Title: Dead End In Norvelt

Authors: Jack Gantos

Themes: Bullying, Coping Skills, Developing Empathy, Developing Perspective, Friendship, Gratitude, Individuation, Parenting, Self-Esteem, Social Skills

Age Recommendation: Junior High through High School

Summary: Dead End In Norvelt is an autobiographical coming of age story. After getting in an argument with his parents, the young Jack Gantos is "grounded for life" one summer and ends up being given the task of helping the town's elderly medical examiner with her duties, which include writing obituaries. Over the course of the summer, Jack learns invaluable lessons about the importance of hard work, the hard work of relationships, and the rewards inherent in devoting himself to a cause larger than himself.

Ideas / Interventions: This is another book that 'readers' will enjoy. Gantos's sense of humor will appeal to younger teens especially. There are endless themes to pursue; have your client diagram relationships in the book and then diagram relationships in their own lives, or ask them to complete a values ranking activity for one of the characters and compare that to their own values.