Dead End in Norvelt / Jack Gantos / 341 pages

Winner of the 2012 Newbery Award for the best children's book published in the United States in 2011, Dead End in Norvelt richly deserves the reward.  Have you ever read a book and known it was special?  Dead End in Norvelt fills the bill of special.  It is hilariously funny, thoughtful, populated by appealing and eccentric characters, and emotionally evocative.  It is a coming of age story that takes place in 1962 in a small, dying town that was established by Eleanor Roosevelt & the federal government to help impoverished coal miners during the Great Depression.  Dead End in Norvelt captures this time in our history, relates how history has important lessons, and shares the impact of reading on at least one young man, Jack Gantos.  Highly recommended.  A great family read aloud. Perfect for that book discussion group.