Jack Gantos often mines his rich and unusual life experiences for his novels (The Love Curse of the Rumbaughs) and nonfiction (Hole in My Life). Here he introduces us to the people and streets--or rather, sections A through E--of Norvelt, Pa., created by the U.S. government as a model community after the closing of its coal mines. This winning novel, both humorous and heartwarming, takes place during the summer of 1962, when narrator Jack Gantos turns 12 and spends most of his days grounded. Jack's main "get out of jail free card," and one of the novel's most charming characters, is Miss Volker. The blossoming of their friendship coincides with the blooming of Jack's character.
Miss Volcker is "an original Norvelter" as well as the unofficial town historian and official medical examiner, appointed by Eleanor Roosevelt herself (the town's namesake). Her keen sense of humor comes through in exchanges like this: Jack asks, "How does a town die?" and she responds, "One old person at a time." Miss Volcker, who suffers from acute arthritis, dictates the obituaries to Jack, who types them up, delivers them to the newspaper editor, and places a pin on the house of the deceased (e.g., "number A-38") on her map of Norvelt. As the Norvelters start to go (faster than anticipated), no new families move in to take their places. Miss Volker does her part, by selling her sister's home to a "nice young man." Except that he turns out to be a Hell's Angel, is accidentally run down by a ten-ton cement truck, and his friends return to take their revenge on the town.
The author populates Norvelt with memorable characters, such as Mr. Spizz who rides an "adult tricycle" and pines for Miss Volcker (she says of Mr. Spizz, "His idea of a revolution is coloring outside the lines"); Mr. Huffer, who runs the funeral parlor; and Jack's parents--between whom he's often caught. His mother loves Norvelt and all it stands for, while his father, a WWII veteran, enlists Jack to build a bomb shelter and clear a runway for his J-3 (for which his mother's corn crop is a casualty--the cause for Jack getting grounded). Jack and Miss Volker's relationship gives the boy a fresh perspective. She's a living example of how knowledge of the past can enrich our experience of the present. Her love of history is infectious, and her respect for Jack and her belief in him as a hope for the future allows him to believe in himself. --Jennifer M. Brown