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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
adventurous
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
Alan Gratz does it again! The action starts early and doesn't slow down. The depiction of the bombing of Pearl Harbor is intense, but not inappropriate. The friendship between Frank and Stanley shows room for both their growth and the difference in their experiences as a white American (Frank) and Japanese American (Stanley). The use of the comic book origin story is a smart way to demonstrate to readers what Frank and Stanley are navigating as young boys in a turbulent time and how they come to a definition of what a true hero is. This book will be a bit hit!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Violence
adventurous
informative
tense
fast-paced
Heroes is one of my most-anticipated Middle Grade releases of 2024, and it did NOT disappoint! Alan Gratz is the GOAT when it comes to Middle Grade Historical Fiction, and I know that my students (and my sons) are going to absolutely love this book. I’ve preordered two copies already - one for my school library and one for our home!
Frank is a Navy kid stationed with his family at Pearl Harbor who struggles with debilitating anxiety after a traumatic childhood experience (yay for a mention of my hometown of Pensacola, even if it involves some trauma!). His neighbor and best friend, Stanley, is also a Navy kid but is Japanese-American. Together they share a love of comics and a dream of creating their own in the future. On the day that lives in infamy, they find themselves caught right in the middle of the Pearl Harbor attack and must confront their own fears and biases, as well as the biases of others, in order to make it through the disaster.
Gratz is SO GOOD at taking historical events and making them read like thought-provoking action movies with incredible themes and characters. The action starts quickly and doesn’t let up through the book, and yet the author expertly weaves in anxiety representation, death and loss, racism, propaganda, and even tackles lack of Asian-American representation in superhero culture. What’s really incredible is that these themes are incorporated seamlessly into the story so that at no point does it feel that the reader is being preached or condescended to.
This book is fast-paced and action-packed, so don’t be surprised if a student devours it in a day or two. There’s also a great comic at the end of the book that gives the reader a glimpse of what happens to Frank and Stanley after the events of Pearl Harbor. I loved it from start to finish, and I know lots of other readers will as well!
“How do you think you can write about heroes if you can’t be one yourself?”
⚓️
December 6, 1941: best friends, neighbors and both dads in the Navy, Stanley and Frank are spending the day discussing superheroes and comic books—their favorite topic. When bullies show up and start pounding on Stanley, Frank freezes and doesn’t help his buddy. The next day the boys are on the USS Utah with Frank’s sister’s boyfriend when Japanese planes zoom overhead and start dropping bombs. As the boys rush to find their families and to safety, Frank learns what it means to come face to face with his biggest fears and learn what it means to be a hero.
⛴️
The Day That Will Live in Infamy is one we all grew up hearing about. @alan.gratz puts us right in the event. It felt like the reader was really there, dodging bullets and bombs. Gratz tackles topics in this MG book, the biggest of which was the racism and anti-Asian hate that exploded after the U.S. got into WWII. The author’s note was especially powerful, chock full of information for young readers. As always, we can count on Gratz to write compelling historical fiction that kids and adults relate to and love. This novel releases 2.6 through @scholastic
CW: war, violence, death, bullying, racism, microaggressions, blood, hospitalization, gore, anxiety, animal attack, fire
⚓️
December 6, 1941: best friends, neighbors and both dads in the Navy, Stanley and Frank are spending the day discussing superheroes and comic books—their favorite topic. When bullies show up and start pounding on Stanley, Frank freezes and doesn’t help his buddy. The next day the boys are on the USS Utah with Frank’s sister’s boyfriend when Japanese planes zoom overhead and start dropping bombs. As the boys rush to find their families and to safety, Frank learns what it means to come face to face with his biggest fears and learn what it means to be a hero.
⛴️
The Day That Will Live in Infamy is one we all grew up hearing about. @alan.gratz puts us right in the event. It felt like the reader was really there, dodging bullets and bombs. Gratz tackles topics in this MG book, the biggest of which was the racism and anti-Asian hate that exploded after the U.S. got into WWII. The author’s note was especially powerful, chock full of information for young readers. As always, we can count on Gratz to write compelling historical fiction that kids and adults relate to and love. This novel releases 2.6 through @scholastic
CW: war, violence, death, bullying, racism, microaggressions, blood, hospitalization, gore, anxiety, animal attack, fire
It's hard for Alan Gratz to live up to the success of Refugee, and this story only earned 3.5 stars from me. Similar to Ground Zero, it was hard for me to believe that our protagonists would survive as many obstacles as they did, and it felt like Gratz used a fast pace to distract readers from this disbelief. MG readers will like the comic book references but will not understand some of the other references like "Real McCoy."
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Frank McCoy's family has been moving from base to base with his father who is a Navy pilot. Now it is December 1941 and they are stationed at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Frank and his best friend Stanley, whose father is also in the Navy, spend their time talking about comic books and playing baseball. On the morning of Dec 7th, they head to the Utah along with Frank's sister's boyfriend for a quick tour before heading to a baseball game. While they are on deck, the first wave of planes from Japan begins its attack. For Frank, who is extremely anxious, this is a worse case scenario he never even imagined. For Stanley, whose mother is Japanese-American, it is the start of something much worse. Together they need to survive the attack and make it back to their families. Highly recommended for grades 5 & up.
“How do you think you can write about heroes if you can’t be one yourself?”
⚓️
December 6, 1941: best friends, neighbors and both dads in the Navy, Stanley and Frank are spending the day discussing superheroes and comic books—their favorite topic. When bullies show up and start pounding on Stanley, Frank freezes and doesn’t help his buddy. The next day the boys are on the USS Utah with Frank’s sister’s boyfriend when Japanese planes zoom overhead and start dropping bombs. As the boys rush to find their families and to safety, Frank learns what it means to come face to face with his biggest fears and learn what it means to be a hero.
⛴️
The Day That Will Live in Infamy is one we all grew up hearing about. @alan.gratz puts us right in the event. It felt like the reader was really there, dodging bullets and bombs. Gratz tackles topics in this MG book, the biggest of which was the racism and anti-Asian hate that exploded after the U.S. got into WWII. The author’s note was especially powerful, chock full of information for young readers. As always, we can count on Gratz to write compelling historical fiction that kids and adults relate to and love. This novel releases 2.6 through @scholastic
CW: war, violence, death, bullying, racism, microaggressions, blood, hospitalization, gore, anxiety, animal attack, fire
⚓️
December 6, 1941: best friends, neighbors and both dads in the Navy, Stanley and Frank are spending the day discussing superheroes and comic books—their favorite topic. When bullies show up and start pounding on Stanley, Frank freezes and doesn’t help his buddy. The next day the boys are on the USS Utah with Frank’s sister’s boyfriend when Japanese planes zoom overhead and start dropping bombs. As the boys rush to find their families and to safety, Frank learns what it means to come face to face with his biggest fears and learn what it means to be a hero.
⛴️
The Day That Will Live in Infamy is one we all grew up hearing about. @alan.gratz puts us right in the event. It felt like the reader was really there, dodging bullets and bombs. Gratz tackles topics in this MG book, the biggest of which was the racism and anti-Asian hate that exploded after the U.S. got into WWII. The author’s note was especially powerful, chock full of information for young readers. As always, we can count on Gratz to write compelling historical fiction that kids and adults relate to and love. This novel releases 2.6 through @scholastic
CW: war, violence, death, bullying, racism, microaggressions, blood, hospitalization, gore, anxiety, animal attack, fire