Jack Gantos has been writing funny books about boys and the crazy things they get up to for some time now – his Joey Pigza series about a boy with ADHD being his best-known work. He’s also written before about his own life, in an autobiographical look at the end of his own youth, which he spent in jail (A Hole in My Life). But in this book, he mixes up fact and fiction in a funny and touching narrative that you might call “faction.”
Dead End in Norvelt
Jack Gantos
Farrar Strauss Girroux
ISBN: 978 0 374 378993 3
Our main character – named Jack Gantos – is grounded for the summer after he accidentally shoots an old sniper rifle off. His dad compounds his problems by telling him to mow down his mom’s cornfield against her wishes, and now jack is well and truly stuck between his parents, whose values are at odds.
His mom has him helping an older neighbour who suffers from seriously crippling arthritis, and he becomes fond of her as he gets to know her and manages to learn a lot from her over the summer about the town’s history. Their town, Norvelt, was one of the towns created with the support of Eleanor Roosevelt, who still looms large in the minds of the older residents, and the theme of social justice that she supported run throughout this story.
Jack also manages to get himself into some silly situations over the summer, getting caught at small misdemeanours that keep adding to a small hill of secrets and lies that inevitably create more problems. His friend Bunny is also good for some weirdness, being the daughter of the shifty undertaker who keeps trying to loosen u[p the slightly fearful Jack. And then there’s the nosebleeds. And… Well, there’s a lot going on here. It makes it a little tough to sum up concisely, but somehow, it all works out to a story with enough humour, history, and heart to make for a good read, and a particularly boy-friendly middle grade book.
Sounds like it could be a hit at my house.