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 f. Discover the history of your hometown with our bestselling picture series, crafted by local authors. Norvelt, started as a federal project, is the youngest community in the township, and derived its name from eleanor roosevelt, who made this westmoreland homesteads her pet project. Town of norvelt, pennsylvania in 1934 library of congress about the author. If you are interested in purchasing one, please make your checks payable to the norvelt historical society. I thoroughly enjoyed dead end in norvelt, and jack is definitely a kid id like to know. The johnstown flood by david mccullough, in the seven mountains. Dead end in norvelt, winner of the newbery medal and the scott odell award for historical fiction. A2z computing services and make no warranties as to the accuracy of any information posted on our history or trivia pages and discussions.
The bellingham herald this is a brilliant book, full of history, mystery, and laughs. Explore hundreds of vintage pictures of our nations history. Hs lib has dead end in norvelt, winner of the newbery medal and shortlisted for the 2012 guardian childrens prize. Images of america series local and regional history books. He has written books for readers of all ages, including the acclaimed joey pigza swallowed the key and its sequels, the teenage novel desire lines, and the youthful memoire hole in my life. Norvelts beginnings norvelt, pa in mount pleasant township along with the small patch town of calumet, was created specifically during the. Overall i think, from norvelt to nowhere, was a good book. The sewickley brance of the pennsylvania railroad ran through hecla to transport shipments of coke, as well as providing passenger service. The community was divided into the two separate communities of calumet and norvelt for the 2010 census. Dead end in norvelt, this years newberry winner for best young adult fiction, is even more hilarious in audio form as read by author jack gantos. Dead end in norvelt offers up a historical comedy that chronicles one summer in the life of young jack gantos living in norvelt, pennsylvania. Library of congress prints and photographs division washington. Dead end in norvelt is based on a new dealera subsistence farming community in rural pennsylvania. Calumet was a typical patch town, built by a single company to.
The plot changes throughout these locations as the main characters chase mr. Norvelt, a real town founded during the new deal as a place for displaced workers to be able to have their own home and land to farm, is the place where the author grew up, and by giving the protagonist his. The westmoreland homesteadsnorvelt historical society public. His works include hole in my life, a memoir that won the michael l. In fact, history national, local, and personal is half the point of the book. With surprises at every turn and more than a few outright gasps. Norvelt and the struggle for community during the great depression. Whitepages is the largest and most trusted online phone book and directory. The two best things about jack gantoss grotesque, tragicomic, and nostalgic dead end in norvelt are its lively young narrator, jack gantos, and norvelt, his town a new deal homestead community on the skids in pennsylvania see sidebar. My family howled out loud as we listened to it during a spring break drive to california. Like real life, there isnt a whole lot of plot here, but instead of making up for the lack of story with fascinating characters, gantos gives us miserable eccentrics who arent nearly eccentric enough to make them. According to the pittsburgh postgazette, the idea behind this residential area was for each homesteader to become independent of government help, and for. None of the history books i ever read had people happily trading one thing for another.
The town of norvelt, pennsylvania, one of 99 subsistence homestead communities created during the depression for unemployed workers, is a character in jack gantoss dead end in norvelt. Kecksburg was so named because of the keck family who settled there for the commercialization of the artesian spring water. Dead end in norvelt audiobook cd king county library. Dead end in norvelt is a defiantly political novel that delivers some simple moral messages. Dead end in norvelt by jack gantos the book fairy blog. This rocketpaced followup to the newbery medalwinning novel dead end in norvelt opens deep in the shadow of the cuban missile crisis. Over the course of the programs elevenyear history, the federal government seeded nearly 100 planned, cooperative communities. Osnovni podaci drzava sjedinjene americke drzave savezna drzava pensilvanija okrug. Stanovnistvo stanovnistvo 2010 0 geografija koordinate vremenska zona utc5, leti utc4. The american field service committee was recruited to implement and. Town of norvelt, norvelt, westmoreland county, pa photos.
Seen in this light, this study of norvelt provides more than just a new historical perspective on the new deal and the. Funeral home services for cornelius are being provided by hoffer funeral home. Jan 02, 2015 norvelt s beginnings norvelt, pa in mount pleasant township along with the small patch town of calumet, was created specifically during the depression years of the 1930s as the largest model community made for coal miners with the purchase of 1,326 acres of farmland. Jack gantos in the historic town of norvelt, pennsylvania, twelveyearold jack gantos spends the summer of 1962 grounded for various offenses until he is assigned to help an elderly neighbor with a most unusual. Because gantos bills this as an autobiographical novel detailing two months of summer vacation in norvelt, pa, we expect it to be. The westmoreland homesteadsnorvelt historical society. 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. Dead end in norvelt is the winner of the 2012 newbery medal for the years best contribution to childrens literature and the scott odell award for historical f. The jack gantos book dead end in norvelt, set in norvelt, won the 2012 john newbery medal for the best childrens book of 2011, as well as the 2012 scott odell award for historical fiction. Sep 21, 20 young jack hits the road with his cranky, elderly teacher miss volker and a couple of cranky, elderly cars in from norvelt to nowhere, the new young adult novel from jack gantos. Dead end in norvelt, first edition abebooks passion for books. Mulrooney represents a specific, individual, material embodiment of a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in indiana state library.
Juvenile fiction social themes general see also headings under family history. Stanovnistvo stanovnistvo 2010 948 geografija koordinate vremenska zona utc5, leti utc4. See more ideas about westmoreland county, mount pleasant and history. Read about the early history of pennsylvania, its oil history, its cultural evolution, and much more. Through the character of the elderly miss volker, were routinely bludgeoned with homages to eleanor roosevelt, who was instrumental in setting up norvelt, as well as other liberal folk heroes. Although the united states census bureau includes it in a censusdesignated place with the nearby community of calumet, they are in reality two very different communities, each reflecting a different chapter in how the great depression affected rural pennsylvanians.
Norvelt, originally called westmoreland homesteads, is a real place that took its name from the final syllables of first lady eleanor roosevelt s name after she. In 1933, the town of norvelt became the fourth of 99 planned subsistence homestead communities subsidized by the federal government as part of the national industrial recovery act for dislocated miners and industrial workers. Get to know the real possibility of aarp in norvelt. Gantos also wrote a sequel, entitled from norvelt to nowhere, published in 20. After an explosion, a new crime by an old murderer, and the sad passing of the founder of norvelt, pennsylvania, twelveyearold jack accompanies his slightly mental elderly mentor, miss volker, on a crosscountry run as she pursues the oddest of outlaws. May 11, 2020 explore zone3mans board hometown norvelt pa on.
Born june 9, 1928, in pleasant unity, he was a son of the late william p. Dead end in norvelt ebook king county library system. Norvelt, in southwestern pennsylvania, was the fourth. Norvelt is a real pennsylvania town commissioned by fdrs new deal that was designed to operate along more or less socialist lines. See more ideas about westmoreland county, mount pleasant and pennsylvania history. Gantos writes a funny, offbeat, and nostalgic tale about childhood growing up in the shadows of world war ii, a simpler time in many ways, but also one marked by impending change. Dead end in norvelt is the winner of the 2012 newbery medal for the years best contribution to childrens literature and the scott odell 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. The real town behind this years newbery medal winning book. In the historic town of norvelt, pennsylvania, twelveyearold jack gantos spends the summer of 1962 grounded for various offenses until he is assigned to help an elderly neighbor with a most unusual chore involving the newly dead, molten wax, twisted promises, girl scout cookies, underage driving, lessons from history, typewriting, and countless bloody noses. Juvenile fiction family general see also headings under social themes behaviorfiction. Dave barry, coauthor of the peter and the starcatchers series on dead end in norvelt.
His is also the writer of dead end in norvelt and from norvelt to nowhere, a pair of. Set in norvelt, pennsylvania, gantos uses his own childhood experiences and his vivid imagination to create the story of 12yearold jack gantos in the summer of 1962. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the us or from the uk, depending on stock availability. Background information for dead end in norvelt by jack gantos, plus backstory and other interesting facts about the book. Choose our history of pennsylvania books at arcadia publishing. Calumetnorvelt was a censusdesignated place in westmoreland county, pennsylvania, united states. Town of norvelt, norvelt, westmoreland county, pa contributor names historic american buildings survey, creator. Elevenyearold jack gantos lives with his mom and dad in norvelt, pa. Plot summary in the summer of 1962, jack gantos was expecting to have the most exciting summer vacation in the town of norvelt, pennsylvania but finds himself being grounded by his parents for different reasons. Gantos combines appealing characters, mysteries, smalltown adventures, humor, history, and life lessons to create a. Timothy kelly, margaret power, and michael cary the story of norvelt reinforces the ways race and class are intricately bound together in american policy. Dead end in norvelt is the winner of the 2012 newbery medal for the years best contribution to childrens literature and the scott odell 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. Oh, its just a fun little motto that basically boils down to read books or your. Shopsky, 87, of norvelt, passed away peacefully friday, aug.
Although the us census treats calumet and norvelt as a single community, they are in reality two very different communities, each reflecting a different chapter in how the great depression affected rural pennsylvanians. Vintage photographs, american history, homesteading, news, books, image. Dead end in norvelt by jack gantos chicago tribune. In the historic town of norvelt, pennsylvania, twelveyearold jack gantos spends the summer of 1962 grounded for various offenses until he is assigned to help an elderly neighbor with a most unusual. The norvelt historical society is offering cats meow blocks depicting the norvelt union church.
In the historic town of norvelt, pennsylvania, twelveyearold jack gantos spends the summer of 1962 grounded for various offenses until he is assigned to help an elderly neighbor with a most unusual chore involving the newly dead, molten wax, twisted promises, girl scout cookies, underage driving, lessons from history, typewriting, and countless. Norvelt white pages phone books in pennsylvania pa. Jack gantos was born in norvelt, pennsylvania, and has spent time living in barbados and south florida. Find local norvelt pa aarp programs and information. A pennsylvania historical marker located at lr 6406 mount pleasant road state route 982 on the. 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. When the government created the town in the 1930s to help the poor, its namesake, eleanor roosevelt, made sure residents had homes that allowed them to live with dignity. Dead end in norvelt by jack gantos 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. The hero is jack gantos, a plucky 12yearold living in norvelt, the small town in pennsylvania where gantos himself grew up. The majority of the plot takes place in norvelt, pa, philadelphia, pa, new york, washington d.
Gantos also wrote a sequel, entitled norvelt to nowhere, published in 20. Norvelt, pennsylvanias history, trivia, facts and more. A funny and historically steeped story about one boys unusual summer, writing obituaries. Dead end in norvelt book columbus metropolitan library. The community was part of the calumet norvelt cdp for the 2000 census, but was split into the two separate communities of calumet and norvelt for the 2010 census. Description after an explosion, a new crime by an old murderer, and the sad passing of the founder of norvelt, pennsylvania, twelveyearold jack accompanies his slightly mental elderly mentor, miss volker, on a. Dead end in norvelt by jack gantos and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Sep 20, 2012 without books like dead end in norvelt, it would be easy to forget that such idealism even existed at all. From norvelt to nowhere norvelt series gantos, jack on. Norvelt is an unincorporated community in mount pleasant township, westmoreland county, pennsylvania, united states. Dead end in norvelt is the winner of the 2012 newbery medal for the years best contribution to childrens literature and the scott odell award for historical fiction. In the new book, jack and miss volker visit some odd historical sites on their.
Cornelius schachte passed away on may 1, 2020 in norvelt, pennsylvania. Kenneth corbett passed away on august 21, 2019 in norvelt, pennsylvania. Although the united states census bureau includes it in a censusdesignated place with the nearby community of calumet, they are in reality two very different communities, each reflecting a different chapter in how the great depression affected rural. He loves to read the discarded elementaryschool history books his everfrugal mother brought home, but pizarro, julius caesar and custer dont suggest any easy way to leave norvelt. In the historic town of norvelt, pennsylvania, twelveyearold jack gantos spends the summer of 1962 grounded for various offenses until he is assigned to help an elderly neighbor with a most unusual chore involving the newly dead, molten wax, twisted promises, girl scout cookies, underage driving, lessons from history. In 1962 norvelt, pennsylvania, summer moves slowly for twelveyearold jack gantos. Norvelt is a censusdesignated place in mount pleasant township, westmoreland county, pennsylvania, united states. Jack gantos dead end in norvelt is the touching and laughoutloud funny story of a boy named jack gantos growing up in the small town of norvelt, pennsylvania. This is a bibliography of most of our biographical and historical volumes currently being used for transcription to our various pennsylvania counties. Jacks plans for summertime excitement are shot down when he is grounded for life by his feuding parents. The idea for the program owed much to a back to the land movement, popularized by american idealists who promoted smallscale subsistence farming as an antidote.