Author Avi writes this wonderful young adult book called Don’t You Know There’s a War On? Which describes a young boy’s life during WWII. Protagonist Howie Cripsers is an eleven year old school boy determined to protect his teacher, Miss Gossim, from being fired. During WWII in 1943, Howie lives in Brooklyn with his sister and mother. His father, like many of his friends’ fathers, are fighting oversees. When Howie learns that his teacher is being let go just because she is pregnant, he enlists the help of his best friend Denny to help save his role model. Along with the support of his fellow classmates, Howie prepares for this challenge. As Howie follows through with his plan, he must also struggle with friendship, secrets, worries, and responsibility.
Told in first person by a sixteen year old Howie, Avi creates a story of innocence in a time of war. Since narrated by a young adult Howie, the tale is told with a youthful hopefulness which is refreshing and often surprising. He conveys his emotions of excitement yet effectively relays the serious tone of the neighborhood during a stressful time. The chapters are divided according to dates and headlined with the events of the war for that day. Avi also successfully makes use of the title as a response used by any character trying to come up with unknown answers to questions. Junior High School students who enjoy historical fiction will appreciate Avi’s ability to convey an upbeat tone despite the tragic time.
