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Dead End in Norvelt
- Narrated by: Jack Gantos
- Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins
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Dead End in Norvelt
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Publisher's Summary
Dead End in Norvelt is the winner of the 2012 Newbery Medal for the year's best contribution to children's literature and the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction!
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 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.
Endlessly surprising, this sly, sharp-edged narrative is the author at his very best, making listeners 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.
What the critics say
“Looking for a great audiobook for boys? This is it. Further blurring the line between fact and fiction in this autobiographical novel, author Jack Gantos narrates himself, sharing the 1962 summer adventures of his eponymous hero as he navigates adolescence and a dying town caught between two eras…The story is a little odd and a lot funny. Gantos's delivery is dry and wry, and even when characters don't get distinctive voices, the action and emotion are utterly clear. A gem.” —AudioFile Magazine
“Gantos captures the voice of a middle-school boy in a relatable way, with plenty of self-consciousness and humor, and he infuses the storyline with a sense of mystery, danger, and adventure…This is an engaging story that makes for compelling listening.” —Parents Choice Gold Award
“Gantos narrates this laugh-out-loud semi-autobiographical tale, providing a pitch-perfect rendition of Jack's sarcasm, exaggeration, and whining.” —School Library Journal
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What listeners say about Dead End in Norvelt
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Maxine B.
- 2022-12-29
Great book
Okay well so we are here at the church and I am just waiting on
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2018-09-16
So Much Potential!
Gantos is great ("Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key" is outstanding!). So, given that this won the Newbery and has such a fun title and premise, I admit I was disappointed by this one. It didn't grab me and while I like Gantos' voice, it didn't breath any more life into this story than was already there. Perhaps I should give it another go and see why others - critics and readers alike - enjoy this one as much as they do. #Audible1
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Jan
- 2012-02-06
Can't believe it won the Newberry...
Bought this book right after learning it was the Newberry winner, I usually love the books they select. The plot had so much potential and I wanted to like it. Actually had to force myself to finish it to see if the end was so great it made up for the beginning. Found it a jerky ride of manic tangents and multiple themes barely held together in a story so random and contrived that I couldn't force myself to suspend disbelief.
I was sick of nosebleeds, old ladies being murdered and frequent, irritating "faux" swearing (like cheeses crust) by multiple persons, which as read by reader sounded like normal swearing. The main character is a young teen who speaks, thinks and evaluates like an old man looking back rather than a teen experiencing the events. All the characters are quirky and felt manufactured. The setting in the 50's didn't feel real either, a bomb shelter being dug in the back yard does not an era make.
Someone obviously likes it, but many books in the past few years just earning "honors" and not the award are much better.
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9 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- colleen
- 2012-03-21
credit worthy
Original, entertaining and funny. Norvelt is an amusing story that could be recommended to anyone at any age.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Rachel
- 2017-10-17
A Demented Little Nugget of a Book
I love love LOVE this demented little nugget of a book. No children's writer is more twisted or morbid than Jack Gantos, which is what makes him the BEST. In this Newbery-winning novel, twelve-year-old Jack gets grounded and spends the summer of 1962 helping a feisty old witch write obituaries for all the little old ladies in Norvelt, Pennsylvania, who may or may not be getting slowly poisoned to death. Meanwhile, Hells Angels move in down the road and start burning local houses to the ground, and the next door neighbors start up a funeral parlor. This is a great novel about what it's like to be young, bored, and grounded, and in the funniest scene OF ALL TIME since Barbara Park wrote Skinnybones, Jack describes his method for noiselessly scaring deer away during his dad's hunting trip. (Spoiler: it's farts.) Gantos' deadpan humor translates best when he reads it out loud; I can't recommend the audio highly enough!
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Judy Lou Beckman
- 2013-02-03
Read a young adult book with excellent writiing
Where does Dead End in Norvelt rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
The chraacters are charming. Imaginie the protagonist beiing grounded for the whole summer except when he gos to help an elderly lady who writes obits. She is a fabulous writer, we shoul all have such a gifted writer. She iincludes significent history among her writings, historical facts you will enjoy remembering and surprised you'd forgotten. Norvlt is a real place and you ned to know what it means.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Jack and Miss Volker--together they make the story roll.
What about Jack Gantos’s performance did you like?
He has a gift for humor and plays on words. You won't put this book down or begin to think about how small towns begin to meet their demise.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
No film for this book
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sheila D. Despain
- 2015-06-28
Great story for YA and adults
I enjoyed the history and the humor in this book. I think young boys would especially enjoy it.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- choi
- 2015-12-10
I love it!!!!!!!!!!
This story is way awesome! It is so hilarious and funny. Everyone please read it!!!!!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Golden
- 2012-06-04
A fun family read (listen)
If you could sum up Dead End in Norvelt in three words, what would they be?
funny, exciting, informing
What other book might you compare Dead End in Norvelt to and why?
The Miracle of Miss Willie
Which scene was your favorite?
When Jack first goes to Mrs. Norvelts house and it look like she is melting her hands in a big pot. He ends up past out on the floor. My six year old was so enchanted and worried about what the crazy old lady was doing.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The ending when he figures out the purpose of History.
Any additional comments?
I loved how he entwined the history and made it relevant. My children and I could not get enough. We have started playing our favorite chapters over again and my 6 year old is acting out his favorite parts.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Peter Hanrahan
- 2023-08-26
Stopped listening
This was a pretty boring book about a kid in the 60s who lived in a small town…really a waste of a credit.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Margaret Collier
- 2023-03-01
Love it so much is there a third?
Perfect in every way awesome book the story is well written and kept me hooked the entire time.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2021-06-10
Excellent
THis is a brilliant audio book. Please more of this!! Was performed well. Brilliant story and loads of fun
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