  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 04/01/2007 Gr 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 2007 Reed Business Information. - Copyright 2007 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 12/01/2006 No one does nostalgia better than Peck, and this episodic story of a boy’s life on the home front just before and during World War II is a charmer. Protagonist Davy Bowman has two heroes: his dad, who runs the local service station; and his older brother, who is an Army Air Force cadet. Davy’s life is filled with the small-town stuff of bygone days—ration books, scrap drives, Civil Defense drills—and abundant, affectionate references to songs, vintage cars, and even ladies’ undergarments help to evoke the sights and sounds of a time very different from today. That said, there’s also much that Peck’s fans will recognize, including feisty old folks, Halloween high jinks, young teachers who can’t cut the mustard, and classroom bullies. Yes, some scenes seem a bit sketchier than usual, and some jokes a bit wheezy, but the pages are still filled with gentle humor and wonderful turns of phrase. All in all, there remains no more genial guide for a trip down memory lane than the redoubtable Peck. - Copyright 2006 Booklist. Loading...
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