A Boy at War: A Novel of Pearl Harbor

A Boy at War  is the story of young Adam who attends high school in Honolulu. Early on a Sunday morning, he, Martin and Davi, a Japanese American, pedal along a highway to Pearl Harbor where they plan to fish. Leaving their bikes, they take their fishing poles and walk along the shore. Almost hidden by bushes, a small rowboat sits anchored.Although the boys had come to fish, the temptation to "borrow" the rowboat for joy-rowing in deeper water near the big ships is far too strong. Within moments, the three youths are out into the harbor's open water.With beaming pride, Adam points out his father's battleship, the Arizona. These huge ships have always fascinated him because of their majestic yet monstrous size. As large as the Arizona appears, still it floats gracefully and with ease as if it were simply a sleeping immovable giant. Since it is dawn, Adam knows his father is aboard that very battleship saluting with his men as they raise the American flag to prepare for the days activities which will probably be light for a Navy Sunday.In the distance, the mounting whine of small planes approaching grabs all three boys' attention. For several moments, they think the aerial formation is some kind of a salute or a military exercise or clandestine war game; maybe it is some movie company shooting a new motion picture. Watching from the seats in their boat, they hear--blasts--explosions; the loud unmistakable--concussive roar--of bombs exploding.In shock, they watch plane after plane drop its load of bombs on American warships sitting like lame ducks. Some of the vessels explode amidships and burst into balls of flame. Adam and his two friends witness nearby ship parts flying in all directions. Some of the wreckage lands dangerously close to them. In ghastly horror, they recognize some of the debris landing--bloody bodies and body parts of dead sailors.While Adam stares at the Arizona, as if lifted by a mighty volcanic eruption, the entire ship explodes upward at first and then plows heavily downward into harbor waters in a hellish inferno of fire and smoke, split asunder. All too rapidly, it sends out a tsunami which tosses the boys and their boat upward out of the water and their small craft. As Adam surfaces gasping for air, he watches the conflagration all around him; he notices a--pit, pit, pit--of tiny pellets hitting the water and their small rowboat.The noise comes from a Zero fighter plane firing shells directly at him and his pals. He ducks underwater. but when he surfaces, he looks toward the Arizona, the once mighty battleship is almost gone from view. It has not rolled over; it has not gone end-up. Gutted, it is rapidly sinking to Pearl Harbor's bottom.Can Adam save his two buddies, one of whom has "a splinter the size of a pencil sticking out of his chest?" And how must he deal with his deep feelings toward Davi, a Japanese American? Did his father survive the sinking of the Arizona? And what about his family back in the city? Did they survive.These unanswered questions I will leave for the reader of this short, but gripping, easy-to-read book.  A Boy at War is the perfect short story for high school youngsters. As a former educator, I confess it is often difficult to get some high school boys to read. This book will surely grab the aggressive interest of young males, particularly those who might be slower readers or who claim "I hate to read."I am guessing that the reading level of  A Boy at War  is around 4.5 to 5th grade. I would recommend this book, followed by  Heroes Don't Run  by the same author, to prove to adolescents that reading can be exciting, interesting, and an engrossing way to spend fun time, rather than wasting it manipulating video games. Surely, video war games might be physically active but eventually they become repetitious--even boring until a better game comes out. But once a youth is hooked on reading for pleasure, uncountable volumes of fascinating mentally active thrillers await him in both book and e-book format.Other interesting reads: Heroes Don't Run: A Novel of the Pacific War Soldier X At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial: A Pictorial History

I thought this was a very good BOOK. I did this for one of my book reports at school and it was a lot more fun to read than enticipated. I recommend this book for anyone who likes to read educational history books. The main character Adam is also a real person and actually experienced this stuff. I would also recommend this for a kid 11 or older

My 11 year old son, who is a real WWII enthusiast, enjoyed this book immensely. He has already asked me to purchase the other books by this author. This book has piqued his curiosity about this time in history even more. He has looked up maps and researched more about Pearl Harbor and the South Pacific theater effort of the war.

A good story of the Attack on Pearl Harbor from the viewpoint of an adolescent. The story deals very honestly with some of the issues and decisions which confronted the boy, his relationship with his Japanese classmate and friend in the immediate aftermath of the horrendous attack which took his father, a Navy Lieutenant, from him. I recommend this novel to young readers especially, because it brings the history of these tragic events to life, and it is an honest, fast paced and riveting adventure as well.

I enjoyed reading this book. I would recommend reading it. I would like to see a different ending but for that time in history I understand why it ended that way. Stayed with historical facts.

Great book. Used it for class.

My son, who hates to read, stuck with this series. I'm not sure if he "liked" them-- but, he read them so that's something, right?

I liked how it ended and it was a cool short book pretty good I liked it. Also it has a cool war theme pearl harbor

Wanted something for my year 8 lads to get them reading around their interest of Pearl Harbour. They loved it! Easy reading with plenty of scope to explore the moral issues of war.

Great subject that was dealt with in a "made for television" movie of the week way. It could/should have been much more of a meal. It was fast food take out. Well written, nicely plotted and planned but not even nearly fully fleshed out. I was disappointed . I was hoping for more substance given the subject. It did give a superficial insight into life at that time and place. A very easy book to read.