Young Jack Gantos returns to the page in this sequel to the Newbery Medal-winning [b:Dead End in Norvelt|9858488|Dead End in Norvelt|Jack Gantos|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1371074276s/9858488.jpg|14749689]. The mystery from the first book continues: Who is the real old lady killer? Is it Spizz? Could it be Ms. Volker?! What about Bunny's creepy funeral director father?

As wacky, deranged, and funny as the original, but more twisty and head-spinning. I listened to the audiobook and sometimes found myself a little lost in the tangle of plot. As someone who's interested in history, I liked Ms. Volker's mini-lectures, but they may feel didactic to some readers.

If you liked the first one, you'll like this. ( )

"Dead End in Norvelt" was so good, but this sequel was a bit of a mess. It had some funny moments, but the story line (based on the crimes committed in the first novel) was both confusing and absurd. The register would shift from history lesson, to humor, to crime noir style. Jack, the narrator, was barely part of story. He was primarily there just to transport the lunatic Mrs. Volker on a road trip.
If you read "Dead End in Norvelt" and loved it... just stop there. ( )

The sequel to 2011’s Newbery-winning Dead End in Norvelt is just as laugh-out-loud wacky as the first. Jack teams up again with old Miss Volker, the last original old lady in Norvelt (now appearing to be approaching senility in fits and starts), and this time they’re on a road trip to catch a murderer whose MO is poisoning old ladies with Girl Scout Cookies. Just one teensy problem arises on the way: they’re not exactly certain who the murderer is, or what to do when they catch him (or her)…

Along the journey they have to contend with a fall into a septic tank (but I thought it was a bomb shelter!), Miss Volker’s stiff claw hands (only viable when she heats them up), Jack’s constant nosebleeds (strong enough to break through Miss Volker’s “cure” from the first book), and a couple of folks who seem to be after them with intent to kill.

There were a handful of moments when I lost the storyline for a couple paragraphs because the narration was a little bit confusing. But the bizarre situations, the Miss Volkerized historical mini-lessons, and the outrageous, dark humor were all there. Don’t expect to find yourself in Norvelt again…but definitely prepare for another wild ride at the hands of Jack Gantos.

Grown-up portion of review:

Gantos (the author) attempts to parallel the story to Moby-Dick and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but it creates a little bit of narrative chaos and pulls Miss Volker out of character. Also, I didn't really feel like the characters developed very soundly. Seems like the plot tightness of the first book was this time sacrificed for additional humor. But shoot...it is pretty dang funny. ( )

I was very disappointed by this book. Dead End in Norvelt made me believe that the events in it actually happened, even if they were a bit exaggerated. This book had me doubting every word. Jack had a lot of character growth in the first book, he didn't grow at all in this one. Miss Volker was a lot of fun in the last book, in the sequel she is just unpleasant. Bunny was a fun character, but she was barely in this book.

This book was a fun, quick read, but it was a disappointment compared with the last one. ( )

humorous
read for a grass roots challenge....
couldn't get much closer to home

3.5 ★ ( )