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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
Thankfully, this Alan Gratz novel worked a lot better for me than the last one that I read, Two Degrees. This one still had to contend with the over-saturation of WWII related books which diminished my enjoyment of the reading experience just a little bit. Gratz still managed, though, to tell a compelling story that dealt with hard issues that some in this category may glass over. The main character lives on Pearl Harbor Naval Base along with his best friend who is half-Japanese. Both of their dads fly military plans in the Navy. (At this time, the Air Force did not exist as a separate branch of the military.) He wishes that he weren't so afraid of everything, likely a trauma response to an incident that occurred at a previous base. When faced with the attack on Pearl Harbor, the events of which take up the majority of the narrative, the main character must confront his often immobilizing fear to survive and to help those around him, to become a "hero." He also sees - and is disgusted by - the immediate distrust of his mixed race friend and his Japanese mother and starts to learn how to be an ally rather than fall into the "white savior" trap. Overall though, Gratz did a really good job with this narrative.
adventurous
inspiring
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:
No
challenging
dark
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Action novel about two boys during the bombing of Pearl Harbor and its citizen heroes. One of the boys has some Japanese heritage and faces mounting racism throughout the story.
It's not a stunner, but is fine for its target audience. I wish that it had been told from Stanley's perspective, since he is the Japanese one, rather than Frank who will once every chapter look at Stanley and feel sad. The audiobook includes an explanatory author's note, which ends with victorious fanfare over a list of 19 wars the US has been involved in since WWII, which I doubt was Gratz's decision but yikes.
It's not a stunner, but is fine for its target audience. I wish that it had been told from Stanley's perspective, since he is the Japanese one, rather than Frank who will once every chapter look at Stanley and feel sad. The audiobook includes an explanatory author's note, which ends with victorious fanfare over a list of 19 wars the US has been involved in since WWII, which I doubt was Gratz's decision but yikes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, War
Thank you to Edelweiss, NetGalley, and Scholastic Press for providing me an advanced copy of this book!
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
tense
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
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
tense
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
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
tense
fast-paced
This is an excellent novel to introduce to our young readers the tragedy at Pearl Harbor, the beginnings of WWII as well as how Japanese Americans were treated there after. A story of fear, bravery, perseverance, and friendship.