Dead End In Norvelt

Author Jack Gantos

Isaac and I finished reading Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos the other night. I wanted to read it because it is recently won the Newberry Award for this year. Isaac didn't think it sounded that interesting, but agreed to read it with me as he is willing to listen to me read books he wouldn't pick up on his own.

It's the story of a boy (named Jack Gantos) who lives in a town called Norvelt that was built because of Eleanor Roosevelt to help people living in poverty. Jack's mother still wants to barter for things as she says it's "the Norvelt way," which embarrasses Jack as his mom tries to avoid paying the doctor money they don't have. Jack has a chronic nosebleeding problem that needs fixing but the family doesn't have the money for the operation. Jack finds himself in big trouble with his parents and spends the summer grounded and his only reprieve is helping an elderly woman with whom he strikes up an unlikely friendship--in a sense, that's the core of the story. The scene when Jack meets the feisty old woman is quite hilarious and had Isaac and I both laughing out loud. The rest of the book contains humor, but nothing else as funny. Jack and the elderly woman both love history so the book is packed with historical references and stories. Overall, it is a good book that Isaac and I both enjoyed, but I can't highly recommend it because there were points that dragged on a little. But in the end, I could see why it won the award.