  | Heroes Author: Gratz, Alan | |
| Price: $23.78 | ||
Summary:
December 6, 1941: Best friends Frank and Stanley have it good. Their dads are Navy pilots stationed at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. December 7th, 1941: Everything explodes. That morning, Frank and Stanley are aboard the battleship the USS Utah when Japanese planes begin attacking America! The war has come to them. This gripping novel tackles themes of bravery, prejudice, and what it means to stand up for what's right.
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 5.00 Points: 6.0 Quiz: 522676 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (01/01/24)
Booklist (+) (01/17/24)
The Hornbook (00/03/24)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 01/17/2024 *Starred 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. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.
