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Dead End in Norvelt
Écrit par Jack Gantos
Raconté par Jack Gantos
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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 Gantos, whose plans for vacation excitement are shot down when he is "grounded for life" by his feuding parents, and whose nose spews bad blood at every little shock he gets. But plenty of excitement (and shocks) are coming Jack's way once his mom loans him out to help a fiesty old neighbor with a most unusual chore — typewriting obituaries filled with stories about the people who founded his utopian town.
As one obituary leads to another, Jack is launced on a strange adventure involving molten wax, Eleanor Roosevelt, twisted promises, a homemade airplane, Girl Scout cookies, a man on a trike, a dancing plague, voices from the past, Hells Angels... and possibly murder.
Endlessly surprising, this sly, sharp-edged narrative is the author at his very best, making readers laugh out loud at the most unexpected things in a dead-funny depiction of growing up in a slightly off-kilter place where the past is present, the present is confusing, and the future is completely up in the air.
A Macmillan Audio production.
Actions du livre
Commencer à écouterInformations sur le livre
Dead End in Norvelt
Écrit par Jack Gantos
Raconté par Jack Gantos
Description
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 Gantos, whose plans for vacation excitement are shot down when he is "grounded for life" by his feuding parents, and whose nose spews bad blood at every little shock he gets. But plenty of excitement (and shocks) are coming Jack's way once his mom loans him out to help a fiesty old neighbor with a most unusual chore — typewriting obituaries filled with stories about the people who founded his utopian town.
As one obituary leads to another, Jack is launced on a strange adventure involving molten wax, Eleanor Roosevelt, twisted promises, a homemade airplane, Girl Scout cookies, a man on a trike, a dancing plague, voices from the past, Hells Angels... and possibly murder.
Endlessly surprising, this sly, sharp-edged narrative is the author at his very best, making readers laugh out loud at the most unexpected things in a dead-funny depiction of growing up in a slightly off-kilter place where the past is present, the present is confusing, and the future is completely up in the air.
A Macmillan Audio production.
À propos de l'auteur
Avis
This is the fifth of seven books I've been reading for a Books on Tap event sponsored by a public library and a local cidery. Unusually so for this event, nearly every book on this session's list is directly written for young people or could easily been appreciated by them. It has been described as historical fiction for it is written by an author who actually lived in the town of Norvelt and has lots of "facts" revealed in it that actually occurred, but the story line is decidedly fiction. Even with that, unlike most other books I have read geared toward young people, this book's author goes out of his way to not thrown in actions, situations, and acts of nature that are not based on reality. In fact, except for an important story thread -- which I cannot reveal without offering spoilers -- the book as is remarkably realistic, believable, and often quite humorous. I should also add that I read the book while listening to the audio book, which was narrated by the author himself, and he does a bang up job of it, making it seem all the more like a "true" childhood memoir. If it wasn't for the exception I mentioned earlier, which struck me as incongruous with the rest of the book, I would have rated the book a notch higher.
Rating: 3Jack Gantos is such a clever and funny writer. I haven't read any of his works since the Joey Pigza days. This one was actually based "kinda" on his own life. The setting is early 1962, so if you are of that era you will get an even greater understanding of references to bomb shelters, the Japs and so on. The story takes place over two months in the summer when Jack is out of school and expecting a fun break from school. Instead, he is caught in the middle of his feuding parents where he becomes grounded for the whole summer? His one saving grace is when his mother allows him to help out an old eccentric woman who writes the obituaries for the local paper. Her hands are arthritic so Jack learns to type on an ancient typewriter for her. There is a mystery involving the numerous deaths of the old ladies of Norvelt. I think the end will surprise you as it did me.
Rating: 5It was okay.
Rating: 3Historical fiction about the town named after Eleanor Roosevelt during the depression, Norvelt has idealism at its core and community values at its heart. Jack is twelve when he is grounded for firing his father's gun, and enlisted by the town obituary writer to take dictation as people die. It is a brilliant way to learn the history of the town, one person at a time.
Gantos flavors his tale with his trademark humor and impossibly real internal conflicts that tear at your heartstrings.
Rating: 5Gantos flavors his tale with his trademark humor and impossibly real internal conflicts that tear at your heartstrings.
Very funny. Very much in the 1960s time frame. Very much worthy of the Newbery award.
Interested to hear how my 11 yer old grand daughter liked it.
Rating: 4Interested to hear how my 11 yer old grand daughter liked it.
Jack is a teenager (? or preteen?) in the 1960s in the small town of Norvelt (named for Eleanor Roosevelt). When he is grounded for a summer, he is allowed to leave the house to help a neighbour, Miss Volker, write obituaries for the town paper. Miss Volker can no longer type due to the arthritis that has crippled her hands. They strike up an interesting friendship while musing on the town's deaths and other goings-on.The book was ok. I listened to the audio, read by the author, and he did a good job. I didn't tend to lose focus with this one, but the story was merely ok for me. There was a brief interview with the author at the end, and it does seem that much of the book (or at least the characters in the book) were drawn from his life (first clue is that the main character has the author's name).
Rating: 3Such a great story of a kid growing up in the early '60s. Loved all the characters, and I was surprised by how sweet Jack is in the story. I also love that this is semi-autobiographical.
Rating: 4This book is a bit long for how slowly it unfolds, but the persistent reader will be rewarded with a rich, and informative joyride through the fast paced thrill ride of rural Pennsylvania in 1962. I am joking. Or am I? You will find sniper rifles, Hells Angels, personal aircraft, arson, conspiracy, and even mass murder. Am I joking?!? A very good book worthy of all its accolades.
Rating: 5What an odd story. Brilliant, but it definitely will make you think. I mean, it's a nice family story, but it includes a murder mystery. I like the Kirkus review on the back, that describes it as a 'provocative gothic comedy.'
The family is happy, but Jack is caught in the middle of serious spousal disagreements. Well, at least that's how Jack sees his family. But he is a kid, and the author has minimized his own 'voice' in order to let Jack tell us about this summer from Jack's point of view.
I do believe it's under-appreciated by some because it's hard to get a handle on it. Some folks, for example, might not believe that Jack would be so helpful to Miss Volker, or might think that the mystery is irrelevant & far-fetched. Well, I think Gantos might be just a bit too smart for his own good, so to speak - but I like that.
Ah well, you can get more from reading other reviews, or from joining the discussion in the Children's Books group. I'll just share some book-dart marked bits:
I like how Jack's Mom used newspaper for placemats. Jack says it's because she doesn't like waste; I bet she's fully aware that he's becoming a better reader and citizen because he's reading the papers.
He is *such* a nice boy, devoted to old Miss Volker. When she calls him for help because of the poisoned vermin in her cellar, he doesn't hesitate. 'I'll be right down... Don't go into the basement without me.'"
Such an interesting community. Another one of the little old ladies was "a champion duck carver and carved the portraits of all the presidents that hang in the school library.
His friend Bunny, the undertaker's daughter, is quite the character, too. Instead of calling him 'chicken' or some other name, she says, "'You are worse than one of Dad's stiffs... At least they know they are dead. You don't even know you're alive.'"
And of course there's good advice to the kids reading this. "... like any lie, the fewer details you give the better it is.""
Rating: 5The family is happy, but Jack is caught in the middle of serious spousal disagreements. Well, at least that's how Jack sees his family. But he is a kid, and the author has minimized his own 'voice' in order to let Jack tell us about this summer from Jack's point of view.
I do believe it's under-appreciated by some because it's hard to get a handle on it. Some folks, for example, might not believe that Jack would be so helpful to Miss Volker, or might think that the mystery is irrelevant & far-fetched. Well, I think Gantos might be just a bit too smart for his own good, so to speak - but I like that.
Ah well, you can get more from reading other reviews, or from joining the discussion in the Children's Books group. I'll just share some book-dart marked bits:
I like how Jack's Mom used newspaper for placemats. Jack says it's because she doesn't like waste; I bet she's fully aware that he's becoming a better reader and citizen because he's reading the papers.
He is *such* a nice boy, devoted to old Miss Volker. When she calls him for help because of the poisoned vermin in her cellar, he doesn't hesitate. 'I'll be right down... Don't go into the basement without me.'"
Such an interesting community. Another one of the little old ladies was "a champion duck carver and carved the portraits of all the presidents that hang in the school library.
His friend Bunny, the undertaker's daughter, is quite the character, too. Instead of calling him 'chicken' or some other name, she says, "'You are worse than one of Dad's stiffs... At least they know they are dead. You don't even know you're alive.'"
And of course there's good advice to the kids reading this. "... like any lie, the fewer details you give the better it is.""
Norvelt, Pennsylvania in the 1960s is the setting for this 2011 Newbery winner that recounts the strangely engaging summer of 11 yr old Jack Gantos and the cast of characters that populate his small town.
Rating: 3Gantos does a very good job of presenting the world from the 12 year boy's point of view. There is some seriously sad material in here but it is also transcendent.
Rating: 3Good story. My favorite line, "I love to sniff the insides of books."
Rating: 3Narrated by the author. This put me in mind of "A Long Way to Chicago." Both books have opinionated elder ladies who take no prisoners. I really enjoyed listening to Jack Gantos read his work; very funny interpretation and even though he doesn't do any distinctive voices for the characters, he still manages to give each a clear personality.
Rating: 4Jack's plans for summer vacation fun are shot down when he is grounded for life by his parents. But he still ends up with plenty of excitement when his mom loans him out to an old neighbor to help her type obituaries for the founders of his small hometown of Norvelt.I really enjoyed the blend of humor, history and drama in this book. The town of Norvelt is full of colorful, quirky characters, and as Miss Volker dictates the obituaries for those who die in the course of the story, she sprinkles in accounts of historic events that somehow connect to them, adding some life lessons into the mix as well. It definitely deserved the awards it got!
Rating: 5This book wasn't bad, per se, but I'm not sure I feel comfortable calling it good, either. I generally enjoy stories that revolve around slight off-center small towns that seem to have their own rules for reality, but this story of a summer in Norvelt just fell flat for me. Between the mysterious deaths of old ladies, the selling of houses to be shipped off to another town, Jack's perpetual groundings for things that weren't really his fault, and the weird Hell's Angels subplots, there was just too much going on and too many loose threads still dangling by the end of the book. In its semi-autobiographical wackiness, I felt that the events were too out there to be considered as reality, but not over-the-top enough to be charmingly kooky.
Rating: 2It was funny and creative . I had to read this for school but it turns out I would read this in my free time. I recommend this book for anyone.
Rating: 5Jack gets grounded for the summer by his mother and father. The only time he can leave the house is to go to Miss Volker's and help her write up the town obituaries, act as the medical examiner and help her out with chores and errands. At first he is horrified by the idea but as the summer passes his bond with Miss Volker grows stronger and there seems to be an alarming number of little old ladies passing away.
This book is an interesting mix of true things from the author's life, such as town life in Norvelt, what his parents and Ms. Volker (name changed to protect the innocent) are like and the false such as crazy murder mysteries.
This was another great, funny read. There were definitely times where it was more than a little gross out. There was a ton of interesting history that I would definitely love to learn more about. There was also a great author interview at the end of the cd. I was so thrilled it was there since I was dying to learn what was true and what wasn't.
Rating: 4This book is an interesting mix of true things from the author's life, such as town life in Norvelt, what his parents and Ms. Volker (name changed to protect the innocent) are like and the false such as crazy murder mysteries.
This was another great, funny read. There were definitely times where it was more than a little gross out. There was a ton of interesting history that I would definitely love to learn more about. There was also a great author interview at the end of the cd. I was so thrilled it was there since I was dying to learn what was true and what wasn't.
Although this book is copyrighted 2011, it has the feel of a book written decades ago. It would appeal to young adults who are interested in stories with historical flavor. The narrative takes place during the Cold War. Gantos captures the flavor of small-town eccentrics during an unusual time period of American history.The protagonist, 12-year-old Jack, suffers from spontaneous nosebleeds whenever he is stressed. As you would expect, this puts a big crimp in his social life. Through an unfortunate series of events, Jack is grounded for the summer, his only social outlet helping an elderly, peculiar woman who, in tribute to Eleanor Roosevelt, insists on writing long-winded and eclectic obituaries for the original founders of the town of Norvelt.What promises to be a long and boring summer takes a sharp turn into the strange and disturbing. Why are so many of the elderly suddenly dying? Is Jack’s father building a bomb shelter or a airplane landing strip and why? Will the motorcycle gang continue to seek revenge upon the town for the death of one of their own by burning down the homes of its citizens one by one?Mostly zany, often insightful, Dead Ends In Norvelt is an unusual book that will interest young and old readers alike.
Rating: 5I enjoyed how history and the wisdom of his mother and friend were woven into the story. The ending didn't satisfy me, but if that's what happened...
Rating: 4Dead End in Norvelt is an autobiographical/fiction novel by the Jack Gantos, a well-known children and YA author. It features a boy named Jack Gantos and is based partly on the author's childhood in Norvelt, Pennsylvania. It received Newberry award in 2012. The novel centers on a two month period (in the early 1960s) when Jack Gantos, whose plans for vacation excitement are shot down when he is "grounded for life" by his parents, after he accidently shots his father’s Japanese rifle and not so accidently mows down his mother’s corn field. But plenty of excitement comes Jack's way once his mom loans him out to help a neighbor, Miss Volker, with an unusual chore—typewriting obituaries (for the "original Norvelters") filled with stories about the people who founded his town. As one obituary leads to another, Jack begins his summer adventure—which includes molten wax, Eleanor Roosevelt, a homemade airplane, Girl Scout cookies, a man on a trike, Hells Angels and possibly murder. I loved this book and decided I want a friend like Miss Volker. I loved the idea of taking an obituary and adding a historical note that heightened the life of the deceased—what a wonderful idea. Jack learns over the summer the importance of being part of a community, the lessons of history and what fun a car and an old lady can be. This book is laugh out loud funny at times—and a great book for the YA reader or a wonderful book to share as a family. 4 ½ out of 5 stars.
Rating: 5“School was finally out and I was standing on a picnic table in our backyard getting ready for a great summer when my mother walked up to me and ruined it.” -- Jack Gantos
It is the summer of 1962 and Jack’s mom informs him that he has been enlisted to help out their old neighbor, Miss Volker, to write obituaries for the local paper. She will dictate the stories about the residents who have passed on and Jack will prepare them for print.
But that was the least of his problems. “Oh sweet cheeze-us!” Jack hadn’t known that the rifle was loaded when he aimed and fired at the enemy on the drive-in movie screen, which led to his being grounded for the summer.
And then there was the small problem of his “sensitive” nose from which blood would come spewing out of whenever Jack got a little excited
Oh, and did I mention that someone might be killing off all the original little old ladies of Norvelt?
You’ll get to know the locals as you join Jack on his adventures, some of which include:
-trying to silently pass gas to save the life of a deer
-checking on the elderly to see if it is too soon to write an obituary…while dressed as the Grimm Reaper
-sneaking out of the house to go on Girl Scout fire patrol with his best friend, Bunny
This pleasant story is part adventure, part historical fiction, part murder mystery and full of quirky characters.
Rating: 3It is the summer of 1962 and Jack’s mom informs him that he has been enlisted to help out their old neighbor, Miss Volker, to write obituaries for the local paper. She will dictate the stories about the residents who have passed on and Jack will prepare them for print.
But that was the least of his problems. “Oh sweet cheeze-us!” Jack hadn’t known that the rifle was loaded when he aimed and fired at the enemy on the drive-in movie screen, which led to his being grounded for the summer.
And then there was the small problem of his “sensitive” nose from which blood would come spewing out of whenever Jack got a little excited
Oh, and did I mention that someone might be killing off all the original little old ladies of Norvelt?
You’ll get to know the locals as you join Jack on his adventures, some of which include:
-trying to silently pass gas to save the life of a deer
-checking on the elderly to see if it is too soon to write an obituary…while dressed as the Grimm Reaper
-sneaking out of the house to go on Girl Scout fire patrol with his best friend, Bunny
This pleasant story is part adventure, part historical fiction, part murder mystery and full of quirky characters.
Jack Gantos was only eleven when he’s grounded for an entire summer, but with it comes the most exciting thing he’ll ever experience, and you’ll never expect it. Dead End in Norvelt is a realistic fiction book written by Jack Gantos, who happened to have named the main character after himself.Jack was playing with his father’s rifle when he accidentally fires it, but what’s really interesting yet riddling, is that there was a bullet in the gun, yet he never loaded it. He is then grounded and forced to work for Mrs. Volker, his elderly neighbor. Through the summer he must try to keep out of trouble, keep up his work for Mrs. Volker, help his father build an airplane and launch pad, and solve the mystery of why the old ladies in his town continue to drop like flies, and the only evidence is his mother’s donated casseroles. It gets a little deeper than that though once he finds out exactly why who did it, did it.The target audience is around eight years old to thirteen years old, anyone younger wouldn’t understand the slightly larger words and anyone older wouldn’t bother. It was quite interesting, it reeled me in as soon as I realized that these old ladies all dying at the same time was no coincidence and that someone was purposely murdering these ladies. The reason at the end was almost perfect, really, and wrapped up a feud between two characters, while also leading way for a sequel which had already come out by the time I had started to read it. Overall, the book held quite a few plot points I
Rating: 4Pre-teen Jack Gantos is looking forward to the summer of 1962 in Norvelt, Pennsylvania, until he does something so stupid that his mother grounds him for life. Now he is actually looking forward to helping Miss Volker write obituaries for the elderly original residents who are dying right and left. It's about the only way he'll get out of the house. Jack learns a lot during the summer – about the history of the town's founding by Eleanor Roosevelt, about the cycle of history and the importance of learning from the mistakes of the past, about life, and about about death.I'm not sure I would have enjoyed this book when I was the age of its target audience. I would have probably viewed it as a book with more appeal for boys than for girls of that age. I appreciate it more as an adult reader, although I'm not as impressed with it as the Newbery panelists were. Even with the quirky setting, eccentric characters, and the underlying pathos of a dying town, it seems to be missing some special spark. It was worth reading once, but it isn't a book I'll want to revisit.
Rating: 4Meh, is about the only reaction I have to this book. From the beginning, the tone of the writing style didn't work for me. I want to use the word "patronizing"; I don't think that's the right word, but something along those lines, basically the feeling of "I'm going to write a book for kids" instead of "I'm going to tell a great story". I read a blog post by a fellow writer talking about the difference between "situation" and "story". A situation is when something happens to the character, and story is when the character takes action and makes things happen. For the most part, I'd say Dead End in Norvelt is a book of situations, as the boy Jack finds himself put into situations by others and pretty much does as he is told and only does things to provoke the movement of the story once at the beginning and a little bit at the end. I got seriously bored about halfway through, and almost considered giving up. Things picked up and got more interesting toward the end and the story wrapped up in a fairly satisfactory manner, but I still didn't love it. All throughout I never felt that sense of risk, you know the cost of the character not talking action or making a bad decision or getting in trouble with his parents. Even when he's grounded, he doesn't seem very upset by it and does little to resist, and really, because he's made friends with the arthritic old lady down the street, things are actually going swimmingly for him. Things happen, quirky and maybe darkly funny things, bunt none of them seem to matter on more than a superficial level. And even though there are interesting, strange characters, I didn't really care about any of them. I couldn't find anyone to latch onto and love, anyone who I cared whether they lost their home or moved away from this poverty stricken town, or even if they died as some of the old folks did — at which point, the arthritic old lady would have Jack type out the obituary that would be quirky and darkly funny and spin off into a "this day in history" thing, which now that I think about it, really made light of the death as opposed to making it meaningful. Another strange thing about this book is that the author is Jack Gantos and he grew up in Norvelt and he's writing a story about a young boy named Jack Gantos growing up in a town called Norvelt. It's not clear at all whether this book is in any way autobiographical, or if he just decided to name a character after himself for the hell of it, or what. It would be great if there was an author's note or something to explain it, because I'm curious, but I'm not so driven as to try to sift through google to find out. *sigh*Anyway, yeah, so, another book down.
Rating: 3I liked this book, but I didn't love it. I listened to the audio version read by Jack Gantos himself. In the beginning, I was really into the story...I loved how outrageous and hilarious everything is. He writes in this really unique voice and the story is full of unpredictable details and twists. Near the end, though, I got kind of tired of the story and was just ready for it to end.
I still enjoyed it , though. Truly. Jack Gantos is a piece of work.
Rating: 4I still enjoyed it , though. Truly. Jack Gantos is a piece of work.
The writing was good, the characters were interesting and quirky, and the setting felt very real. But I got to the end of the story and thought, "And?" I'm not sure what the point was, other than maybe to just paint a picture of a time that is gone. Maybe a second reading would change my impressions.
Rating: 4Really laughed out loud at the beginning.
Rating: 4This is Jack Gantos at his best. Weird, funny and endlessly entertaining. If you're a fan of his Jack Henry and Joey Pigza books, you'll love this one.
Rating: 5Jack did a really dumb thing. Then he did another really dumb thing, and now he's grounded for the entire summer, allowed out of the house only to help his elderly neighbor by transcribing the obituaries she writes as native Norvelters die off. Jack gets out of the house a surprising amount for one summer.
There was a lot that made me smile in this; I really enjoyed it. And it's so nice to see a Newbery winner that isn't all doom-and-gloom AngstFest. I did spend half the audio thinking "This won an Odyssey honor and Libba Bray's Beauty Queens got nothing?" before realizing that this didn't get an Odyssey honor. It's not bad, but Gantos has a slightly choppy way of speaking, putting extra pauses in the middle of his sentences.
And when he gets going, he sounds a little like David Sedaris.
Rating: 4There was a lot that made me smile in this; I really enjoyed it. And it's so nice to see a Newbery winner that isn't all doom-and-gloom AngstFest. I did spend half the audio thinking "This won an Odyssey honor and Libba Bray's Beauty Queens got nothing?" before realizing that this didn't get an Odyssey honor. It's not bad, but Gantos has a slightly choppy way of speaking, putting extra pauses in the middle of his sentences.
And when he gets going, he sounds a little like David Sedaris.
I did enjoy this book a lot, and wish I could be a crazy grandmother some day too. I think I appreciate it more now that I live in a small town.
Rating: 4