Review by Booklist Review
Pearl Harbor, December 6, 1941. It's another day in paradise for white 13-year-old Frank McCoy and his best friend, Japanese American Stanley Summers, united by their love of the comics they create together. For Frank, though, the perfection is compromised by a closely guarded secret: he's been afraid of everything since what he calls The Incident (he was mauled by a dog and has the scars to prove it). The next day, December 7, a seaman invites the boys to tour the decommissioned battleship Utah. They eagerly accept and are aboard when paradise becomes hell as a wave of Japanese planes attacks, destroying the entire American fleet in the harbor. In a thrilling, white-knuckle set piece, Gratz (Captain America: The Ghost Army, 2023) recreates the attack and Frank's and Stanley's harrowing experience of it. Just surviving tests the boys' mettle, as Frank swallows his fears and rescues a drowning seaman, becoming, at least for a while, a hero. Gratz does his usual splendid job of creating the visceral drama of battle alongside fully realized characters. He handles the theme of heroism well, while not straying into the didactic, and is especially good at depicting the enduring friendship of the two boys as, together, they experience the date that will live in infamy.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Set during the attack on Pearl Harbor that drew the U.S. into WWII, this tensely wrought, propulsive historical novel by Gratz (Two Degrees) centers the compelling friendship between 13-year-old aspiring writer Frank McCoy and illustrator Stanley Summers, who are brainstorming their own comic book characters. The pair live in the seemingly idyllic Ford Island Naval Air Station in Pearl Harbor, where their fathers are stationed. Frank harbors secret anxiety surrounding his perceived lack of courage, especially evident when he avoids helping Stanley confront bullies, which prompts Stanley to ask, "How do you think you can write about heroes if you can't be one yourself?" These paralyzing fears come into stark relief when, while the pair are on a battleship tour, Japanese planes begin bombing unsuspecting military targets. After diving from a sinking ship, the friends struggle to reach home amid violence, chaos, and death. Though the novel's tone is sometimes uneven and text can read as didactic, Gratz sensitively handles characters' suspicion of Stanley surrounding his Japanese American heritage, and offers a gripping, well-researched account of courage and friendship in this powerful depiction of American racism and imprisonment. Back matter includes a comic book created by Frank and Stanley and an author's note. Ages 8--12. (Feb.)
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Review by Horn Book Review
Thirteen-year-old boys Frank McCoy and Stanley Summers live on Ford Island, a naval base in the middle of Pearl Harbor. They have become fast friends, bonding over a shared interest in comic books. Frank's family recently moved to Hawaii from the mainland, where he is hoping to leave behind not just memories of a traumatic incident but the constant worry and fear that plague him as a result. When Frank doesn't stand up for Stanley during a fight with bullies, it causes a rift in their friendship. Nevertheless, they are both invited to the USS Utah the next day, December 7, 1941, which places them in the thick of things during the attack on Pearl Harbor. While both boys survive the horrific events of that day, they confront a great deal of death as well as mayhem and internal demons. Frank comes to terms with his fear, while Stanley -- whose mother is Japanese -- is already being targeted for harassment. Frank's family is relocated to California shortly afterward and the boys bid a sad farewell, but not before Frank passes a draft of a story for their comic book to Stanley. The novel concludes with the opening scenes of their finished comic book collaboration, published many years in the future. Short chapters and fast pacing with lots of dialogue and action make this an easy recommendation for Gratz fans (Grenade, rev. 11/18; Ground Zero, rev. 3/21; and others). An author's note with additional historical and background information is appended. Jonathan HuntMarch/April 2024 p.90 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A vivid account of the Pearl Harbor attack through the eyes of a tween boy. It's December 1941 in Hawaii. The war overseas feels distant for 13-year-old Frank McCoy, a white Florida transplant and son of a Navy fighter pilot, and his best friend, Stanley Summers, a biracial (Japanese American and white) local boy whose dad works at the Naval Air Station. The boys are preoccupied with the superhero comic they're creating together. But on December 7th, while Frank's sister's sailor boyfriend is giving them a tour of the USS Utah, Japanese planes begin bombing Pearl Harbor. In the fast-paced chapters that follow, the boys witness numerous horrors. They also recognize that Stanley is increasingly perceived with hostility by many white people; this awareness ultimately allows Frank to address an episode that haunts him from his past relating to friendship, loyalty, and mental health. The humanity of the characters and the on-the-ground perspective evoke sympathy for those who perished in the attack. Foreshadowing Spider-Man's most famous line, the book ties together the friends' love of superheroes ("Getting superpowers is one thing. Choosing how to use your powers is another") with commentary in the author's note on America's responsibility to use its immense powers wisely ("what we continue to do now and in the future, will decide if we are heroes"). The novel closes with Frank and Stanley's 10-page comic, which serves as an epilogue. A propulsive wartime story with an earnest protagonist at its heart. (language note, map) (Historical fiction. 9-13) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
