Heroes Don't Run

by Harry Mazer

      Adam Pelko's father was killed at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked the Hawaian naval base in December of 1941.  He's been aching to join the marines ever since, so he can fight for his country and avenge his father's death.  In 1944, the summer before his senior year in high school, he talks his mother into letting him visit his grandfather who lives across country, because he knows his grandfather will allow him to enlist in the Marines even though he is still under age.  Adam has a pretty unrealistic view of what fighting in the war will be like, and can't even imagine not coming back.  During boot camp, he gets a small taste of army discipline, but it's not until he lands on Okinawa that he finally fully understands the terror and crushing heartbreak of war.  Heroes Don't Run is a realistic historical novel of the Pacific during World War II, and Adam Pelko is a character most teens can identify with.  Chosen by the Greater Waco Chamber for its One Book One Waco community read this fall, Heroes Don't Run is a timely and appealing story.   --reviewed by Mrs. Sams

POP

by Gordon Korman

     Sixteen year-old Marcus has moved cross country with his mother following his parents' divorce.  He wants nothing more than to make the varsity football team in the quarterback position at his new school.  The problem is that last year's team was undefeated and they lost only a few players to graduation. Everyone in town is counting on a second perfect season.  The team is set, and neither the coach nor the quarterback want to rock the boat by adding new players.  However, the coach is willing to give Marcus a shot, so he spends several hours everyday practicing his passing in a local park.  Early on, Charlie, a middle-aged local character, starts meeting Marcus at the park.  This guy obviously knows football, and teaches Marcus more about the game, especially how to tackle and be tackled, than he's ever learned before.  But Charlie is one strange guy and everyone in town just cheerfully puts up with his antics.  When Marcus finds out that Charlie is not only a retired NFL player, but also quarterback Travis Popovich's dad, he is more perplexed than ever.  Marcus makes the team, but has a running feud going with Travis, an extremely confusing relationship with the head cheerleader, and an even crazier relationship with Charlie Popovich.  Pop is a great sports read with much more than football going on.  Author Gordon Korman has written a winner with this Texas Lone Star title.    --reviewed by Mrs. Sams

The Case of the Gypsy Good-bye

by Nancy Springer

 In this sixth installment of the Enola Holmes mystery series, Springer has her teen sleuth investigating the disappearance of Lady Blanchefleur del Campo, a beautiful and wealthy lady who was spirited away by a begging old lady down the city subway.  In addition, Enola receives a mysterious package covered with gypsy drawings, delivered to her by her famous brother, Sherlock Holmes, with whom she has developed a fragile relationship.  The package is obviously from her mother who disappeared a year earlier, leaving 14 year-old Enola to her own devices.  The package contains ribbons of paper with writing upon them, which must be deciphered before the message can be read.   With some misgiving, Enola teams up with her two brothers, Sherlock and Mycroft, to solve the mystery of Lady Blanchefleur, which involves slogging through the filthy underground tunnels of the London subway system. She also recognizes how to read her mother's letter which contains a startling message.  Enola shows her usual ingenuity in solving the crime, and the  reconciliation with her two brothers adds an interesting subplot to an already appealing series.  This novel stands alone, but would be better if the reader is familiar  with the other titles in the series.  --reviewed by Mrs. Sams