Dead End in Norvelt won the 2012 Newbery Medal for children's literature.

Who knew writing about death could be so lively? In Jack Gantos’s latest book, Dead End in Norvelt, the main character goes to work helping his neighbor write death notices for the local newspaper. Before long, they begin to unravel the mystery of how the town’s founders died. The novel, which is loosely based on Gantos’s childhood, recently won the 2012 Newbery Medal for outstanding kids’ literature. Weekly Reader student reporter Nastassja M. caught up with the writer to discuss his best-selling book.

Nastassja M.: Which parts of the story are based on your real life?

Jack Gantos:The foundation of the story, which [is] the main character, [the] parents, the town itself … and the neighbors [is all] generally true. … But then on top of that … we have to build a [fictional] story.

NM: Why did you want to write this book?

JG: I was born in Norvelt, [Pa., and] was always very fond of [the town]. It was the place where my grandparents … and my aunts and uncles lived [too]. Even though we moved away after a while, I always went back to visit.  It was an interesting place, so I wanted to write about it.

NM: What was it like to win a Newbery Medal?

JG:I feel fortunate [or lucky] to have received it. I think it is going to give me a lot of opportunities to write many good books.

NM: What was your favorite book as a child?

JG:That’s a tough question … because don’t you read lots of good books? It’s hard to pick one. … I loved Harriet the Spy because she spied on everybody. And as a child, I too loved to be a spy. … I loved walking around the neighborhood paying attention to people.

NM: Did Harriet the Spy inspire any of your own books?

JG: I think I was thinking of Harriet the Spy a little bit when I wrote all the Jack Henry books … because Jack Henry is a little bit of a spy too.

NM: Why did you want to become a writer?

JG: When I was young, the greatest inspiration I had was from reading books. … I spent a lot of my time at school hanging around in the library. I always made very good friends in my library at school.  … The librarians were the ones who really noticed that I loved to read books and were very helpful.

NM: Do you any of your friends or family members get a sneak peak at your stories before they’re published?

JG: I am one of those secretive writers, so when I write a book, I don’t show it to my wife. I don’t show it to my daughter. I rarely show any of it to my editor or my agent. I keep it all kind of quiet inside my own head. The only [one] who knows anything is probably my cat. I do have really good ideas coming out, but until I get them the way I like them, I don’t like to talk about it. [I] want it to be perfect by the time people get to see it. [I] do about 50 drafts per book. Only after I get it all polished up and make it look perfect, then everybody gets to look at it.

NM: Some of your stories are also available as audio books. What’s it like to record your novels?

JG: It’s a lot of work reading books out loud. … You have to read the whole book out loud in two days. And of course you make a lot of mistakes, and you have to go over things many times. But it’s great. I really have enjoyed [it].

NM: What are three main pieces of advice that you would give to new writers?

JG: Every writer needs to read good books. That’s always number one. Number two: You need the tools to write good books. So I would say you have to make sure you get a nice notebook and a decent pen. … I guess the third thing, and this is really important too, is what we call good writing habits. Good writing habits would be writing a little bit every day. You just get used to writing a little bit every day, and then by the end of the week, it really builds up. And by the end of the month, … you have a big chunk of writing and you can really turn that into a good story

NM: What advice do you have for kids who get writer’s block?

JG: March down to the library. … Once you start reading a good book, your mind gets full of good ideas. Reading is the very best way to unclog a stuck mind.