Jack Gantos
Jack Gantos has written books for people of all ages, from picture books and middle-grade fiction to novels for young adults and adults.His publications can take a reader from “cradle to grave”. He has been honored with every major award in Children’s and Young Adult Literature. His works include Dead End in Norvett, which recently won the Newbery Award, considered the most prestigious prize in children’s literature, Joey Pigza Loses Control, a Newbery Honor book, Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, a National Book Award Finalist, and Hole in My Life, a memoir that won the Michael L. Printz and Robert F. Sibert honors.
His first published picture book, Rotten Ralph, was a success and started his writing career. He continued to write children’s books and began to teach courses in children’s book writing and children’s literature. From 1978 – 1996, Jack was a tenured professor at Emerson College, where he developed the master’s degree program in children’s book writing. From 1996 to 1998 he taught at Vermont College and designed the MFA program for children’s book writers. He now devotes his time to writing books and educational speaking.
Mr. Gantos is known nationally for his educational creative writing and literature presentations to students and teachers. He is an extremely popular conference speaker, university lecturer, and in-service provider; traveling all over the world to promote literature and entertain audiences.
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Acclaimed author Jack Gantos's guide to becoming the best brilliant writer....Read More
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The fifth and final book in the groundbreaking Joey Pigza series brings the beloved chronicle of this wired, wacky, and wonderful boy to a crescendo of chaos and craziness, as everything goes topsy-turvy for Joey just as he starts to get his feet on the ground. With his dad MIA in the wake of appearance-altering plastic surgery, Joey must give up s...Read More
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Young Jack accompanies Miss Volker on a wild pursuit of the chief suspect in the Norvelt murders, while being pursued themselves.
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In this National Book Award finalist, Joey Pigza tries hard to be a good kid trapped in a wired body....Read More
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The sequel to Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, a National Book Award Finalist
When Joey Pigza meets his dad for the first time in years, he meets a grown-up version of his old out-of-control self. Carter Pigza is as wired as Joey used to be -- before his stint in special ed, and before he got his new meds.
Joey's mom reluctantly agrees t...Read More
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"Hard to believe that Joey is the almost-normal one in this third and last installment in the chronicles of Joey Pigza . . . It's not just a funny story with nutty parents out of control, it's a poignant story of family, loss, lessons learned, and one boy's learning to make his way in the world with confidence and good cheer. This work easily stan...Read More
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Joey's world is turned upside down when his deadbeat dad wins the lottery.
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Dead End in Norvelt is the winner of the 2012 Newbery Medal for the year's 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 fo...Read More
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In the summer of 1971, Jack Gantos was an aspiring writer looking for adventure, cash for college tuition, and a way out of a dead-end job. For ten thousand dollars, he recklessly agreed to help sail a sixty-foot yacht loaded with a ton of hashish from the Virgin Islands to New York City, where he and his partners sold the drug until federal agents...Read More
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"Themes of jealousy, boasting, cheating, and getting one's comeuppance are all touched on ij this second book in the easy-reader series." --School Library Journal
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From the Newbery Medal–winning author of Dead End in Norvelt, eight side-splitting stories about a boy who is doing his best to keep his head above water...Read More
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From the Newbery Medal–winning author of Dead End in Norvelt, nine semi-autobiographical stories that will make you laugh so hard it hurts...Read More
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Hardback
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In this National Book Award finalist, Joey Pigza tries hard to be a good kid trapped in a wired body....Read More
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From the Newbery Medal–winning author of Dead End in Norvelt, eight more hysterical semi-autobiographical Jack Henry stories about a sixth grader's trials and tribulations
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School Visits Presentation:
- Grades K-3: Interactive demonstration about the development of a picture book and the literary elements of story-boarding.
- Grades 4-6: How to Journal: Learn how to map out and brainstorm ideas, work on character development, and incorporate plot, climax, and denouement to create a story.
- Grades 7 up: Creative writing workshop and discussion about the development of a writer.
Praise for Dead End in Norvelt
“Nobody can tell a story like Jack Gantos can. And this is a story like no other. It’s funny. It’s thoughtful. It’s history. It’s weird. But you don’t need me to attempt to describe it. Get in there and start reading Gantos.”
—Jon Scieszka, founder of guysread.com and author of the Spaceheadz series“This is a brilliant book, full of history, mystery, and laughs. It reminded me of my small-town childhood, although my small town was never as delightfully weird as Norvelt.”
—Dave Barry“A bit of autobiography works its way into all of Gantos’s work, but he one-ups himself in this wildly entertaining meld of truth and fiction by naming the main character… Jack Gantos.”
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review“…there’s more than laugh-out-loud gothic comedy here. This is a richly layered semi-autobiographical tale, an ode to a time and place, to history and the power of reading.”
—Horn Book Magazine, Starred Review“Gantos, as always, delivers bushels of food for thought and plenty of outright guffaws…”
—Booklist“A fast-paced and witty read.”
—School Library Journal“…a more quietly (but still absurdly) funny and insightful account of a kid’s growth, kin to Gantos’ Jack stories, that will stealthily hook even resistant readers into the lure of history.”
—BCCB“This winning novel, both humorous and heartwarming, takes place during the summer of 1962, when narrator Jack Gantos turns 12 and spends most of his days grounded. Jack’s main ‘get out of jail free card,’ and one of the novel’s most charming characters, is Miss Volker. The blossoming of their friendship coincides with the blooming of Jack’s character.”
—Shelf Awareness ProBook This Speaker
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