Harry Mazer's A Boy at War, published in 2001, recounts the experiences of fourteen-year-old Adam Pelko. Adam is a young man from a military family who lives in Hawaii in the days leading up to and during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.It is just a matter of chance that Adam and two friends are fishing in a rowboat on the harbor. On that fateful morning when the attack occurs. At first, the boys assume that they have been caught in a drill. But quickly realized, that the planes and bombs are real. In the confusion following the initial onslaught, Adam helplessly witnesses the sinking of the Arizona, the ship on which his father is stationed.
My opinion on the book is that it makes you feel like you were their. And how it educates you on the real story that started world war 2. I feel as if people read this book they won't be interested in it. I feel this way because some people get emotional when it comes to stuff like this. Especially if its their country or race. Besides that i thought the book was very well with the characters and the settings that were explained. ( )

Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Appropriateness: 4th grade-6th grade
Media: N/A
Review/Critique:
Adam's family moved to Hawaii so that his dad, who was in the Navy, could work at Pearl Harbor. One day Adam was out with his friends and they were at Pearl Harbor, but just as they were about to leave, the Japanese attacked. Although still a boy, Adam was unexpectedly thrown into war, and his life was never the same.

This is good historical fiction because the main character is 15, so the audience for this book can look up to Adam. This book gives a realistic account of what happened at Pearl Harbor, but in a fictional story format.

V. 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? ( )

Okay, 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. ( )

Fourteen-year-old Adam is caught in the midst of the attack on December 7, 1941. Also, A Boy No More, and Heroes Don’t Run: A Novel of the Pacific War.