All the beloved and familiar elements of Richard Peck's writing are evident in his latest book, On the Wings of Heroes. Davy Bowman and his friend Scooter are active in "the war effort," collecting paper and scrap metal during World War II. Davy's dad is a WWI veteran, and Davy's older brother Bill has enlisted and is learning to fly B17s. As usual, Peck seamlessly combines serious and hilarious business. While Scooter's father is getting ready to leave for the War, Davy and Scooter run into Miss Eulalia Titus, who discourages their rooting around in her barn with a shotgun blast to the tin roof. Miss Eulalia's face is "like a walnut with a mustache," but she is quickly the best teacher they have ever had. Peck considers, with humor and pathos, all aspects of war: soldiers, former soldiers, parents who have lost children, the families left at home. He reiterates, as well, the profoundly important themes of his recent work--it is important to be responsible, honest, hardworking, educated, smart, and to learn from history all that history has to teach us. On the Wings of Heroes is a short book and a quick read, but Peck's brilliant structure (the kids meet all the old-timers as they are scavenging the town for usable stuff) and his economy of expression--not a syllable is wasted in this beautiful text--make it, to my mind, an instant classic.
Faker By Gordon Korman New York: Scholastic Press, 2024. Fiction. 214 pages. 12-year-old Trey is used to starting over at a new school -- he has the routine perfectly memorized: make new friends, introduce his dad to the wealthy parents of his new friends, and "Houdini" themselves out of there before they get caught running their latest scam. Trey's dad is a master con artist, and Trey has just been promoted to full-partner. Their new scheme for the next big score brings them to the affluent suburb of Boxelder, TN where Trey's dad has cooked up a fake electric car company for investors to buy into. The only problem is that Trey is starting to grow tired of moving around and never putting down roots, especially after forming a fast friendship with Logan and developing a crush on Kaylee, a socially conscious girl in his class. As Trey longs for a normal life, is there any way he can convince his dad to get out of the family business? Gordon Korman is a perennial favorit...
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