Synopses & Reviews
This rocket-paced follow-up to the Newbery Medal-winning novel Dead End in Norvelt opens deep in the shadow of the Cuban missile crisis. But instead of Russian warheads, other kinds of trouble are raining down on young Jack Gantos and his utopian town of Norvelt in western Pennsylvania. After an explosion, a new crime by an old murderer, and the sad passing of the towns founder, twelve-year-old Jack will soon find himself launched on a mission that takes him hundreds of miles away, escorting his slightly mental elderly mentor, Miss Volker, on her relentless pursuit of the oddest of outlaws. But as their trip turns south in more ways than one, its increasingly clear that the farther from home they travel, the more off-the-wall Jack and Miss Volkers adventure becomes, in From Norvelt to Nowhere, a raucous road novel about roots and revenge, a last chance at love, and the power of a remarkable friendship. A Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of 2013
Review
* "Gantoss sequel to his Newbery-winning Dead End in Norvelt offers less history, more murder, and another hefty helping of zaniness." —Publishers Weekly, starred review
* "Fans of Dead End in Norvelt wont want to miss this lively sequel." —Booklist, starred review
* "A hilarious havoc-ridden road trip." —BCCB, starred review
"Gantos employs gothic humor, scene-crafting mastery, and Jacks querulous voice to offer a wild and challenging road-trip novel, murder mystery, meditation on American history, and love story all in one." —The Horn Book
"The book is fast paced and laced with both history lessons and hilarity." —School Library Journal
"Dollops of history and mystery, plus gross to wickedly barbed comical set pieces set in a talky, ambling, amiable odyssey." —Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
Jack Gantos was raised in the town of Norvelt and now lives in Boston. In addition to his two Norvelt novels, he is also the acclaimed author of the Joey Pigza series, the Jack Henry story collections, and the many Rotten Ralph books.