Dead End in Norvelt

In the summer of 1962, young Jack Gantos is grounded for most of his vacation in Norvelt, Pennsylvania, a real town founded during the Great Depression as a community where families shared land and help. His only escape is an odd job assisting an elderly neighbor with arthritic hands who writes the town's obituaries, each one packed with local history. As the old residents of Norvelt begin dying one after another, Jack starts to wonder whether something suspicious is going on. Add his nervous nosebleeds, his dad's old war rifle and a town full of eccentrics, and the summer becomes anything but boring. Part history lesson, part mystery and mostly comedy, this novel suits readers about 10 to 14 who enjoy quirky humor.