A Boy No More

Adam Pelko #2

by Harry Mazer

"WHAT ABOUT WHAT THEY DID TO MY FATHER?...
THE JAPS KILLED HIM "

Adam Pelko witnessed something horrible: the sinking of the USS "Arizona" during the attack on Pearl Harbor -- with his father aboard. Since then, Adam and his mother and sister have moved to California, where they are trying to rebuild their lives.

But no matter where Adam goes, he can't get away from the effects of the war. His best friend, Davi, has asked for help. Davi is Japanese American, and his father has been arrested, taken to Manzanar, a Japanese internment camp.

Adam isn't sure what to do. If he goes to Manzanar and starts asking questions, he could be risking his own life. But can he simply do nothing and risk losing Davi's friendship forever? Are Davi, his father, and all the other Japanese Americans taken from their homes responsible for what happened at Pearl Harbor?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, War, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, World War II, Action

136 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Harry Mazer is an American author of books for children and young adults, acclaimed for his 'realistic' novels. He has written twenty-two novels, including The Solid Gold Kid, The Island Keeper, Heroes Don't Run, and Snow Bound, which was adapted as an NBC After school special, as well as one work of poetry and a few short stories.

Reviews

[Cody · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a boy named Adam, his dad died from World War 2. Adam moves to California and has to meet new people, but he meets this boy that Adam doesn't trust. I think this book is interesting because my biography book is about the WW2 and this book is about the WW2 also.

[Drew Vandervest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal Response:

I liked this book, because it showed confidence. I didn't like how the book started, because it felt like it started way too quick. As the book progressed, the book slowed down and I liked it. I really liked the main character, Adam, because he was truthful and brave. I didn't like the way Adam was getting mistreated by his classmates, because Adam didn't deserve it. I liked how this book showed the thoughts in Adam’s head, because it explained clearly how Adam felt at the moments of events.

Plot:

The book was about a 14 year old boy who was from Honolulu, Hawaii. Adam’s father had served in the military. He was stationed in Pearl Harbor and he had been a crewman of the US Arizona. The book was based on the Pearl Harbor attack. The main character Adam was fishing before he witnessed the sinking of the US Arizona with his father aboard. Adam, his sister, his and mom relocated after Pearl Harbor attack and now live in Bakersfield,California. Adam got bullied by classmates at his new school, because they didn't believe in his past experiences.

Character analysis:

Adam was the main character of the book. Adam had one sibling and that was his five year old sister: Bea. Adam looked up to his father as if he were a superhero. Adam kept a lot of his father's Navy gear. For example, Adam kept his father's Navy cap and his Navy designed lighter, which later in the book he gave away to his best friend. Adam matured heavily when his family moved to San Diego. He began to be the man of the house. Adam worked hard and he was an independent teenager.

Setting:

The setting first took place in Honolulu, Hawaii. Adam’s family was living on the Army base in Pearl Harbor. The Pearl Harbor attack happened in 1941, and the US Arizona sunk with Adam's father on board. This tragedy forced the rest of the family to relocate to San Diego. The San Diego sky gave Adam flashbacks of Hawaii. Adam went to an japanese camp called Manzanar to meet up with his best friend Davi.

Recommended:

I recommended this book for teenagers ages 14 and up, because that's the age of the main character. I recommended this book for anybody who likes World War II, because this book is based off Pearl Harbor. I also recommended this book to both genders, because it's a good book overall. I recommend this book for anybody who wants an easy book to read, because the book is worth it. It has a nice story to it.

[Tempe Mavraj]

If you see some odd titles on here - it’s because I’m reading along with my daughter through her educational journey. I have a built-in book club!

This was a good story about Pearl Harbor events and how the main character, Adam, had to make hard choices - listen to his family or help a friend. The book brought up a great discussion about our moral compasses.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the story -- it made me sad to think about the prejudice back then, but also made me sad to realize how much of that prejudice still exists today. Adam was a typical boy for the time period and Mazer has a wonderful insight into the characters he creates. They are believable and easy to care about. The feelings Adam had to work through and the way he goes about it were realistic. It's a book I'll recommend more often to my students.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very interesting. I really liked the way how this book goes. This book is about a boy named Adam who lost his dad in the war. This relates to my biography because it is based on WWII. I recommend this book to people who wants to read about someone losing their dad in war.

[Josue Rojas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personal Response
A Boy No More has to be probably one the the best books in this series. The book starts out boring with Adam the main character being in Hawaii. The book is basically about the bombing that happened in Pearl Harbor. This book is great because it isn't about the war that much. It talked about what happen to the people that weren't in the army.

Plot Summary
This book talked about Adam and how he was at the Pearl Harbor when the bombs hit. Adam experienced something horrible that day, he saw his dad's ship, the USS Arizona, go down. Adam and his mom moved to California and try to start a new life. Wherever Adam goes he will still have that image of his dad ship going down.

Recommendation
I would recommend this book to anyone that is interested in war book. This book is easy to understand so, it's a great book for anyone in middle schoolers and high school. This book is great if you're trying to read something quick, it has great content for anyone to read and for people that are more into adventure.

Characterization
The main character in this book is Adam. In the beginning Adam start of being a normal kid that is happy. Everything change for Adam when he saw his dad's ship the USS Arizona go down. Adam moved to California and he became more independent by getting a job to help his mom out. Later on he becomes responsible and focus because one of his friend send him a note so he could deliver to his dad that is in a camp because he is a "Jap" and in that time period they don’t trust any "Japs".

[Richard L. Haas III · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the first book, “A Boy at War,” over ten years ago to disappointment. When I was younger, that book was built up to being a great look at Pearl Harbor told through the eyes of a young reader but instead it was just an awkward mess (see my review on Goodreads).

The sequel, however, is much better. Perhaps it was because I knew what I was getting into this time around: a middle school reading level novel riddled with awkward sentences, poor structure, pointless chapters, and boring characters. Knowing this ahead of time I was able to look past it for the most part.

What I really enjoyed was simply the overall plot— the fact that we are getting a young reader novel about the Japanese-American Internment Camps that are often criminally glossed over in history classes in the USA. Reading about this in a book for this reading level is certainly a great way to introduce the concept to kids. The only thing with that is the camps were not shown to be as bad as they really were, so after reading the book, children would need more background and depth into history.

The concept alone helped boost my rating for this book, but as I mentioned before, there still is no excuse for poor writing— something most children authors fall victim to. And of course the book would have stupid moments like Adam wanting eating his nails and a single black ant because he hadn’t eaten dinner yet... which was just bizarre, but the only other big criticism for this novel would include the narrative trope of the “White Savior” as represented through Adam. I would say, though, that Mazer tried to get around this by making his trip and letter delivery nearly pointless as Davi ended up being with his father anyway. But of course that, in turn, made most of the book pointless. I guess that my gripe with the book is the only real point was for Adam to end up respecting and appreciating family more through pointless events (including trying to get Davi at his grandfather’s farm). What shattered his whole journey for me was at the end when Davi and him agree to write letters to each other... when Davi originally needed Adam to hand-deliver a letter to his father at that same camp! Couldn’t he just have sent it if he can send and receive letters inside that camp himself?

Ultimately I would suggest this is a great start into learning about the Japanese-American Internment Camps, but take it with a grain of salt when reading or giving it to your kids/students to read.

[Natalia Gendis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two boys took a fishing boat out to the middle of Pearl Harbor’s light blue water, it shone in the light. It was a cheerful summer day in Honolulu, no cloud seen in the sky for miles. Little did they know that their whole life would change. A Boy No More written by Harry Mazer, is a heart-pounding novel based on the World War II back in 1941. Adam Pelko, an American boy which grew up in Honolulu and is the main character of the story, takes us through his journey to Manzanar, a “prison” where all the Japanese-Americans were taken to, hoping to find his best friend's father to deliver a note to him from his separated family after the attack at Pearl Harbor where they used to live. Many families were forced to move out of their homes in Honolulu and most were taken as prisoners. Adam meets someone very unexpected along the way, changing the whole situation of his mission. An older girl named Nancy who fascinates him with her beauty and willingness to help him achieve his goal, is introduced to Adam leaving a very big impression on him. Out of the blue he gets a life changing note from his grandpa living on a farm making him debate between two different sides of the family. Using his dead father’s voice to guide him, every step Adam took he was closer to retracing his father’s footsteps and making him proud. Will Adam complete his task and get the letter to the Mori family? Are Nancy and Adam going to become something more than just friends? Is Adam going to make the right decision in his family situation?


The author, Harry Mazer, adds rush and excitement to every word throughout the whole book forming questions and fist clenching events. Each character is described with an entirely different personality of their own and each character has different dialogue allowing a lot of imagination take place in the reader’s mind. This book is strongly recommended to intermediate readers and history lovers who will enjoy details in depth of Pearl Harbor Bombing.

[Jason Wang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harry Mazer Shows the Difficulties in Relationships


Two important things in front of you, you only choose one of them; one is risking your own life to help your friend. The other is to risk losing you friendship. Which would you choose? Adam has to face this decision. He is a 14 year old boy during WWII. a time when boys had to grow up fast. A Boy No More by Harry Mazer is a historical fiction book that shows the difficulties with the relationship between American-Japanese during WWII.

Adam Pelko wants to help his friend Davi, a Japanese-American, to drive a letter to Davis's father, but Adam’s mom disagrees with the dangerous things because she doesn’t want Adam to leave her so far away, so Adam has lots of conversation with his mom and another friend about risking his own life go to Manzanar or to lose his friendship with Davie.

An excerpt from the book that shows this relationship is when Adam talk to his mom, and she said “‘ … and he warned you not to be friends with that Japanese boy. That’s what i’m talking about. Honoring your father’s memory.’” Adam responds back with “‘… and he’s not Japanese, mom, he’s American, the same as us. And he’s got nothing to do with what happened.”’ this quotes explain that Adam’s mom didn’t want Adam to sent the letter because she think American should not be friend with Japanese, but Adam think this mind was wrong because a trust relationship should not including where your from, it how you show your kind care and any good quality to your friend.

If you like this book, you should read A Boy at War first because it first book in the series, and the third is Heroes Don’t Run by Harry Mazer because all three books are about loyalty and risks, sometimes to be taken for friendship. I rate this book 4 stars out of 5 because at beginning not too many events happened, but after reading the whole book you can learn something from it, and it is a very interesting book for those who like history, loyalty, and relationships.

[Tristan Leerhoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the beginning of the book, we are introduced to Adam, a high schooler from Hawaii. Then we are shown that his father died, and that he was there when it happened. Next we are introduced to his loving mother, who just wants Adam to do well in school. After that, we are given that he recently moved to California. And finally, we are given the main problem/ idea of the book, hs friend sent him a letter that he must deliver to his friend’s uncle.
This book’s main theme is “War effects more than just you.” You have to try to stay optimistic and happy even in awful times, because there are people that are most likely going through much worse than you. This is represented by his friend’s uncle being in a camp full of Japanese people, or Japs, that are imprisoned for their race. They have little to no access to the outside world, and cannot tell their families how they are doing. They are in an awful situation, but Adam does not realise that until he goes on an epc quest to find his friend’s uncle, and realises his friend would have had to do this too just to see his family.
I enjoyed this book. It had some deeper themes, while keeping it on a lighter, easier to understand level. The book definitely keeps you thinking, and has changed my opinion of a couple of things, including war, family, and friendship. The author made some smart choices with character development as well. Overall, this book was a nice change from the average historical fiction. It was not about a battle or a group of people, but one teenage boy on his journey to becoming a man, and I feel it did a nice job of capturing that.

[Abe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adam Pelko is a fourteen-year-old that has a friend whose dad is in a Japanese camp. Adam is stuck in the middle of the Americans and the Japanese because his friend is Japanese-American and his dad died because of Japanese bombers on the Arizona. He has to deliver a message to his friend's dad in the camp.

Adam has a little sister named Bea who is excited about her dad coming back. Adam and Bea are nice to each other. Adam's mother is mad when Adam sneaks out to deliver the message because he didn't tell her and he goes all the way to Manzanar, which is very far away. Adam's friend is named Davi. You don't get to know Davi very much in this book.

I learned by reading this book that sometimes books that don't look interesting actually are. I recommend this book to a kid above the age of 8 because I don't think younger kids would understand it.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sequel to A Boy At War, the plot follows shortly after the events of the former with Adam and his family relocating to San Francisco. Once again, Adam must adapt to his new environment, from still grieving of his father, to school bullies, and reigniting old friendships. If anything A Boy No More is more of a coming-of-age tale than it is a war novel, as Adam deals with internal conflicts of growing up with the ongoing war taking a backseat, though it is mentioned throughout. Instead, we see how Adam witnesses the unjustly racism against Japanese Americans while on his journey of keeping a promise to an old friend, and what it means to be an American. Overall, while the pacing is almost the same as the predecessor, the development of the main character and his actions are much more enjoyable, making it a worthy sequel.

[Ricardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like how it talked about the characters and how they acted. Each one had a good thing about them like the main character David he always kept his head up at hard times. And the whole book is based on a group of kids. And they try to help a girl and her uncle to get enough money to buy a house by selling cars. But they took a car that they shouldn't have. So it was like a chase and they were scared. The book was good in my opinion but if there was a movie it would be better. It's a good book to read only if you read it constantly. And all the characters had good parts. My favorite was Adam he was the one that would plan everything and go first in everything.

[Kaska-Boom! · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the story -- it made me sad to think about the prejudice back then, but also made me sad to realize how much of that prejudice still exists today. Adam was a typical boy for the time period and Mazer has a wonderful insight into the characters he creates. They are believable and easy to care about. The feelings Adam had to work through and the way he goes about it were realistic. It's a book I'll recommend more often to my students.

[Jennifer Barten · Rating 2 out of 5]

I will start by saying I didn't read the first book in the series. Maybe if I had, I would have a better view of this book. With that said though, it did seem the author did a good job of telling what went on in the first book and I didn't feel like I missed anything.
This book was very unrealistic and I didn't feel like it described the camps well.
Overall I felt this book was underwhelming.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was rather dull, and unimaginative. There is hardly any plot. Still, it is good for young readers to be exposed to the historical events that occurred during this time in American History. The afterwords of the book puts the events described into a proper context. To remember the injustice done to Japanese Americans. Knowledge of history is the best way to prevent repeating past mistakes.

[Shelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

After Pearl Harbor, Adam and his family move to California where his mom and him start working. Adam receives a letter from his friend Davi from Hawaii about his family being taken because they were born in Japan. This book highlights Japanese internment camps that Adam visits at one point. It also shows how Adam is growing and becoming the man he needs to during this timeframe.

[Dakota · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I hope to read the other books in this series soon. I simpathise for Adam, he was just a boy and he had to witness an awful event like the Pearl Harbor bombing. I wish him well on the rest of his journey, and I hope he and Davi meet again.

[Noah K · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Boy No More by Adam pelko . I really liked the way how this book goes. This book is about a boy named Adam who lost his dad in the war. It is based on WWII it was also sad . I recommend this book to people who wants to read about someone losing their dad in war.

[Fried dog and rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really good because it talks about history.

[Aaron Eckenrod · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite book that have read

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of facts at the end and questions for study.

[Jonathan]

very good book to read very fast to read through and enjoyed it.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Underdeveloped, unpolished, indecisive, reads more like a draft rather than a final copy. I admire the concept and the continuation of the series, but I can't figure out how this made it to print.

[Ethan T · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book a bit short.

[MAKAYLAB · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for when you need a quick read with a great story. Lots of lessons and themes to be learned in this book

[Cmf]

Great historical novel for young people.

[Addy Osborn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty fire for a book I got in the psych ward

[Paige Gordon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just moving the story along, so not as action packed or interesting as the first book.

[India · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was very interesting. It had a good plot and climax and many detail to support it. I would definitely recommend this book to others.