On the wings of heroes

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. --Michael Cart Copyright 2006 Booklist

Peck (A Year Down Yonder) concocts another delicious mixture of humor, warmth and local color in this period piece, which describes America during WWII through the eyes of a Midwestern boy, Davy Bowman. The 1940s are a time of sacrifice for the Bowman family and a time of collecting for young Davy, who does his patriotic duty by gathering "whatever it took to win the war." Davy's search for scrap metal ("Five thousand tin cans will make a shell casing," his friend muses") leads him to mysterious Mr. Stonecypher, who lives in the oldest house in the neighborhood and who lost a son in another war. While hunting for milkweed ("for stuffing in life jackets, to keep shipwrecked sailors afloat"), Davy has his first run-in with old Miss Titus, a cantankerous woman, who ends up taking charge of his class during the teacher shortage ("We weren't used to a teacher who looked like a walnut with a mustache"). Throughout the novel, the author adroitly conveys how Davy's boundaries and horizons gradually expand, first beyond his neighborhood and finally overseas, when his brother is sent to Europe. First-person narrative brings the time period to life and vividly captures Davy's sentiments about the war and his family members, especially his father and brother, who are both heroes in Davy's mind. Chock full of eccentric characters and poignant moments, this coming-of-age novel will be embraced by children and grownups alike. Ages 10-up. Agent: Sheldon Fogelman. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

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 (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(Intermediate) As deftly as Norman Rockwell creating a cover for The Saturday Evening Post, Peck gives readers a nostalgic glimpse into the American heartland during World War II. Peck is all about setting here, using young Davy Bowman as the voice to describe the scene, although occasionally that voice alternates between Davy the child (""It sounded swell"") and Davy the adult (""And all the world before the war went up in far-off smoke and oil burning on water""). Characters come and go, typically with a great story or two. For example, there's Miss Eulalia Titus, a vintage Peck creation channeling Grandma Dowdel (from A Long Way from Chicago, rev. 11/98) into a no-nonsense schoolteacher. But these characters are like guests at Rockwell's Thanksgiving Dinner: readers know what they are (an eight-to-five orphan, a best friend, a devoted couple) but not who they are. Collectively they make up a town that remembers the horrors of the preceding war but nonetheless supports the present one with victory gardens, ration coupons, savings bonds, and rubber collections. Davy's two idols, his father and his brother, begin and end as heroes, thus creating a weak arc that doesn't sustain the setting and individual character sketches. Copryight 2007 of The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

It always seemed to be summer in Davy Bowman's Illinois town; his street was his world. In epic games of hide-and-seek, Davy would ride toward home base on brother Bill's shoulders or in the crook of his father's good arm. And every Halloween, Earl Bowman, in Grandma Dowdel-like fashion, exacted revenge on neighborhood bullies. Early episodes give way to rich stories--poignant and humorous--about the weight of war as it wrapped around the shoulders of the Bowmans. It was "the duration," not really real life, just waiting for Bill to return from his B-17 missions over Germany. In the meantime, Davy and his friend Scooter gather scrap metal, newspapers and milkweed for the war effort, the Chicago mob attacks Mr. Bowman and ancient Eulalia Titus teaches Davy's class with a firm hand (and strategically placed rattraps). Peck's skill at characterization is unsurpassed; Earl Bowman is as memorable as any previous character. Scenes are so well crafted they beg to be read aloud. An ode to a father, a big brother and an era captured by a writer at his peak. (Fiction. 10+) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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. ((Reviewed December 1, 2006)) Copyright 2006 Booklist Reviews.

Peck (A Year Down Yonder) concocts another delicious mixture of humor, warmth and local color in this period piece, which describes America during WWII through the eyes of a Midwestern boy, Davy Bowman. The 1940s are a time of sacrifice for the Bowman family and a time of collecting for young Davy, who does his patriotic duty by gathering "whatever it took to win the war." Davy's search for scrap metal ("Five thousand tin cans will make a shell casing," his friend muses") leads him to mysterious Mr. Stonecypher, who lives in the oldest house in the neighborhood and who lost a son in another war. While hunting for milkweed ("for stuffing in life jackets, to keep shipwrecked sailors afloat"), Davy has his first run-in with old Miss Titus, a cantankerous woman, who ends up taking charge of his class during the teacher shortage ("We weren't used to a teacher who looked like a walnut with a mustache"). Throughout the novel, the author adroitly conveys how Davy's boundaries and horizons gradually expand, first beyond his neighborhood and finally overseas, when his brother is sent to Europe. First-person narrative brings the time period to life and vividly captures Davy's sentiments about the war and his family members, especially his father and brother, who are both heroes in Davy's mind. Chock full of eccentric characters and poignant moments, this coming-of-age novel will be embraced by children and grownups alike. Ages 10-up. Agent: Sheldon Fogelman. (Mar.)

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