The ''Boy at War'' trilogy is a series of

young adult A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...

historical novels by

Harry Mazer Harry Mazer (May 31, 1925 in New York City – April 7, 2016 in Montpelier, Vermont) was an American writer of books for children and young adults, acclaimed for his "realistic" novels. He has written twenty-two novels, including ''The Solid Go ...

. The first book, ''A Boy at War'' was released on April 3, 2001 and is based on the events of the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

that initiated the United States' involvement in World War II. The books follow Adam Pelko, the son of a navy commander stationed at

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...

, during the Japanese attack of December 7, 1941.

Synopsis

Adam Pelko, son of a naval commander Lieutenant Pelko is forced to move to Honolulu because his father is reassigned to Pearl Harbor. Adam is enrolled at Honolulu High School which frustrates Adam as people at Honolulu High School have a dislike of military kids. However, Adam does manage to make two friends, Davi Mori and Martin Kahahawai. Davi is a Japanese-American, while Martin is a Native Hawaiian. One day the boys decide to go fishing early in the morning at Pearl Harbor. As they are fishing on the land, they find a rowboat and decide to take it out into the water. They hear airplanes flying overhead and Davi cheers because he believes these are American planes, but Adam sees they're really Japanese, soon their rowboat explodes, and a piece of wood penetrates Martin’s chest. He is wounded, but doesn’t die. Adam watches as his father's ship, the

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, goes down and sinks. Once the Japanese attackers leave the harbor in the morning, Adam runs home with a rifle and makes sure his mother and sister, Bea, are okay. They let Adam in the house, and he tells them what happened and that he doesn’t know if his father, Lt. Emory Pelko, is dead or alive. About a week after Adam arrives back home, the family gets a telegram saying the Lt. Emory Pelko is missing. The family wants to move back to the mainland but Adam wants to stay in Hawaii. Eventually, Adam moves back to the mainland with his family.

Reception

Critical reception for the ''Boy at War'' series has been mixed to positive, with Booklist and

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

both giving the first book starred reviews.

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

panned the first novel, saying that the writing had a "stilted, wooden quality" and that Mazer "does not effectively involve the reader with the requisite emotional intensity or dramatic narrative". Reception for the second book, ''A Boy no More'' was more positive, with

Stone Soup Stone Soup is a European folk story in which hungry strangers convince the people of a town to each share a small amount of their food in order to make a meal that everyone enjoys, and exists as a moral regarding the value of sharing. In varyin ...

calling it "a captivating story about history that we should remember".

Awards

In 2007 Mazer received a Nēnē ''Children's Choice Book Award'' for ''A Boy at War''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boy At War, A 2001 American novels American historical novels American young adult novels American adventure novels Novels set during World War II Novels set in Hawaii Fiction set in 1941 Children's books set in Hawaii Children's books set during World War II Children's books set in the 1940s