A Boy at War: A Novel of Pearl Harbor
By Harry Mazer
3.5/5
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About this ebook
-- from A Boy at War
"He kept looking up, afraid the planes would come back. The sky was obscured by black smoke....It was all unreal: the battleships half sunk, the bullet holes in the boat, Davi and Martin in the water."
December 7, 1941:
On a quiet Sunday morning, while Adam and his friends are fishing near Honolulu, a surprise attack by Japanese bombers destroys the fleet at Pearl Harbor.
Even as Adam struggles to survive the sudden chaos all around him, and as his friends endure the brunt of the attack, a greater concern hangs over his head: Adam's father, a navy lieutenant, was stationed on the USS Arizona when the bombs fell. During the subsequent days Adam -- not yet a man, but no longer a boy -- is caught up in the war as he desperately tries to make sense of what happened to his friends and to find news of his father.
Harry Mazer, whose autobiographical novel, The Last Mission, brought the European side of World War II to vivid life, now turns to the Pacific theater and how the impact of war can alter young lives forever.
Harry Mazer
Harry Mazer is the author of many books for young readers, including Please, Somebody Tell Me Who I Am; My Brother Abe; the Boy at War trilogy; The Wild Kid; The Dog in the Freezer; The Island Keeper; and Snow Bound. His books have won numerous honors, including a Horn Book honor and an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults citation. Along with his wife, Norma Fox Mazer, Harry received an ALAN award in 2003 for outstanding contribution to adolescent literature. He lives in Montpelier, Vermont.
Read more from Harry Mazer
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Reviews for A Boy at War
8 ratings6 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I borrowed this book from one of our ELD teachers, who uses this first book as well as the other two in the series, with her high school aged English learners.As a hi-lo book, A Boy At War functions well. The story is engaging. A boy and his friends are fishing in Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on the morning of December 7, 1941, and each of them is caught up in the tragedy in a different way. Adam Pelko has to confront the death of his father, a commander on the USS Arizona, while trying to find his way home to his mother and sister. He is swept up in the turmoil, as he is mistaken for a young soldier and is put to work by a small troop. There is plenty of action, and the story is dramatic as Adam sees one of his friends killed and is separated from the other.The language is appropriate for students reading at approximately 5th grade level (lexile level 530) and has many features of good hi-lo books. It is relatively short--112 pages-- and the type is large enough that struggling readers would feel confident instead of intimidated. Because the events at Pearl Harbor are a part of the eleventh grade American history curriculum, even students as old as 16 would feel validated, as opposed to babied, if assigned this book.The characters are strongly delineated and easily distinguished from one another with very little description, and the story is told chronologically, without any shifts in perspective. Sentences are relatively short and the vocabulary is simple. More difficult words are well-defined in context, particularly military terminology and Hawaiian words.According to the teacher from whom I borrowed the book, her students love this book and the next two in the series, each of which they read in her class. I also read the reviews on Amazon.com and this book seems very popular among young readers.Although this book is certainly appropriate for younger readers, ages 10-14, older students who are also struggling readers will find plenty to interest them here.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5V. short and exciting. A bit didactic, but after all that's why I grabbed it from the thrift store - I wanted to learn a bit about the Pearl Harbor aspect of WWII. Probably excellent for a male reluctant reader - I recommend teachers of 5th-10th grade have it in their classrooms.
Seemed well researched - I just question a reference to WWI - in the weeks before the attack on Pearl Harbor had we already renamed The Great War? - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Okay, I have some feedback for this series to report, finally. One of my students really likes it and gives it 4-stars. He's a good reader and primarily loves fantasy (Eragon/Eldest are faves) with an above-average interest in WWII, and he says it gives "just enough detail about his background and the war situation." He read the whole series in 1 week (and I'm sure). So there you have it.
Again, this review is not mine (it bored me too much to even finish), but rather a testimonial of a 7th grade student. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a good book. It was interesting being in the middle in the action. Also, I learned alot about World War II too!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Even though this book is about the beginning of a war (World War II), the main character is a boy, and the story involves injuries, blood, and getting shot (which is why it is more of a boy book than a girl book), I enjoyed it. Harry Mazer did a good job writing the book and did a good job creating his characters. I think Adam is a character they'd be able to relate to, especially if they have a parent who is in the army. The book has tense moments, when Adam is trying to find and help is friends after the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, and it draws you in further.Though the book is thin and easy to read, I think it is more appropriate for older kids because of the war related storyline. A 4th grader would enjoy it and if he was mature it wouldn't be bad, but I think it'd have to be something a parent decided if he was ready for.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a book about a boy who gets involved with the bombing of Pearl Harbor and is forced to grow up all in one momentous day.This book is very short and quick, but that is what makes it so powerful - it is dynamic and very fast-paced.This is a very good book... there are also 2 sequels.