Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos

For young Jack Gantos, Summer is just getting started. It is 1962 and change is in the air. Even the ever-shrinking town of Norvelt, PA is hearing strange rumblings from the outside world, but Jack is looking forward to the most boring summer ever. After a mishap with an old Japanese rifle, and a misunderstanding about a bomb shelter, Jack finds himself grounded. Not allowed to play with his friends, his only relief is helping write obituaries for the town paper.
As the original residents of the town start dying off, and the town itself begins to shrink, Jack buries himself in history books, and finds that the past and the present have a funny way of blending. Strange omens, and wild suspicions spread. Will the Gantos family be the next to leave town? Will Jack every be ungrounded? And, most pressing of all, are all of the original residents dying of natural causes? Mystery and history collide to provide more questions than answers.

This book won the Newberry Award in 2011, and has been met with widespread praise and critical acclaim. There is also a sequel, From Norvelt to Nowhere which is available here at the library. See what you think, and let us know!