4.5 stars

What? Another exciting and engaging YA historical novel from Alan Gratz is out? Gotta read that!

“Heroes” focuses on two boys, Frank and Stanley, who suddenly find themselves in the middle of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The action is non-stop, and the story also depicts personal struggles the boys go through. Frank lives in constant fear of, well, basically everything because of an “Incident” that happened in his past, while Stanley struggles more after the attack because of his Japanese-American heritage.

The only thing that didn’t quite work for me with this book -- and it’s a complaint I’ve had about other modern books lately -- is that the first-person narration doesn’t always feel real. The story is told by 13-year-old Frank and sometimes he seems too knowledgeable about issues that he probably wouldn’t have been, and his explanations of things don’t always ring true for the era they were living in (they seem more informed by modern, adult sensibilities). The Gratz book I read just before, “Grenade”, was told in third-person and that felt more convincing and didn’t take me out of the story the first-person narration here sometimes did.

That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will be recommending it, and all the other Gratz books, to students and lovers of excellent YA fiction.young-adult-fiction16 s2 comments (Katie) Paperbacks636 224

Alan Gratz is fast becoming one of my favorite middle grade authors. He puts the reader right into the middle of the action and doesn't let go.12 s Nick355 35

Alan Gratz writes excellent young adult / tween historical fiction. His stories not only introduce his target audience to history, but also injects the moral dilemmas our history sometimes faces. In his latest release two young boys find themselves thrown into the events of Dec 7, 1941. One boy must face his fears head on while the other deals with what it means to be an American of Japanese decent in Hawaii post Dec 7th. An excellent story told by a master. I hope elementary and middle school teachers take note of this author and his fabulous stories.fiction9 s Jennie Smith275 71

Alan Gratz never disappoints! Weaving in superheroes and WW2 was seamless and beautifully done in this amazing novel! I can’t wait to get it in the hands of my students! 2023-reads6 s BooksNCrannies57 8

"'A real hero steps in when they see people getting hurt, no matter what'" — a quote that the characters of Heroes wonderfully demonstrate in so many different ways. From the very beginning of the book, the nonstop action carried me right through the story! I felt really involved in the action of the plot and enjoyed Gratz's attention to sensory details — it greatly helped to bring the story to life. The plot is definitely well structured and holds a lot of exciting action. The main characters, Frank and Stanley, have so many realistic thoughts, emotions, strengths, and weaknesses that I found it very easy to connect with them during their dynamic development. Since this novel accurately portrays the cruelty that Japanese Americans faced after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the fear and shock of such mistreatment is presented in a personal level with the reader through Stanley's character (he has Japanese ancestry). Displaying descriptive word choices and smooth flow, Gratz's writing style is a balanced approach for the riveting action in the story. Heroes is an exciting and action-packed look at a day "which will live in infamy."


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