Dead End in Norvelt

I finally read Jack Gantos' Newberry Award winning Dead End in Norvelt.  Since Jack Gantos has been to our school twice, the last time after he won the Newberry, I knew the background of the book. Basically, the book is set in Norvelt, PA in the 1960s.  A boy named Jack helps an old lady write obituarites about the deaths of the Original Norvelters.  (They are dropping "like flies.")  I found the book very interesting because my grandparents were "Original Norvelters." This means that they built their own Norvelt house in the plan that was sponsered by First Lady Elenor Roosevelt after WWII.  There was a lot of history in this book that I also found interesting.  The book was a bit gross (all those nosebleeds!) but I think that will appeal to some readers.