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 town's 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, it's increasingly clear that the farther from home they travel, the more off-the-wall Jack and Miss Volker's 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
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
Felt disappointed
By Laurelyn Cooper
When I found out that there was a sequel to "Dead End in Norvelt", I was VERY excited. I loved the first book. The adventures of "The Gantos boy" and Mrs. Volker were awesome. The book "From Norvelt to Nowhere" left me feeling disappointed and somewhat cheated. It seemed to me a "rehashing" of the same type of adventures the main characters had in the first book. Sure, they hit the road, there was mystery and intrigue, but still it seemed "done before". I did enjoy the internal conflicts with the main characters and how it related to Captain Ahab in "Moby Dick". I REALLY enjoyed the historical stories told by Mrs. Volker and her love of books and history. But still I felt disappointed and left wanting for more.
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful.
What a long, strange trip it's been...
By Herbie Bookbinder
Before diving in to a mini review of "From Norvelt to Nowhere," here's a little bit of info re: my history with "Dead End in Norvelt."I work in the Children's Dept. at the Framingham Public Library, and I'll often take out audiobooks to listen to while driving to and from work. Of late, I've enjoyed listening to historical children's lit, with the occasional fantasy thrown in. This past February/March (2013), I checked out DEIN, and realized after the first few chapters that this was the stuff of... well, not quite magic, but pretty close. So much of Jack's antics had me in stitches, and the plot had me guessing so much, that I couldn't wait to listen to the end of the story via audiobook, so I got the hard cover and devoured the last third of the story. I then gave it to my oldest child (a high school junior at the time), and she read the book in about three hours. Then on to my 2nd oldest (an 8th grader at the time), and he alternated between reading and listening to the story. My 8 year old listens to it on occasion at night - she also does a great impression of Bunny's "curse dance" which consists of her skipping and spinning while clapping her hands -, but my 5 year old has yet to experience the sublime madness.Suffice to say, most of my family love DEIN, and I've recommended it over and over, not to mention having it added to the public school summer reading list in Framingham, MA.As soon as I finished DEIN, I demanded of the sequel gods to satisfy the hunger for more of Jack's antics in Norvelt. I thought, since "Dead End" took place during summer vacation, that a jaunt during the school year would be a blast. In particular Halloween. So, I hoped for either a prequel that took place during the school year that immediately preceded that memorable summer in '62, or else for a sequel that took place right after particular summer vacation had ended.You can imagine my delight upon finding out about "From Norvelt To Nowhere" several months ago. I couldn't wait to read it, and I did, a few nights ago.While I was a bit surprised at the plot, I nonetheless found the book to be delightful, hilarious, educational, frustrating, and bittersweet*, with one of the most "implausible on the one hand/maybe it does work out after all" twists that one can imagine. All I'll say re: this is: Don't think you know what really went down in "Dead End" until you read "From Norvelt."As for the characters, Jack is his usual endearing and ridiculous self, Miss Volker is typically irascible, and Bunny rules. (Some of the funniest moments in the book center around her, be it through her dialogue, actions, or physical appearance. Perhaps THE funniest moment in the book concerns the possible "Master Plan" that could be in store for her, as outlined by an on-the-run Spizz. Freaking hilarious!) Jack's mother, who was a bit overbearing in the first novel, (no offense Mr. Gantos!) and his Dad don't play nearly as big a part, due to the events that transpire within the book. And, as mentioned, good ol' Spizz is back, as "endearing" as ever.The one "character" that suffers the most due to her lack of stage time is the town of Norvelt. For, while the antics aboard train and car are enjoyable, they went on a bit too long for my liking. I really missed Norvelt a few chapters after Jack and Miss Volker left, and when I realized that there wouldn't be time for them to return, I felt a bit let down.Man, I realize that I'm going on, so I should wrap this up. The ending notwithstanding, I really hope for a third Norvelt volume. This needs to be a trilogy. Why? First, because simply put, there's something about trilogies. And more importantly, because Jack Gantos has made Norvelt into a semi-mythic magical realm, where a 12-year-old boy can walk the balance beam between history on the one side, fantasy and imagination on the next, and the crazy/beautiful present day on the other. (Wait... that's three sides, so it can't be a balance beam. A balance triangle? Whatever, I never liked gymnastics nor geometry.)I don't know how a third book would go down, but it certainly could. Somehow Jack has to end up back in Norvelt for a true goodbye. I mean, you can't leave that garden gnome of a gal pal in the lurch like this, right?So, one more Norvelt book, Mr. Gantos, if you please! I mean, after all is said and done, Mrs. Roosevelt, Bunny, and especially Norvelt herself, deserve it!SPOILER!*The most bittersweet moment: Jack and Miss Volker saying goodbye. "We "made" history!" And they did. That terrific tag-team won the Newbery Medal (with a little help from the author, of course).
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.Good sequel
By Lesley Buse
This was the second of the two Norvelt books that my sons chose to be our read aloud book for the month of January. We had just finished the first Norvelt book and couldn't wait to hear how the author would continue this tale. While it didn't grab us quite as much, and at times seemed a bit absurd, it was good to know that each character found their happy ending. Well, most of them, anyway. And we had good discussions based on whodunit. You have to read the second if you read the first. And if you didn't read the first, we highly recommend it.
