Staff Picks

If you enjoyed the 2012 Newbery Award winner Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos, you may like the sequel: From Norvelt to Nowhere. The author draws on his own childhood experiences in western Pennsylvania in these books, which are full of dark humor, mystery, adventure, a bit of history, and an appreciation for the absurd.

You may also enjoy some of his earlier works, such as Jack's New Power, based on the journal Gantos kept when his family moved to the Caribbean during his middle school years. Although his books are sometimes recommended as "guy reads" or good for reluctant readers, they could be fun for anyone from older elementary to adult.

Virginia McCurry

Information Specialist