Bonus Episode - Conversation with Jack Gantos

We had a longer conversation with Jack Gantos at the Nantucket Book Festival - too much to include in Episode 36, our discussion of DEAD END IN NORVELT. Jack talks about his first 36 rejections, his switch from teaching to writing full time, and about his beloved hometown of Norvelt, Pennsylvania. It's a conversation we had at Mitchell's Book Corner on Nantucket Island. Jack received the 2012 Newbery Award and the Scott O'Dell Award for Best Historic Fiction for "Dead End in Norvelt." His other works include Hole in My Life, a memoir that won the Michael L. Printz and Robert F. Sibert honors; Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, a National Book Award Finalist, and Joey Pigza Loses Control, a Newbery Honor book.

You can listen to Bonus Episode - Conversation with Jack Gantos online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Bonus Episode - Conversation with Jack Gantos is an episode from Book Club for Kids by Kitty Felde.

This episode is 18:06 long.

This episode was published on Jan 14, 2026.

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