Customer Reviews

A Boy at War: A Novel of Pearl Harbor

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From the first page to the last you will feel as if you are there at Pearl Harbor with Adam on the, "Date which will live in infamy!" December 7, 1941. Harry Mazer has crafted a story that can be read and enjoyed both by young adults and adults. The main character not only watches as the United States is pulled into WWII but he himself, a military brat, a Navy man's son, is pulled in many directions throughout this novel. Allow yourself a block of time to read this page turner! I read it in less than two hours. I was almost late for school because I couldn't put it down. Rating the book on a scale of 1 to 10 my sixth grade students and I rate it a 10! It's one of the best books we have ever read. In my book I think it's a future Newbery Award winner!

Adam Pelko a military brat attending civilian high school in Hawaii. Adam finds it difficult to make friends moving so frequently. He meets Davi Mori and Martin Kahahawai and they become friends. They plan to go fishing the next day. The boys row out into Pearl Harbor and cast their lines. This simple trip turns out to be the most tragic day of Adams life as he watches the planes fly overhead and explosion of the USS Arizona. The ship his father is on.

The rest of the book progresses as if he is in a dream...he is pushed from child to sailor in minutes and helping search the waters for live men. He can't believe what he is seeing. Adam lives the horror and tragedy. Adam left the house that morning on his bike and came home carrying a gun.

Harry Mazer is powerful. A Boy at War: A Novel of Pearl Harbor is a page-turner.

A Boy at War
By: Mazer, Harry
Reviewed by: J.Kim
Period: P.3

A Boy at War was about a boy named Adam that just moved to Hawaii. He had a younger sister, a mother, and a father that was in the navy. He had just begun to go to school and met a boy named Davi. They didn't have the ordinary friendship that any other teen had but they became friends by insulting each other any time they could. Soon after, they became friends. His father soon found out and he didn't really like it. It was because Adam found a friend; it was because Adam found a friend that was Japanese. One morning, they decided to go fishing, and that's what they did. Adam didn't have to worry about his father because he was called for an emergency. Martin, Davi, and Adam were all having fun until they started to hear gunshots, planes flying, and explosions. At first, they thought it was just a drill but when the air and water blackened, they fell out of the boat, Martin had a splinter the size of a pencil stuck in his chest, and a bullet skidded across Adams back, they realized it was war. Soon, Adam saw his father's ship, the Arizona had sunk. He didn't know what to do. The next thing you know, He is wearing a marine's suit holding a huge machine gun. He just did the best he could even as a young boy. The chaos still went on and on and when it started to calm down, Adam found his way back home. The tragedy must have ended. All Adam and his family could do was to wait to hear from their father. One day, they received a message from a young union boy and it read that Lieutenant Pelko was missing in action. As soon as they heard the news, Adam's mother decided to move, and without a choice they did.
I liked this book because it gave a lot of detail on what was going on. It also talked about never giving up and never losing hope. " Mom, we don't know anything for sure. There were a lot of survivors. Dad could have been on another ship- he could be alright," said Adam. Throughout the ending of the story, whenever the thought of his father was brought up, he would say to himself that he would keep waiting until he got a message from the navy. I like the way that he kept on waiting and not giving up. It must have took him a lot of patience.
Another reason why I liked this book was because even though Adam's father didn't give him all the love he could have given him, Adam still loved him very much. When Adam found out that they were moving, he said, " Dad's here, we're leaving him. We're abandoning him!" Adam was very sad about moving away from where his father was even though he was dead. He still cared for his father as much as he did when he wasn't alive.
My favorite part of this story was when they were on the ship leaving Hawaii. Most everyone on that ship had leis that Adam had bought for them. Adam still was thinking about his father and it really hurt him but he knew his father died as a hero. When you dropped leis into the sea that meant you were going to come back. Adam dropped his into the water and said, " Goodbye, dad."

Adam, a 14 year old boy, just moved to Honolulu because of his dad's work as an officer assign to the USS Arizona near Pearl Harbor. Adams father is very rigid but Adam respects the navy lifestyle. Adam meets Davi Mori whose parents are Japanese and Adam's father forbids him to hang out with Davi fearing this will look bad and tarnish his navy career due to the feeling of hatred towards the Japanese on the island at the time. Adam made plans to go fishing on December 7, 1941 with Davi and Martin when his dad gets called back unexpectantly to his ship. The boys find a fishing boat in the restricted area and row it out towards a row of battle ships in Pearl Harbor. Suddenly Japanese bomber planes begin dropping bombs and shooting at everyone. There boat is shot at as they row to shore. Martin has a long shard of wood piercing his back and chest. Davi is hit by a gun when a sailor mistakes him as the enemy. Both boys are then escorted to the hospital. Adam was also grazed by a bullet in the back but doesn't realize it until his back starts to hurt later in the novel. Adam is mistaken as an enlisted soldier and is told to put on a uniform and grab a gun to help restore order. This begins the series of events that lead to a fast paced action war story. You have to read this novel to find out what happens to Adam and his father.

We just finished reading this book together, and I showed excerpts of the movie Pearl Harbor. I loved it, and the kids were riveted by the action. Who wouldn't enjoy a book that places a young 14 year old in Pearl Harbor, where he can see the Arizona and Oklahoma sink and all the gruesome (tastefully handled) mayhem? This completes this semester's reading in our history class--we also read Karen Hesse's Witness and Out of the Dust, both wonderful books. If you are a teacher/librarian wondering about ordering this book, it's a great choice, better yet, order a class set and help bring history alive for Freshman. The lead character is a 9th grader himself. Mazer handles the complex issues of Pearl Harbor--including Japanese racism, the widespread panic, the horror of the sudden attack. The only thing he didn't cover--which I would have appreciated-- is a little more info about the war in Europe, and Japan's alliance with Nazi Germany. This could have been included with just a few extra lines. Otherwise, it's a great read.

A Boy At War was a great book. When I was reading it I couldn't put it down. It was about a kid who was new to Hawaii. In his new school he met some guys named Davi Mori and a another guy. They decided to go fishing in Pearl Harbor and while they were fishing the Japenese planes flew over. Adams dad was on the ship the USS Arizona when the planes flew over. All of the other ships were sunk by bombs and so was his fathers ship. Many mens lives were taken that day. Will Adams dad come back or did he drown in the deep darkness,sufficating and dying slowly? Read to find out!

A boy at war is a great book about a boy named Adam who moves to Hawaii from New York in 1941. He comes to Hawaii and goes to a public school. He is not used to public school because he has always gone to school on base because his dad is in the Navy. He doesn't have friends at his new school. Then one day he makes friends. Then a lot of suspense happens all at once on page 46. If you want to read something that has a lot of action then read this.

This compact, sophisticated account of the Pearl Harbor attack, told from the perspective of a young military brat, is perhaps the most intriguing account I have read. It is nearly the size of a short story, and has all the density and rapid character development of that type of story. The reader has immediate understanding of the dynamics of Adam's family, especially with the arrival of Commander Dad. You care about the family, and the friends Adam makes. With the ill-fated fishing trip, you tear through the day with Adam, celebrating his courage, feeling his terror, and gaining an understanding of what it is like to be thrust in the chaos of a national disaster. A quick pick for reluctant readers, and those older readers with lower reading levels. Fantastic.

When I started reading "A Boy at War," it immediately grabbed my attention. This action-filled novel will leave you on the edge of your seat until the very end. "A Boy at War" is the story of a boy named Adam. Adam is continuously moving, because his dad, Lt. Pelko, is in the US Navy. Adam is out fishing in his boat, when suddenly ships started to blow up. Indeed, this bombing was the attack of Pearl Harbor, by Japan. If you are intrigued by Pearl Harbor or wars, I recommend this book for you.

This is excellent historical fiction. The story hits all the right notes. Adam is attending civilian school for the first time and trying to find his place there. His family has recently arrived in Honolulu where his father serves on the U.S.S. Arizona. Adam respects his father and accepts his family's Navy lifestyle, but he is lonely and therefore willing to accept a Japanese boy's offer of friendship against his father's wishes. December 7 arrives and Adam is caught up in the events of that day. The worry, the fear, the anger are all successfully incorporated into this fast moving story. Mazer does an excellent job of recreating the time period.

Boys are always looking for good books about WWII. They are hard to find. This one is a winner. I want to read the sequel now.