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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
informative
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content warnings: war, racism, racial slurs, explosions, fire, death, xenophobia, mentions of antisemitism, drowning, blood, vomit, gun violence
I'm glad I picked this up on audiobook because I think I probably enjoyed it more this way than I would have if I'd read it with my eyeballs. Usually, Gratz can do no wrong for me - his stories are utterly gripping and extremely fast-paced - and I was interested to see what he was going to do with a Pearl Harbor story. But I think the decision here to maintain a single narrator throughout the course of the book hampered my enjoyment juuuuuuust a little because I kept wanting to know what Stanley was thinking through a lot of the events that were happening.
Still, it was a comprehensive look at the destruction of Pearl Harbor through the eyes of two young boys and while I found the ending a tad trite, the story was well worth a listen overall.
I'm glad I picked this up on audiobook because I think I probably enjoyed it more this way than I would have if I'd read it with my eyeballs. Usually, Gratz can do no wrong for me - his stories are utterly gripping and extremely fast-paced - and I was interested to see what he was going to do with a Pearl Harbor story. But I think the decision here to maintain a single narrator throughout the course of the book hampered my enjoyment juuuuuuust a little because I kept wanting to know what Stanley was thinking through a lot of the events that were happening.
Still, it was a comprehensive look at the destruction of Pearl Harbor through the eyes of two young boys and while I found the ending a tad trite, the story was well worth a listen overall.
adventurous
informative
reflective
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this book! Alan Gratz has really outdone himself with this one! This is a thrilling and heartwarming story of two boys who learn to be heroes in the midst of a raging battle. Definitely read this!
adventurous
dark
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There were a couple places, one in the story itself and one in the author's note at the end, that seemed to imply that Japanese Americans didn't face racism until WWII (as opposed to existing racism getting a lot worse during WWII). Not particularly surprising from a book that seems determined to paint the US in the best possible light even in a WWII book where one of the main characters is Japanese American but still disappointing. This will do well at the library regardless - anything by Alan Gratz is popular here - but definitely not my top pick of WWII fiction or of Alan Gratz books.
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Another amazing book where Alan Gratz takes true and deep history and transforms it into a story that will engage young readers, give them some historical information, and encourage them to think about the future.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes