Mundie Moms

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Book Review: Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos


Published by: Farrar Straus Giroux
Released on: September , 2011
Source: ARC from publisher to review
3.5 stars: It's A Good Read
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

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. Dead End in Norvelt is a Publishers Weekly Best Children's Fiction title for 2011. One of Horn Book’s Best Fiction Books of 2011. -quoted from Goodreads

An interesting story with a unique voice and cast of eccentric characters makes for an intriguing read. There's something about the quirkiness of the story that kept me reading it, when normally this style of writing isn't my thing. Dead End in Norvelt has this great mix of history, laugh out loud moments, and some entertaining characters. I was really drawn to the voice of twelve year old Jack, who's the only child to two constantly feuding parents, and lives in the small town of Norvelt, named after Eleanor Roosevelt. For some reason while reading this book I kept alternating between the voices of Napoleon Dynamite and Ralphie from A Christmas Story as the story's narrators in head. The story kind of has a similar feel to both of these movies. It's one part funny, one what "what the heck is going on" and one part intriguing that I couldn't put it down.

Set in what I believe is the early 1960's, the entire feel of the book matches that time period. From the way the characters act, the things they say, what they do and their mind set. Jack himself is a kid that just can't catch a break. He finds himself grounded for the summer after playing with some of his father's weapons from the war he fought in and for mowing down his mother's rows of corn so his father could build a bunker. I seriously grew frustrated with Jack's parents, especially since they're the cause of some of his poor choices. He literally got caught up between their feuding and both of them telling him to different things. He had to pick which parent he was going to disobey. Poor guy. His saving grace from being grounded is his elderly neighbor his mom sends him to help each morning, Miss Volker. She is hilarious and just calls it like she sees it.

Wrapped up into Jack's story is a old fashion murder mystery, the threat of the Hells Angels coming to down, a father who's anxious to get his bomb shelf built along with his run way for his war plane he's building and mother who's more worried about growing food and feeding the poor than what's going on with Jack. There's a lot that's wrapped up into this story, and I don't think my review will do this book justice. It's one you really have to pick up and read for yourself. It really felt like I was getting a glimpse to Jack's journal from growing up and the summer he learned an important life lesson. It's realistic, the humor in this book comes at all the right moments, and it's story with an important life lesson learned for Jack. It's truly a book that will be appealing to many ages and I can see why it's won both the Publisher's Weekly Best Children's Fiction and Horn's Best Fiction Books in 2011, and was announced at last weekend's ALA winner for the John Newbery Medal.

If you love audiobooks, be sure to listen to a sample of the book here.

In My Mailbox #108

Happy Weekend!! I hope you guys are all having a great Saturday. I am so excited about the lovely surprised that arrived this week in my mailbox. I can't wait to share my thoughts about them with you guys. In My Mailbox is a weekly feature hosted by The Story Siren where bloggers share what they received for review, bought, traded, were gifted etc. Here's what arrived this week in my mailbox:

For Review:


* Black Heart by Holly Black, published by Margaret K. McElderry, to be released on 4/3/12, ** this will be featured as a giveaway next month in the MM's 3 yr Birthday Bash
* Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen, published by Bloomsbury Teen, to be released on 2/14/12
* Stolen Away by Alyxandra Harvey, published by Bloomsbury Teen, released on 1/17/12, reviewed here
* Fracture by Megan Miranda, published by Bloomsbury Teen, released on 1/17/12
* In Darkness by Nick Lake, published by Bloomsbury Teen, released on 1/15/12
* Fairy Lies by E.D. Baker, published by Bloomsbury Teen, to be released on 2/14/12
* The International Kissing Club by Ivy Adams, published by Bloomsbury Teen, released on 1/3/12, reviewed here
* The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe, published by Disney Hyperion, released on 1/24/12

Not picture, Until I Die by Amy Plum, published by Harper Teen, to be released on 5/8/12, **this is on my second ARC and I will be giving it away next month as part of my MM 3rd Birthday Bash

* The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison, published by Egmont USA, to be released on 2/14/12
* Everything You Need To Survive The Apocalypse by Lucas Klauss, published by Simon Pulse, released on 1/3/12
* Vesper by Jeff Sampson, published by Balzer & Bray, released on 1/25/11
* Havoc by Jeff Sampson, published by Balzer & Bray, released on 1/24/12
* Trafficked by Kim Purcell, published by Viking, to be released on 2/16/12
* The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova, published by Source Books, to be released on 5/1/12
* Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin & Lisa Brown, published by Source Books, released on 5/1/10, reviewed here

* Cloaked by Alex Flinn, published by Harper Teen, paperback edition to be released on 2/14/12
* Bewitching by Alex Flinn, published by Harper Teen, to be released on 2/14/12
* The Miseducation of Cameron Post, published by Balzar & Bray, to be released on 2/1/12


Mundie Kids:

* Revenge, Jason Steed by Mark A Cooper, published by Source Books, to be released on 3/1/12
* The Cupcake Club: Peace, Love and Cupcakes by Sheryl Berk & Carrie Berk, published by Source Books, to be released on 4/5/12
* Horrid Henry and the Zombie Vampire by Tony Ross, published by Source Books, to be released on 4/12
* Hapenny Magick by Jennifer Carson, published by Pugalicouspress, released on 11/13/11



Mundie Kids: these will be all be featured at the beginning of Feb. on Mundie Kids.


* Isabella Girl on the Go by Jennifer Fosberry, published by Sourebooks, to be released on 2/1/12
* Just Because You're Mine by Sally Lloyd-Jones, published by Harper Collins Childrens, released on 12/27/11
* Love, Splat by Rob Scotton, published by Harper Collins Childrens
* Hugs from Pearl by Paul Schmid, published by Harper Collins Childrens, 11/22/11
* Plant a Kiss by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, published by Harper Collins Childrens, released on 12/27/12
* Hedgehug by Benn Sutton, published by Harper Collins Childrens, released on 12/1/11
* Pinkalicious, Pink of Hearts by Victoria Kann, published by Harper Collins Childrens, released on 11/22/11
* Amelia Bedelia's First Valentine by Herman Parish, published by Harper Collins Childrens
* You by Stephen Michael King, published by Harper Collins Childrens, released on 4/11
* When My Baby Dreams by Adele Enersen, published by Harper Collins Childrens, released on 1/3/12


Bought:

* The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Anglebreger, from ALA, signed for my son
* Fallen in Love by Lauren Kate


Thank you: Harper Teen, Balzar & Bray, Bloomsbury Teen, Source Books, Simon & Schuster, Deb Shapiro, Disney Hyperion, Jennifer Carson, and Viking for this week's awesome reads.

What goodies did you receive this week?

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