On the Wings of Heroes (Thorndike Press Large Print Literacy Bridge Series) | 
 enlarge | Author: Richard Peck
Publisher: Thorndike Press
Category: Book
Buy New: $23.95
New (8) Used (2) from $18.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 2701333
Format: Large Print
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 171
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.6 x 0.7
ISBN: 0786297034
EAN: 9780786297030
ASIN: 0786297034
Publication Date: August 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
Davy Bowmans brother and their dad hung the moon. Dad looks forward to Halloween more than a kid, and Davys brother, Bill, flies B-17s. Davy adores these two heroes and tries his best to follow their lead, especially now. World War II has invaded Davys homefront boyhood. Theres an air raid drill in the classroom, and being a kid is an endless scrap drive. Bill has joined up, breaking their dads heart. Its an intense, confusing time, and one that will invite Davy to grow up in a hurry. Still, Richard Peck is a master of comedy, and even in this novel of wartime uncertainty, he infuses his tale with humor: oddballs and rascals and boyhood misadventures alongside the poignant moments. This is one of Richard Pecks very finest novelsa tender, unforgettable portrait of the World War II homefront and a familys love.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 Tears and a hug July 30, 2008
I will admit that I began reading this book, got about to the 2nd chapter, and stopped. For whatever reason I just was not in the mood for this particular story.
But week later I decided to give it another try and I picked it up again. I am extremely glad I did. Because for me, the magic moment when I began to 'live' the story happened right about the 6th chapter. From that point on, I was hooked. You could not stop me from finishing the book.
By the end my eyes were tearing up with a variety of emotions, and I felt that I had really lived through WWII. I wanted to give the entire Bowman family a big hug for sharing their experience with me.
Richard Peck is such a great writer!
Entertaining June 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Davy Bowman is growing up during WWII in Illinois and must deal with the changes going on around him. His brother, a pilot trainee joins up... his father, a WWI vet owns the local gas station and they are expected to ration food, rubber, gas, and other precious staples. He and his best friend travel around on their bikes savaging metal for the war effort.
This was an entertaining (and educational) story of how a country pitched in to help each other during a time of crisis. I particularly enjoyed reading about the various characters that inhabited the town, and the cantankerous old teacher Miss Titus that put a mousetrap in her purse to thwart the class bully. My only complaint is that this book wasn't longer.
Well worth a listen for adults and kids alike.
Dr. Mary Hollowell / Teacher EDU / Clayton State University January 3, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Will Davy's fighter pilot brother survive World War II? This is the central question in Richard Peck's latest novel. The novel sweeps the duration of the war. While Davy's older brother trains for war then flies in raids, Davy and his best friend, Scooter, man the homefront. They collect rubber, paper, and scrapmetal. Ironically, their large collection of newspaper is stolen from their wagons by Boy Scouts.
The seriousness of the war is constantly being broken by the eccentricities of Davy's neighbors, and no one is better at portraying cantankerous seniors than Richard Peck. From the gruff Mr. Stonecypher with a still in his basement to Mrs. Titus, a scrawny woman in sackcloth who totes a shotgun, to Mrs. Titus's ninety-seven-year-old mother who still believes the Civil War is raging, they are all hugely entertaining and diverting. When Mrs. Titus is called upon to serve as a long-term substitute teacher in Davy's class, she takes on the class's unlikely bully, a round girl named Beverly with two equally large cronies. The bullies are no match for the elderly Mrs. Titus who puts a rattrap in her purse to catch their pilfering fingers.
Peck ingeniously blends seriousness and lightheartedness, the ordinary and the extraordinary. A highlight of the book is the Old Jalopy Parade, in which junk cars are paraded to the scrapyard. Davy rides high in Mrs. Titus's ancient Pan American. With a spine-tingling conclusion, this book is grand historical fiction.
 I hate to spoil the party, but... August 27, 2007
1 out of 5 found this review helpful
I grew tired of this book about halfway through and put it down. The prose is perfect, the imagery vivid, but nothing kept pulling me further into the book. I feel hesitant criticizing the award-winning author, but I can't imagine a middle school boy reading this book unless he had to, because nothing much really happens.
perfection on the page August 11, 2007
Richard Peck is the best. He makes you want to turn the page for all the right reasons. Add this book to the long list of other great things RP has written. Bravo!
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