On the Wings of Heroes

On the Wings of Heroes

Richard Peck

It's World War II, and Davy's world has changed drastically.  His brother is off training to fly B-17s, women (including teachers) are taking jobs to suppor the war effort and instead of playing tag with everyone in the neighborhood, Davy and his pal are collecting paper and other scarps to support the war effort.  While Richard Peck's On the Wings of Heroes illustrates the hardships faced by Americans on the homefront during World War II, the novel also gives readers a glimpse of  Davy's amusing boyhood mishaps as he grows up during this turbulent time in history.

I really enjoyed On the Wings of Heroes.  Each chapter could stand alone as a short story. In fact, several evenings before bedtime, I would reread my favorite chapters to my nine-year-old son so he could share in Davy's misadventures.  He belly-laughed over the school bomb drill where Beverly, the rotund classroom bully, got lodged under her desk:

            She was wedged in there tight as a tick, with parts of her bulging through 

            the scrollwork sides.    There wasn't a cubic inch under the desk that wasn't 

            Beverly.  She tried to move, but she was down for the duration.

Without question, Peck gives an accurate history lesson while entertaining readers with his expert story-telling skills.  As a former history teacher, On the Wings of Heroes is my favorite Peck novel thus far!