Bibliographical information:

 Harry Mazer, A Boy at War:  A Novel of Pearl Harbor.  New York:  Scholastic, 2001.

Brief summary:

Adam Pelko lives in Honolulu, where his father is in an officer on the USS Arizona.  He befriends Davi, the son of Japanese parents, but his father forbids them from hang out together.  On the morning of December 7th, 1941 they sneak out with another classmate on a fishing trip during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.  In the confusion that follows, Adam is mistaken for a young soldier.

Comments:

A good introduction to the horror of war and the cruelty of racism, full of details of the time and culture.

Grade/Age level:

5th-7th grade

Cautions:

It is very violent.  The Arizona is destroyed in front of the boys' eyes.  The book raises difficult issues that the reader should be ready for.

If you like this book, you might also like . . .

--[Elizabeth Hutchinson]

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