Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I couldn't stop laughing with and at Jack Gantos in this sweetly humorous book! After playing with his father's old Japanese army souvenirs and firing a loaded rifle (he had no idea it was loaded)Jack is grounded for the summer by his mother. He will remain in his room all summer reading history books except to go help old Miss Volker around her house. What ends up happening is that Jack writes Miss Volker's dictated obituaries, types them up, and runs them to the newspaper to be published. Miss Volker is bent on delivering her promise to Eleanor Roosevelt to euolgize all the original Norvelt inhabitants. There is a lively cast of characters and the summer days of Jack Gantos in Norvelt, PA just fly by. Mr. Spizz is trying to romance Miss Volker, who wants none of it. Jack's mom makes meals for the elderly and barters for goods and services, rather than pay cash. "She always used the newspaper for place mats because she didn't like to waste anything/" Jack's Dad has a job, buys a plane, has Jack dig a huge hole for a bomb shelter and starts moving the old empty Norvelt homes to new destinations. Jack's best friend, Bunny Huffer, doesn't take too kindly to Jack's house prison sentence because it really impedes their baseball games. Her father is the mortician and she has lots of dead person jokes that crack Jack up. I especially enjoyed Jack's nosebleeds and Miss Volker's attempts to stop the bleeding. This is a great boy book, reluctant reader and girls will enjoy Jack Gantos' characters in this historical, humorous, small town semi-true-fiction story. It has all the elements of a great read. Highly recommended!
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age (2)
Dark Dude by Oscar HijuelosMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Dark Dude has such a great cast of characters. They all have their problems, but it is Gilberto and Rico, who takes Jimmy with him too that decide to leave their lives in Harlen and strike out for a better life in Wisconsin. Rico is a light Cuban American and this causes him so many problems; he is bullied becdue to his light skin, family tensions with his moms' constant hassles, a father who drinks too much and can't make enough money to support his family and a rundown, violent school. Gilberto is an older Latino friend who truly cares for Rico and makes Rico feel he can do anything. Jimmy has a horrible life but together Rico and Jimmy make comics and watch out for each other. Jimmy is the artist and Rico is the author and they have an idea for a story, "Dark Dude" or Latin Dagger. It is when Gilberto comes into money and decides to go out west and get an education and better life that changes life drastically for Rico. When he can't take his life anymore, he runs away with Jimmy and meets up with Gilberto in Wisconsin. It is this new life, which isn't always great, and his coming of age in Wisconsin (lots going on there), that really causes Rico to mature and changes the course of his life. Rico as a character is going through so much and he has compassion, morals,and integrity. He is smart, re-reads Huck Finn and loves the relationship between Huck and Big Jim. I really admired how Rico never shirked the many challenges that came his way. A great multicultural read of bonds and friendship, but one my reluctant readers won't be interested in because of the 439 pages.
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