Heroes by Alan Gratz

September 13, 2024 8:30 AM

Welcome to the first FanFare post for the Middle Grade and YA Metafilter Book Club.

From Author's website: "December 7, 1941.

Best friends Frank and Stanley have it good. Their dads–one a Navy pilot, the other a flight crew chief–are stationed at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, where the air smells like pineapples, the clear blue water sparkles in the sun, and dozens of US battleships, cruisers, and aircraft carriers stand silent sentinel. World War II is raging everywhere else, and it’s all anyone can talk about–but so far, the United States has remained neutral. For Frank and Stanley, that means more time to daydream about becoming comic book creators. They’ve made up their own superhero in the mold of new characters like Superman, Captain America, and Wonder Woman, and with Stanley’s drawing skills and Frank’s writing skills, they’re sure they’ll get their own comic published one day.

And then everything explodes."

This a NYTimes Childern's Middle Grade Best Seller.

Discussion Questions:
- Gratz is known for switching perspectives in some of his books, in this book he stays in Frank's perspective the whole time. Is this effective in Heroes? Why or Why not?
- What does Gratz's exploration of heroism call to mind?
- What do you think of Gratz's exploration of racism through Stanley and his family's experiences?
- Why do you think this book would or would not hold appeal for young (10 -13 year old) readers?

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The schedule for the book club is here.
If you'd like to be more chatty (as opposed to sticking to just the book), the FanFare talk for that post is here.

posted by CMcG (2 comments total)

I thought that Heroes was Ok but not the best Gratz book. For all the time we spent with Frank as the only perspective, he felt very flat to me. I was much more interested in Stanley as a character. Perhaps it was the difference in their conflicts…Franks conflict of overcoming his anxiety felt like the “safe” story to tell. Stanley’s experience of seeing everyone turn their backs on him after the attacks felt like a much deeper story.

The pacing of the book was really good and this is the main reason I would recommend it for middle grade readers who are into action. Esp readers who have a pre-existing connection to older comic book lines.
posted by CMcG at 1:39 PM on September 13

Alan is a real treasure, and I'm really glad he's found success after decades of plugging away building an audience. He really puts his heart into researching his work, and it shows. I do love when he uses multiple perspectives and the twists that can arise from them, but he doesn't overdo it or cram it into a story better told directly. And yes, he really excels at keeping the reader turning pages wanting to know what comes next.
posted by rikschell at 5:09 AM on September 14 [1 favorite]