Beginning ~ with a broken shoelace

Don't You Know There's a War On? ~ by Avi, 2001, YA fiction (New York), 10/10

"I was late that Monday morning because my shoelace broke just as I was leaving for school.  Meant I had to use some string.  Now, you might think string would be easy to find, but it wasn't.  String was something you gave away for the war effort.  Besides, my sister had already left for school and my mother was at her job at the Navy Yard.  Those days me and my family lived in Brooklyn.  During the war.  When I was eleven.

I met Avi ten or twelve years ago in Kentucky, where my friend Donna and I were attending some sort of books and authors event.  I had already read several of his books for young adults (YA) by then, so it was special to get to talk to him and get his autograph in a book.  Although I got this book several years ago, I still haven't read it, and it won't take long at all.  Here's a synopsis:

"World War II is on everyone's mind and in every headline, and Howie Crispers has a hunch that his school principal is a spy.  With a little snooping around, Howie finds out something even more alarming.  Principal Lomister may not be a spy, but he is plotting to get rid of Howie's favorite teacher.  Howie's dad is fighting Nazis overseas, and his mom is working hard to support the war effort, so Miss Gossim is the only person Howie can depend on.  With the help of his friends, and a plan worthy of radio show superhero Captain Midnight, Howie intends to save Miss Gossim!"

Information on the back of the book tells me a little more about how important Howie's teacher is to him.  It's 1943 in Brooklyn, New York.  Every day, Howie and his friend Denny face reminders of the war where their dads are fighting — like scary headlines.

"During the week, they depend on Miss Rolanda Gossim, their teacher, to keep their minds off their worries."

How many books have you read that focus on the concerns of the children during World War Two?  Nancy Bookfool, have you read this book?

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays.  Click here for today's Mister Linky.