A Boy at War

A Boy at War is the first of three novels by Harry Mazer that feature Adam Pelko as their protagonist. Published in 2001 by Simon & Schuster, it was followed by A Boy No More (2004) and Heroes Don’t Run (2005). Sergeant Harry Mazer was born in New York City in 1925 and served in the United States Air Force in the European theater of World War II from 1943-1945. He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Air Medal for his service. Following his time in the Air Force, he earned his BA from Union College in 1948, and in 1960 he earned his MA from Syracuse University. His combat experience inspired many of the novels he later wrote for young adults, including the Adam Pelko series. He authored over 25 books, some of them in collaboration with his wife, Nora Fox Mazer. During his lifetime, he was awarded the Knickerbocker Award from the New York Library Association and the ALAN Award for Contributions to Young Adult Literature. He died in 2016 at the age of 90.

A Boy at War spans approximately four weeks from mid-November through mid-December of 1941 and centers around the experiences of Adam Pelko, the 14-year-old son of a naval officer stationed on the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor.