Gantos, Jack.
Dead End in Norvelt. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2011. ISBN 978-0-374-37993-3.
Plot Summary
Set in Norvelt, PA, twelve-year-old Jack Gantos is grounded for the summer in 1962 because he accidently fired his father's WWII Japanese rifle. His punishment is temporarily lifted to help his elderly neighbor write obituaries infused with historical facts for the town's newspaper.
Critical Analysis
Gantos weaves a very humorous and believable tale around the ordinary lives of twelve-year-old Jack Gantos and his elderly neighbor, Miss Volker. The book takes place in Norvelt, PA in 1962. The author lived in Norvelt as a child so it makes one wonder if the book, and the main character of the same name, is an autobiographical reflection of his past. The town, as mentioned in the book, was founded as part of Eleanor Roosevelt's efforts in creating the New Deal Homestead Act. Scroll down to the connection activities for a link which will give more information on this historic fact. The name of the town, Norvelt, was in honor of EleaNOR RooseVELT. There is no specific significance as to why the book was set in 1962. Perhaps it was to honor the memory of Eleanor Roosevelt who died November 7, 1962.
The cast of characters remain true-to-life throughout the book. Jack seems like any boy his age. A good lad but always getting into trouble. Miss Volker is the no-nonsense calls-it-like-she-sees-it elderly neighbor who befriends Jack, perhaps out of necessity more than anything else. She takes her death-watch duty, as promised to Mrs. Roosevelt herself, very seriously. The supporting characters are just as life-like and believable: Jack's parents, Mr. Spizz, Bunny, Mr. Huffer, Mertie-Jo, Mr. Kernecky, and the Hells Angels, just to name a few. It is easy to picture each character and imagine what he or she looked like, how they would have felt in 1962, and what they were like. Gantos captured each person perfectly and never wavered in his characterization. The setting, the thoughts and fears of the characters, and the storyline itself is carefully orchestrated to create a fictional story out of historical events. In Dead End in Norvelt, Jack's father mentions building a bomb shelter. This would have been consistent with the thoughts of the time. In 1960, the Russians claimed to have downed a U.S. spy plane. That same year, Cuba aligned itself with the Soviet Union. In 1962, there was a credible threat of Soviet missiles bombarding the U.S. via launch sites in Cuba.
A story which hinges around the deaths of the original Norvelters would evoke thoughts of being grim, despondent, and hopeless. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Dead End in Norvelt is laugh-out-loud funny. Gantos is witty and spotlights the humorous events which occur on any ordinary day, or at least an ordinary day in Norvelt, PA. For example, when Jack needs to check to see if one of the town folk has joined the dearly departed, he dons a Grim Reaper costume and sneaks into her house. Mrs. Dubicki is not dead. She gets the start of her life when she awakes from her nap to find Norvelt's Grim Reaper hovering over her. Getting over her initial shock, she asks Jack, a.k.a. Norvelt's Grim Reaper for the Public Good, if he could fit her into his schedule in two weeks so she wouldn't miss her grandson's birthday on July 3rd. When Mr. Reaper agrees, Mrs. Dubicki, remembering her manners as a good hostess, invites the Grim Reaper to join her for a cup of tea.
Jack is grounded for the summer because he accidently fired his father's WWII Japanese rifle which, by the way, he wasn't supposed to touch. His only reprieve from his punishment is helping his elderly neighbor, Miss. Volker. Miss Volker is the town's chief medical examiner and obituary writer for the Norvelt News. Because of her arthritis, Jack is her scribe, typist, and errand boy. In each obituary, Miss Volker includes historical facts which occurred on that particular day in history. For example, when Mrs. Dubicki died on July 4, 1962, Miss Volker writes about the deaths of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson on July 4, 1826. This historical information can be verified (e.g. http://askville.amazon.com/john-Adams-Thomas-Jefferson-die-day-July-4th-1826/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=7977517). Another example of the history-infused obituary would be when Mrs. Hamsby died on August 1, 1962, Miss Volker wrote about what happened on August 1, 1944. It was on this day that Anne Frank made the last entry into her diary. This can be verified by different sources (e.g. http://voices.yahoo.com/this-day-history-august-1st-1944-anne-franks-last-3933830.html). There are many tidbits of history inlaid throughout Gantos' Dead End in Norvelt. The reader is able to glean a lesson in history while enjoying a thoroughly entertaining story!
Awards and Honors
Newbery Medal, 2012
Scott O'Dell Award, 2012
Review Excerpts
“This is a brilliant book, full of history, mystery, and laughs. It reminded me of my small-town childhood, although my small town was never as delightfully weird as Norvelt.” —Dave Barry
“A bit of autobiography works its way into all of Gantos’s work, but he one-ups himself in this wildly entertaining meld of truth and fiction by naming the main character . . . Jackie Gantos.” —
Publishers Weekly, starred review
“A fast-paced and witty read.” —
School Library Journal
“There’s more than laugh-out-loud gothic comedy here. This is a richly layered semi-autobiographical tale, an ode to a time and place, to history and the power of reading.” —
The Horn Book, starred review
“Gantos, as always, delivers bushels of food for thought and plenty of outright guffaws.” —
Booklist
Other Books by Jack Gantos
From Norvelt to Nowhere
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key
Jack Adrift: Fourth Grade Without a Clue
Book Connections
Eleanor Roosevelt: An Inspiring Life by Elizabeth MacLeod
True Colors by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock
Rex Zero and the End of the World by Tim Wynne-Jones
Connection Activities
- Listen to the Great Events of 1962 & 1963 [video recording] published by the Madacy Entertainment Group, Inc. (ISBN 7102019199997). Create a poster depicting the historical events which took place in 1962-1963.
- Discuss the history of Norvelt, PA and the New Deal Homestead Project(e.g. http://www.norvelt.org/Norvelt/History.html and http://www.lib.iup.edu/depts/speccol/exhibits/norvelt.html). Would this project be successful today? After reviewing historical facts, have the students discuss this question and draw their own conclusions.
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