Cover of Dead End in Norvelt

Dead End in Norvelt

by Jack Gantos

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos is assigned in US schools at grades 4–7. It appears across 1 curriculum reference, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.

This page shows where Dead End in Norvelt is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.

Grade range
Grades 4–7
Pages
350
Reading time
about 6h 25m (est.)
First published
2011
ISBN-13
9781429962506
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About this book

Dead End in Norvelt is the winner of the Newbery Medal for best contribution to children's literature and the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction! Melding the entirely true and the wildly fictional, Dead End in Norvelt is a novel about an incredible two months for a kid named Jack Gantos, whose plans for vacation excitement are shot down when he is "grounded for life" by his feuding parents, and whose nose spews bad blood at every little shock he gets. But plenty of excitement (and shocks) are coming Jack's way once his mom loans him out to help a fiesty old neighbor with a most unusual chore—typewriting obituaries filled with stories about the people who founded his utopian town. As one obituary leads to another, Jack is launced on a strange adventure involving molten wax, Eleanor R

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is Dead End in Norvelt?
Dead End in Norvelt is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 4–7. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
How long does it take to read Dead End in Norvelt?
It takes about 6h 25m to read Dead End in Norvelt (350 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 385 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Dead End in Norvelt?
Dead End in Norvelt appears on reading lists for Newbery Medal. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Dead End in Norvelt banned in schools?
Dead End in Norvelt does not appear in PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. No documented multi-district removals on record, but individual districts may challenge titles locally.

Why this book is on this list

Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.

Lexile measure
Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
Grade band
Grades 4–7 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 1 curriculum on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
Not yet documented in a state-level framework on this site.
Removal / banning records
No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
Seasonal / contextual tags
Tagged for: award-winner.