fabulous reader and his voice just draws you in and makes you feel the story. It is funny because prior to this I had never considered a Pennsylvania accent but the more I listened the more I realized that Gantos’ word pronunciation and inflection were exactly like a friend of mine who grew up in that same area. It was a fun discovery and when I played a few tracts of the first CD for my wife and daughter they were immediately hooked, laughing aloud and anxious to snag the audio book from me the moment I finished.
From Wikipedia: “In 1933, as part of the sweeping National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA), Congress allocated $25 million for the creation of “subsistence homesteads” for dislocated industrial workers. Over the course of the program’s eleven-year history, the federal government seeded nearly 100 planned, cooperative communities. Norvelt, in southwestern Pennsylvania, was the fourth.” The town derives its name from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, a heroine of this novel who is lauded often for her social efforts in a very bleak time in the history of America.
Through the mouth of Miss Volker and the hands of young Jack we as readers (listeners) are treated to a wide variety of interesting history, some well known but much little known outside of those who may be avid history buffs. And according to author Jack Gantos the history in the novel is all true, which makes it that much better and proves the old adage that “truth is stranger than fiction”. Through her efforts in honoring the departed, Miss Volker makes the past come alive and in so doing Gantos makes the present of the novel, the early 1960′s, come alive as well. Dead End in Norvelt is a novel that is wildly funny at times, with Gantos’ narration sparking out-loud laughs, and yet it is also a deeply poignant novel, celebrating the innocence of small town childhood while reflecting on the deeper topics of the death we have brought to one another throughout history as well as the idea of our own personal mortality. Dead End in Norvelt is filled with memorable characters and small town charm and it will no doubt stir recollections of your own childhood summers.
As you all well know I am not one to give much plot away when I review a book. Spoiling the experience would be an unpardonable crime and it would truly be a crime to say much more than I’ve already said about the story. Suffice it to say that it is a novel that does the Newbery Award committee proud. I’m not sure I’ve enjoyed a YA audio book as much since listening to fellow Newbery winner Richard Peck’s novel A Year Down Yonder and its sequel, A Long Way From Chicago a few years ago. And like those audio books I suspect that I’ll be checking Dead End in Norvelt out from the library in the future to experience it all over again.
I can’t recommend this one highly enough, and if you have a chance to experience it via the unabridged audio then please don’t pass it up.
Wow, a 10/10 read. I guess I will have to see about reading this now. I have heard of it, of course, but that is as far as it has gone.
was thinking the same Kailana.
I am a sucker for these kind of small town childhood stories and when told well I am easily bowled over. After I was done I was trying to find fault and couldn’t find any that seemed legitimate given how much I enjoyed it over the last 4 or 5 days and so a “10″ was all that seemed fair.
I’m going to be checking the library!
I just went online and placed his other book, A Hole in My Life, which talks about his teenage prison time for drug smuggling, the story he rather humorously touched on in the clip I linked to in the post. I ordered the audio version of that as well.
Wow, a 10 – must be excellent! I’ll definitely put this one down on the list!
Thanks Carl.
Lynn
It really is a lot of fun. I’ve been checking out some Jack Gantos videos on YouTube and he is as entertaining a speaker as he is a reader and author.
I’m taking your advice and ordering the audio version of this book. Sounds promising!
I imagine you will enjoy it. The audio is indeed a winner. I’m hoping his autobiography comes in to the library for me soon as I’m in the mood to here him tell me more stories.
Awwww, sounds like a very sweet story, and a fun family read…uh, hear…lol
Oh wow! Glad you liked this one so much!! I hadn’t even heard of it before it won the newbery! Really excited now..and I’ve been looking for a good audiobook too
And hey, if you’re ever in the mood for a meme, I tagged you in one :p http://www.dream-stuff.com/2012/02/new-sparkly-shiny-meme.html
I’m intrigued! I’ll have to see if my library has a copy of this. Thanks for sharing!