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katykelly's review against another edition
4.0
I was really enjoying this... Funny story, interesting narrator, quirky town. Then I thought the ending let it down a bit - obvious murderer, some really emotionless reactions to so many deaths (betting who did it, promising to give all the gory details, no sadness at all about it), and it deflated the enjoyment for me a little.
Not sure I'd have said it was a worthy Newbery winner but on the whole an original story and worth a read.
Not sure I'd have said it was a worthy Newbery winner but on the whole an original story and worth a read.
alicebme's review against another edition
4.0
The world needs more interesting people. I want to live in Norvelt.
protoman21's review against another edition
4.0
Though this book didn't thrill me, it was very solid and consistently good. You can really tell that Gantos' Joey Pigza character was based on himself, because sometimes I had to remind myself I wasn't reading the latest book in that series instead of this semi-biographical tale about Gantos' childhood. Also at times this had a very Leave it to Beaver feel, which was perfectly fine with me since that was one of my favorite shows growing up. I appreciate that Gantos doesn't write down to his audience. Though this book has a child's voice, and the content is appropriate, the language and historical content is not dumbed down. Overall an entertaining book and a worthy read.
t8r's review against another edition
3.0
This is a cute book. I like that it encourages reading and studying history. Other than that, the plot is . . . cute. The audiobook is great for family road trips.
gmamartha's review against another edition
3.0
Jack Gantos does not disappoint. Growing up in a small town in the not-too-distant past, being grounded for the summer ends up having unusual "high points" that include helping the neighbor write obituaries. Each character in this town has their own history. I turned the last page wanting the story to keep going.
timna_wyckoff's review against another edition
3.0
Read for 3rd grade book club. At times hilarious, at times poignant, there were lots of small stories (semi-autobiographical) that I enjoyed about Jack Gantos and his adventures during the summer he was grounded for two months. But, the fictional story added on top to give narrative arc (I think) was too much of a stretch for my taste. And, the ending left something to be desired.
roseleaf24's review against another edition
4.0
Newbery Award, 2012
I would love to have been in on the Newbery Committee's discussion of this. While I enjoyed the book, it didn't strike me as quite as distinguished as other contenders I've also read. But this is a book that defies categorization to me in general. It gets called humorous, which it is, but it's not laugh out loud funny for me. It's entertaining and fast-paced, and while it deals with some serious subjects, it's light on its feet. It's getting put in the mystery category, too, but that's really not an element that drives the plot at all until the end.
This is a story about the town of Norvelt, created by Eleanor Roosevelt to give people a chance to make a life for themselves. In 1963, though, Norvelt is more of a dying town than anything. In fact, the original Norvelters are reaching an age where they are dying pretty frequently. Jack finds this out as he spends his summer helping his neighbor in her medical examiner and obituary writer duties. Jack is also grounded, so she's his only way out of the house. They get into many more adventures and funny situations than you'd expect an old lady medical examiner and a grounded kid to get into.
Jack's grounding was problematic for me, primarily because he was grounded for getting in between his parents. His parents, particularly his father, really bothered me. Jack had to choose whose instructions to follow, and whose trust to keep, too many times.
I would love to have been in on the Newbery Committee's discussion of this. While I enjoyed the book, it didn't strike me as quite as distinguished as other contenders I've also read. But this is a book that defies categorization to me in general. It gets called humorous, which it is, but it's not laugh out loud funny for me. It's entertaining and fast-paced, and while it deals with some serious subjects, it's light on its feet. It's getting put in the mystery category, too, but that's really not an element that drives the plot at all until the end.
This is a story about the town of Norvelt, created by Eleanor Roosevelt to give people a chance to make a life for themselves. In 1963, though, Norvelt is more of a dying town than anything. In fact, the original Norvelters are reaching an age where they are dying pretty frequently. Jack finds this out as he spends his summer helping his neighbor in her medical examiner and obituary writer duties. Jack is also grounded, so she's his only way out of the house. They get into many more adventures and funny situations than you'd expect an old lady medical examiner and a grounded kid to get into.
Jack's grounding was problematic for me, primarily because he was grounded for getting in between his parents. His parents, particularly his father, really bothered me. Jack had to choose whose instructions to follow, and whose trust to keep, too many times.
readerinthezoo's review against another edition
4.0
Read this with my 11 year old. We both really enjoyed it. Funny with really great characters and a little bit of history (post-WWII) too. A great read for kids and parents alike.