For a history-loving hero…
Heroes: A novel of Pearl Harbor by Alan Gratz is the story of Frank and Stanley, two friends living in Hawaii at the outbreak of America’s involvement in World War Two. Gratz does a great job getting us into the action quickly—Frank and Stanley are visiting a battleship that fateful December morning when Japan flies over Pearl Harbor and unleashes terror on the unprepared U.S. soldiers. But the author doesn’t shy away from giving us a very real depiction of the death, violence, and fear that would have been a part of living through that morning, which might be too much for some young readers.
Frank, who has a secret past that makes him afraid of everything, must find his courage and overcome his fears as they search for their families. Stanley, whose mother is Japanese American, faces prejudice, while heroically saving injured soldiers. Throughout these challenges, the boys’ friendship is tested.
As you can probably tell from my plot descriptions, Frank and Stanley aren’t sheltering in a bunker somewhere. They are out in the action. Gratz gives them both opportunities to be heroes. That’s something that I think makes this book stand out. His main characters, despite their age, have a lot of agency, and I think that will appeal to kids. It sends a message that they can be heroes, even as a preteen or teenager.
At the end of the book, there’s a comic written by Frank and Stanley! And a few extra pages that give deeper details on comic book history and Pearl Harbor. A kid might skip over the history “extra” as it didn’t have a kid-friendly look (I compare all history bonuses in kids’ books to American Girls’ “A Peek into the Past” because, you know, American Girl books were the kids’ historical fiction back in the day 😉), but it would still be interesting for history-lovers or homeschool families who want to go a bit deeper when studying Pearl Harbor.
Bottom Line: Heroes: A novel of Pearl Harbor by Alan Gratz is for a kid (or adult) who loves middle grade historical fiction and is ready for something more “grown-up” and gritty than the I Survived books. Heroes can be graphic as it depicts war scenes. It explores themes of bravery, friendship, and prejudice. Some sensitive issues present are the portrayals of death and violence and the exploration of prejudice towards Japanese Americans during this conflict.