On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck
On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck is a really wonderful book. Richard Peck is one of the most loved authors of our time and it’s certainly for good reason. I loved everything about this book. I was drawn into the story immediately with the first page:
Before the war . . .
. . . the evenings lingered longer, and it was always summer when it wasn’t Halloween, or Christmas. Long, lazy light reached between the houses, and the whole street played our version of hide-and-seek, called only by olly-olly-in-free and supper time. Before I could keep up, I rode my brother’s shoulder’s, hung in the crook of Dad’s good arm. I rode them across the long shadows of afternoon, high over hedges, heading for home base, when our street was the world,
before the war,
when there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
Doesn’t that just draw you in? If it was that great before the war than what about after the war? Is it not always summer? Does nobody play hide-and-seek anymore? Is it dark and stormy? I love how the first page gives you the promise of a great story to follow.
Davy Bowman has two heroes in his life: his father and his older brother. His dad is a grown up kid who could always be relied upon to play out on the street with all the other neighborhood kids and catch Halloween pranksters with pranks of his own. Davy never had to worry about saying something wrong in front of his Dad. But his father’s heart is breaking as his older brother, Bill, is in training flying B-17s and about to be shipped overseas to help with the war effort. With the war now invading the home front, Davy is finding that his childhood and his family is changing in ways that he never could have expected. With neighborhood wide blackouts, the kids no longer play out on the street. Instead they scrounge around for rubber and scrap metal to donate to the war effort. With teachers now short of hand, Miss Titus, an ancient woman, finally puts Davy’s classroom in order. She’s a fireball and easily one of my favorite characters in the book. Bill, finally overseas, has gone missing while on a flight mission and when Davy’s grandparents move in his mother goes to work so she can avoid sitting home all day and worrying.
What I loved most about On the Wings of Heroes was that weaved into this great story and memorable family was the little details that made this war feel so real and believable. Wouldn’t you know it? I was learning something! This is historical fiction at it’s best. If you want to know what it was like for a family and community to be on the home front during World War II then this book will take you right there.
I have been fortunate to hear Richard Peck speak not once but twice (which I still have photos and a post to share with you from months ago!) and I am fascinated with the passion that he has for research, writing, characters and great stories. With more than 40 books under his belt, I have a lot of back titles to go through. I’m looking forward to the task ahead of me.
Who is an author that once you get hooked, you have to go back through their entire backlist? For me it’s Richard Peck, Laurie Halse Anderson, Jacqueline Woodson and Anita Shreve. You?
Links of interest: Why oh why does Richard Peck not have a website? The Maw Books reviews of A Long Way from Chicago, A Year Down Yonder.
Genre: Juvenile, Historical Fiction. Ages 9-12
Publisher: Dial Books. February 15, 2007
Hardcover, 160 pages. ISBN: 0803730810
On the Wings of Heroes is available at your local independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.
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Category: Book Reviews, Fiction, Middle Readers
Tags: historical fiction, World War II
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The book sounds wonderful and the cover is fabulous too – it has a Norman Rockwell feel to it.
on May 26th, 2009 at 6:33 amI used to be in love with Anita Shreve. I fell in love with The Pilot’s Wife and then had to read everything that she ever wrote. Then I kind of lost the momentum with All He Ever Wanted.
Right now, it is Philippa Gregory. I just read the Other Boleyn Girl and loved it. I realize that I’m a little late with Gregory, but I’m glad that I discovered her.
On The Wings of a Hero sounds like a book that my teenage boys might like.
on May 26th, 2009 at 9:26 amI love, love, love Richard Peck. The Teacher’s Funeral is one of my favorite and best. I just love the character of Little Britches! “I don’t wanna and I ain’t gonna”
Have you read that one, by the way? Anyway, right now I’m falling for Brandon Sanderson. I just loved Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians 
So I’m going to be seeking out his other books.
on May 26th, 2009 at 12:00 pmThe book sounds really good, I love the feel of that passage you quoted.
As for authors where I needed to go out and immediately read the back catalogue? For me at least in the last year, that would be UK authors, Marcus Sedgwick and Tim Bowler.
on May 26th, 2009 at 3:16 pmRichard Peck is an amazing author and one that I come back to time and time again. I will be ordering this book for sure to put on my middle school shelves for the fall!!
on May 26th, 2009 at 5:45 pmI’ve never read anything by him, so I’ll make it a point to seek his books out… thank you! Hmm, in terms of reading an author and then finding all of their older books, that is how I always read. I’m obsessive about it. Find one author, read, read, read, until my library runs out, then pick another. Eric Segal, John Irving, Joyce Carol Oates, Isabel Allende…When I was a teenager, Stephen King (not my fav style anymore). In college, Alice Walker, Maya Angelou… really, every author I’ve ever read!
on May 26th, 2009 at 9:45 pmI’ve been thinking about this post all day. I know that sounds weird, but I opened it at work, had to run, and kept thinking, “How do you know that author???” Now that I’m heading to bed, I see the book my best friend gave me for my birthday…A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck!
My friend even bought it for me in hardback, because she loved it so much and wanted me to read it. Whew…so glad I figured out why that name was so familiar!
As for authors I had to go back and read…James Welch. He writes Native American fiction, and mainly set in Montana. I really connect with his work. Also, love Meg Cabot, but from her BLOG! She has cracked me up for years, so I got hooked on her books too.
P.S. Can’t wait to hear about BEA! Well, off to pack Peck in my summer read boxes to ship this weekend.
on May 26th, 2009 at 10:41 pmJack Weyland, Shannon Hale, Dorothy Keddington, Jennie Hansen, & Jane Austen. That’s my list of favorite authors I try to read anything of theirs I can get my hands on. I also have my list of new favorite authors, but I haven’t read more than one series of J.K. Rowling, Rick Riordan, John Flanagan, Cassandra Clare, Christopher Paolini, Suzanne Collins, & Stephenie Meyer (except for The Host).
on May 26th, 2009 at 11:29 pmThis looks good!
An author I have to go through their backlist… James Rollins, Scott Westerfeld (as of this year), Anita Shreve (although I have paused on her lately), Shannon Hale, Isabel Allende, and there are a lot more but my brain isn’t working at the moment!
on May 27th, 2009 at 12:37 amI’ve only read two of Peck’s books A Long Way from Chicago and a Year Down Yonder but I loved them both so I may have to see about picking up something else by him.
on May 28th, 2009 at 10:05 amKathy – The entire book has a Normal Rockwell feel to it. I really was transported back in time.
Tracie – The Pilot’s Wife was the first book that I read by Shreve too! I haven’t read everything yet but I would love too.
Becky – I haven’t read that one but I’ve got it on my list. I’ve met Brandon Sanderson several times but haven’t read anything from him yet.
Bart – Two authors that I’ve never heard from!
Staci – Oh I’m thrilled it will be going into the library. It’s a great book to introduce kids to the homefront during the war. I loved it.
Lynn – That’s awesome that you read everything they wrote. I wish I had more time to do that!
Becky – I loved A Year Down Yonder! You’ll enjoy it for sure! I haven’t heard of James Welch before.
Amy – I read Jack Weyland when I was in middle school. My mom would always get his books. I still have some Shannon Hale books to read which I’m looking forward to.
Kailana – I haven’t read Scott Westerfield yet but I’ve got a couple of his books.
Ladytink_534 – Well, both of those are excellent books!
on June 4th, 2009 at 4:40 pm