Jack Gantos

In the historic town of Norvelt, Pennsylvania, twelve-year-old Jack Gantos spends the summer of 1962 grounded for various offenses until he is assigned to help an elderly neighbor with a most unusual chore involving the newly dead, molten wax, twisted promises, Girl Scout cookies, underage driving, lessons from history, typewriting, and countless bloody noses.

Joey, who is still taking medication to keep him from getting too wired, goes to spend the summer with the hard-drinking father he has never known and tries to help the baseball team he coaches win the championship. Newbury Honor Book: 2001.

After an explosion, a new crime by an old murderer, and the sad passing of the founder of Norvelt, Pennsylvania, twelve-year-old Jack accompanies his slightly mental elderly mentor, Miss Volker, on a cross-country run as she pursues the oddest of outlaws.

"Fourteen-year-old Jack falls under the spell of a delinquent Florida neighbor and gets way more trouble than he bargained for"--

Jack isn't like the Pagoda brothers. He knows the difference between fun and stupid. Launching yourself across the backyard in a makeshift Roman catapult? Fun. Smoking an entire pack of cigarettes as fast as possible? Stupid. But when it comes to emergency self-surgery…Jack still has something to learn. A short story from the acclaimed collection Guys Read: Funny Business, edited by Jon Scieszka.

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 school to look after his new baby brother and fill in for his mom, who hospitalizes...

In this first in a series of Rotten Ralph readers, Jack Gantos reads his tale of the irrepressible cat with a penchant for disaster. When Ralph tries to help Sarah with her class project on ancient Egypt, he wreaks havoc first at the library and then continues his assistance" at home. As usual, Ralph overcomes his rotten-ness and ultimately rescues Sarah's project by dressing up as the Sphinx. Listeners will not only learn interesting tidbits about...

When the carnival comes to town, Ralph, Cousin Percy and Sarah can't wait to go! Percy has been practicing his skills to win prizes, but Ralph thinks practicing is boring. He'll find his own way to win and prove to Sarah that Percy doesn't know everything. As usual, Ralph's way gets him into trouble! Jack Gantos reads his spirited story, and listeners will delight in Ralph's rotten-ness, as well as in his humbling lessons and ultimately, happy ending!...

Jack isn't like the Pagoda brothers. He knows the difference between fun and stupid. Launching yourself across the backyard in a makeshift Roman catapult? Fun. Smoking an entire pack of cigarettes as fast as possible? Stupid. But when it comes to emergency self-surgery…Jack still has something to learn. A short story from the acclaimed collection Guys Read: Funny Business, edited by Jon Scieszka.