On The Wings of Heroes [Hardcover]

Richard Peck (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Davy Bowman’s brother and their dad hung the moon. Dad looks forward to Halloween more than a kid, and Davy’s brother, Bill, flies B-17s. Davy adores these two heroes and tries his best to follow their lead, especially now.

World War II has invaded Davy’s homefront boyhood. There’s an air raid drill in the classroom, and being a kid is an endless scrap drive. Bill has joined up, breaking their dad’s heart. It’s an intense, confusing time, and one that will invite Davy to grow up in a hurry.

Still, Richard Peck is a master of comedy, and even in this novel of wartime uncertainty, he infuses his tale with humor: oddballs and rascals and boyhood misadventures alongside the poignant moments. This is one of Richard Peck’s very finest novels—a tender, unforgettable portrait of the World War II homefront and a family’s love.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Peck (A Year Down Yonder) concocts another delicious mixture of humor, warmth and local color in this period piece, which describes America during WWII through the eyes of a Midwestern boy, Davy Bowman. The 1940s are a time of sacrifice for the Bowman family and a time of collecting for young Davy, who does his patriotic duty by gathering "whatever it took to win the war." Davy's search for scrap metal ("Five thousand tin cans will make a shell casing," his friend muses") leads him to mysterious Mr. Stonecypher, who lives in the oldest house in the neighborhood and who lost a son in another war. While hunting for milkweed ("for stuffing in life jackets, to keep shipwrecked sailors afloat"), Davy has his first run-in with old Miss Titus, a cantankerous woman, who ends up taking charge of his class during the teacher shortage ("We weren't used to a teacher who looked like a walnut with a mustache"). Throughout the novel, the author adroitly conveys how Davy's boundaries and horizons gradually expand, first beyond his neighborhood and finally overseas, when his brother is sent to Europe. First-person narrative brings the time period to life and vividly captures Davy's sentiments about the war and his family members, especially his father and brother, who are both heroes in Davy's mind. Chock full of eccentric characters and poignant moments, this coming-of-age novel will be embraced by children and grownups alike. Ages 10-up.
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From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 4–8—In Davy Bowman's Illinois neighborhood, life is friendly and happy, with time for boisterous hide-and-seek games and stories on the porch. As he explains, "Nobody was a stranger….Everybody played. Dogs too, yapping at our heels….They ran wild like the rest of us." But that is before World War II, which sends the narrator's older brother into the army, makes his dad somber, brings his troublesome grandparents into town, sends his mother to work, and changes everything. Peck's masterful, detail-rich prose describes wartime in the United States, where coffee and sugar are rationed; rubber, metal, and even milkweed fluff are collected for the war effort; and sacrifices are made by everyone. Peck's characters are memorable. A classmate's mom comes to school to terrorize her daughter's timid teacher: "A giant figure appeared at the classroom door. We hadn't seen a woman this big since Mrs. Meece came for her girdle." Each episodic chapter about Davy, his family, and his neighbors fits seamlessly into the emerging story. Readers will cheer for these folks, and be submerged into the homefront world of people who: "Use it up, wear it out,/Make it do or do without." This book is an absolute delight.—Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Dial (February 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803730810
• ISBN-13: 978-0803730816
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 4.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #548,856 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Richard Peck has written over twenty novels, and in the process has become one of America's most highly respected writers for young adults. A versatile writer, he is beloved by middle graders as well as young adults for his mysteries and coming-of-age novels. He now lives in New York City. In addition to writing, he spends a great deal of time traveling around the country attending speaking engagements at conferences, schools and libraries...Mr. Peck has won a number of major awards for the body of his work, including the Margaret A. Edwards Award from School Library Journal, the National Council of Teachers of English/ALAN Award, and the 1991 Medallion from the University of Southern Mississippi. Virtually every publication and association in the field of children s literature has recommended his books, including Mystery Writers of America which twice gave him their Edgar Allan Poe Award. Dial Books for Young Readers is honored to welcome Richard Peck to its list with Lost in Cyberspace and its sequel The Great Interactive Dream Machine...

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Peck continues to get better and better, February 18, 2007

By 

reading geek (Providence RI, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On The Wings of Heroes (Hardcover)

As a parent of a middle school student, I was fortunate to be introduced to Peck's work this past summer. After reading A Long Way From Chicago and A Year Down Yonder, both wonderfully enjoyable, I took it upon myself to read as many Richard Peck books as possible. While some of his earlier work didn't thrill me, his later work is absolutely beautiful. He creates characters that a reader can embrace and understand wholeheartedly. This latest book, On The Wings of Heroes, should be required reading for every American, primarily because it gives a reader a picture of what it's like to have a family member at war. It's painfully realistic. Reading it, I laughed and cried, sometimes within a paragraph. Peck's work is gorgeous, real and meaningful. On the Wings of Heroes is stunning and touching, whether you're a middle school student or a parent of a middle school student. Peck continues to get better and better!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful read, April 27, 2007

By 

Camille "at the BookMoot!" (Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: On The Wings of Heroes (Hardcover)

I cannot think of any author who does more to refresh the palate and revive the spirit than Richard Peck. He has such fun telling a story. His uplifting and moving novel, On the 'Wings of Heroes' was exactly what I was in the mood for.

This book is an extension, of sorts, of a short story he contributed to 'Guys Write for Guys Read' by Jon Scieszka about his wonderful father and his love of Halloween.

This story begins on the eve of WWII. Peck perfectly evokes a time when neighbors knew each other and families banded together to support their community and the war effort with scrap metal drives, jalopy parades, black outs and tire rationing.

Davy Bowman's beloved older brother enlists and becomes a B-17 bombardier, flying missions over Germany. Davy worships his brother and his dad. His father loves his boys and fears for the oldest one because, as a WWI veteran, he knows war. The relationship between the boys and their dad is wonderfully written. Peck commented at a book signing, "I'm trying to share my father with boys who don't have them."

Sugar rationing, milkweed collecting and Boy Scout paper drives are part of the lives of Davy and his best friend Scooter. School teachers are called away to work in the war plants leaving bullies free reign in the classroom. News on the radio is all important and loving grandparents arrive to help out when times are tough.

The town is full of Peck's typically quirky characters and life lessons. Is the shotgun wielding Miss Titus crazy or the canniest substitute teacher in the world? What is in the trunk in Mr. Stonecypher's scary attic?

Certainly, Davy's heroes are his father and his brother but after reading this book you understand the heroism of those on the home front too: the long retired teacher who steps into the classroom again; the father whose son did not come home from WWI but supports the war effort; the victory gardens; blue, silver, and gold stars in the windows representing families in waiting or grieving.

The beauty, tenderness and humor in this very American story put it at the top of my favorite books list.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No One Anywhere Like Richard Peck, February 24, 2007

By 

Portianay "portianay" (KY, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: On The Wings of Heroes (Hardcover)

I didn't think he could get any better, but this one is right up there with A LONG WAY FROM CHICAGO and A YEAR DOWN YONDER. (It probably helps that the book relates things that sound so familiar, from listening to my own parents talk about their WW2 experiences.) Best line of the book--and there are DOZENS of best lines!-- "Be Dad. Be Dad."
If you don't read anything else this spring, read this one. You do not have to be a young adult to love it; I am a fairly middle-aged one!