A Boy at War: A Novel of Pearl Harbor

A Boy At War was a great book. When I was reading it I couldn't put it down. It was about a kid who was new to Hawaii. In his new school he met some guys named Davi Mori and a another guy. They decided to go fishing in Pearl Harbor and while they were fishing the Japenese planes flew over. Adams dad was on the ship the USS Arizona when the planes flew over. All of the other ships were sunk by bombs and so was his fathers ship. Many mens lives were taken that day. Will Adams dad come back or did he drown in the deep darkness,sufficating and dying slowly? Read to find out!

A boy at war is a great book about a boy named Adam who moves to Hawaii from New York in 1941. He comes to Hawaii and goes to a public school. He is not used to public school because he has always gone to school on base because his dad is in the Navy. He doesn't have friends at his new school. Then one day he makes friends. Then a lot of suspense happens all at once on page 46. If you want to read something that has a lot of action then read this.

We just finished reading this book together, and I showed excerpts of the movie Pearl Harbor. I loved it, and the kids were riveted by the action. Who wouldn't enjoy a book that places a young 14 year old in Pearl Harbor, where he can see the Arizona and Oklahoma sink and all the gruesome (tastefully handled) mayhem? This completes this semester's reading in our history class--we also read Karen Hesse's Witness and Out of the Dust, both wonderful books. If you are a teacher/librarian wondering about ordering this book, it's a great choice, better yet, order a class set and help bring history alive for Freshman. The lead character is a 9th grader himself. Mazer handles the complex issues of Pearl Harbor--including Japanese racism, the widespread panic, the horror of the sudden attack. The only thing he didn't cover--which I would have appreciated-- is a little more info about the war in Europe, and Japan's alliance with Nazi Germany. This could have been included with just a few extra lines. Otherwise, it's a great read.

This compact, sophisticated account of the Pearl Harbor attack, told from the perspective of a young military brat, is perhaps the most intriguing account I have read. It is nearly the size of a short story, and has all the density and rapid character development of that type of story. The reader has immediate understanding of the dynamics of Adam's family, especially with the arrival of Commander Dad. You care about the family, and the friends Adam makes. With the ill-fated fishing trip, you tear through the day with Adam, celebrating his courage, feeling his terror, and gaining an understanding of what it is like to be thrust in the chaos of a national disaster. A quick pick for reluctant readers, and those older readers with lower reading levels. Fantastic.

From the first page to the last you will feel as if you are there at Pearl Harbor with Adam on the, "Date which will live in infamy!" December 7, 1941. Harry Mazer has crafted a story that can be read and enjoyed both by young adults and adults. The main character not only watches as the United States is pulled into WWII but he himself, a military brat, a Navy man's son, is pulled in many directions throughout this novel. Allow yourself a block of time to read this page turner! I read it in less than two hours. I was almost late for school because I couldn't put it down. Rating the book on a scale of 1 to 10 my sixth grade students and I rate it a 10! It's one of the best books we have ever read. In my book I think it's a future Newbery Award winner!