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Dead End in Norvelt

Posted by on February 29, 2012 in New Book Reviews | 17 Comments

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 feisty 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 launched 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.
~Amazon.com


Dead End in Norvelt was selected as the 2012 Newbery winner.

The cool thing is that we were already reading it in a book partnership. These are some of our thoughts at the conclusion of our reading.

Brent:
Something that I really enjoyed about reading Dead End was how the title held multiple meanings throughout the story. I like when authors create witty titles whose meanings I can ponder throughout the story. Did you notice the same as you read?

David:
Yeah, it hit me all of a sudden about midway through that there are a lot of dead ends in the book — from the bodies that start piling up to Norvelt itself which is dying off.

Brent:
Jack’s dad views Norvelt as a personal dead end. He is a WWII vet who now feels he should have his slice of the American Pie. Being a construction worker, he is unable to get any jobs in a dying town, and travels a lot seeking employment. His main goal is to move the family to Florida where he can obtain what he thinks he is due.

David:
In fact, Jack’s dad is even trying to further the demise of Norvelt by physically moving houses to a different town. Speaking of Jack’s dad, I notice a power play between him and Jack’s mom. They have a different paradigm of how they should live their lives and what role they should play in the community.

Brent:
Gantos shows this beautifully when he’s describing their family Monopoly game. It’s a small glimpse into their individual outlooks, but it’s very telling. Dad says that Monopoly is “the American dream in a box,” as he buys all the expensive properties and pops hotels on each, waiting to bankrupt others. On the other hand, Mom verbalizes her dislike of Monopoly by saying, “It teaches you how to ruin other people’s lives without caring.” Predictably, she owns the low-rent properties.

David:
Exactly. Jack’s mom reveals her outlook when she doesn’t have enough money for a certain medical procedure, and she tries to barter with the doctor. She also grows a garden to produce food for the elderly in Norvelt. I won’t give away what happens with the garden. It’s a focal point of the struggle between the mom and dad.

Brent:
Jack is stuck in the middle, trying to please both parents at the same time–a difficult place to be. It is very interesting to see how Jack maneuvers his way between these two opposing viewpoints within his own family.

David:
One of my favorite aspects of this book is how Gantos weaves historically accurate information into the story. For example, Norvelt is really a town set up by (Elea)NOR (Rose)VELT in the early 1930s. When the mine shut down, Norvelt quickly went downhill and that’s where we find it in this story. Check it out! Towards the end of the book, Jack mentions that Marilyn Monroe died “yesterday”. Since Monroe died on August 5, 1962, that would mean that this page of the story is taking place on August 6th, 1962 . It’s so cool to know that.

Brent:
I agree. It is neat to know when and where this story takes place without having to guesstimate. I also love Mrs. Volker’s message: Those who fail to study and learn from history are doomed to repeat it. I think that is so true (being a former SS teacher myself). Jack even comments on this when trying to explain to his dad Volker’s reason for writing about history . He says, “Maybe she thinks that remembering it is a good thing. Because if you do something bad and forget about it, then you might do the same bad thing again. But if you always remember it, then chances are you won’t do the same bad thing twice.” This is why I think Volker writes her histories–from worker’s rights in old England to the bombing of Hiroshima–in the obituaries.

David:
Do you think kids will like this book?

Brent:
I think most kids can really get into this book. I found it to have less of a Historical Fiction feel to it than I thought it would at the beginning. Maybe that is because of my age and it being recent history. But what’s recent history for us seems ancient for our students.

David:
As long as the reader appreciates a good story packed with humor and quirky characters, this will be a good choice. Be prepared to bust a gut laughing at Jack’s gushing nosebleeds, Mrs. Volker’s melting hands, and deer hunting with Jack’s dad.

When David Etkin and Brent Peterson aren’t reading, Tweeting, blogging, drinking coffee, and trading recipe ideas, they teach 6th grade language arts at Sweet Home Middle School in Amherst, NY. They are Nerdy Book Club enthusiasts and blog about their reading lives at (David) Words Read & Words Written [http://mretome.wordpress.com/] and (Brent) Turning the Page [http://bjp7834.wordpress.com/]. To catch up on their previous conversations about Dead End, visit their blogs to watch and listen. You can follow them on Twitter @DavidAEtkin and @BrentJPeterson.