From Norvelt to Nowhere

In this follow up to the award-winning Dead End in Norvelt, Gantos sends 12-year-old Jack and his elderly mentor, Miss Volker, on a road trip to New York, set against the backdrop of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. But with Mr. Spizz—the murderer from the first book—still at large and a new victim dead in Florida, the duo must head south to find justice. As a narrator, Gantos reads with an easygoing approach that works well for the material. He makes little effort to tweak his tone or alter his voice to render voices for the book’s characters. But—perhaps because of his deep knowledge of his own work—his performance is entertaining and effective. Ages 10–14. A Farrar, Straus & Giroux hardcover. (Sept.)