When an old radio transports Martin back in time to London during the Blitz, the seventh-grader makes startling discoveries that fuel twin quests: one to expose the unflattering truth behind two World War II heroes casting long shadows in his life, and the other to answer a young Londoner's eerie pleas for help. Every bit as provocative and open-ended as Bloor's Crusader (1999), this genre-defying novel incorporates mysticism steeped in Martin's Catholic faith and a present-day trip to London that connects two troubled father-son relationships across the decades. Bloor demands much of his readers, especially concerning the diplomatic issues leading to U.S. involvement in World War II, and many will have questions about where the facts end and invention begins. Ambitious yet unwieldy, this may work best as a fictional supplement in history classrooms, where it will open discussions of both the slippery qualities of historical truth (Who decides what the real history of a time is?) and the nature of genuine heroism.

Gr 6-9-Using the literary technique of magical realism, Bloor brings readers a serious tale of justice and redemption, of fathers and sons, of the privileged and the common. John Martin Conway feels out of place at his exclusive prep school, where he is constantly reminded that he is a scholarship kid. After a confrontation with Hank Lowery, the great-grandson of the school's founder, he requests to work at home on an independent study project. The World War II-era radio that his grandmother left him brings him into contact with Jimmy, a boy who lived during the war and who needs his help. He takes Martin back to the time of the London Blitz. In his own time, he focuses his research on the things Jimmy shows him and the people he encounters. Along the way he uncovers some new information about his grandfather's and General Hank Lowery's dealings during the war and discovers how he can help put Jimmy's soul to rest. He also comes to terms with his alcoholic father and with his own depression. Readers will identify with the modern elements of the story and be drawn into the tension of the historical events. Evocative descriptions and elegant phrasings make the writing most enjoyable, and because the author uses a first-person voice, the story seems very personal, and readers will feel Martin's turmoil and angst. Bloor's fans and those who like a little light fantasy with their history will find something intriguing here.-Cheri Dobbs, Detroit Country Day Middle School, Beverly Hills, MI Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Bloor (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Story Time; <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Tangerine) continues to demonstrate his range, this time mixing historical fiction with time travel in a poignant adventure story about fathers and sons. Martin Conway is a troubled scholarship student at a private Catholic school where his mother works. He has a run-in with Henry M. Lowery IV, whose family has established a million-dollar trust fund at the school in memory of their patriarch, a WWII hero. Martin exiles himself to a bedroom in the basement, first outfitted for his manic-depressive Uncle Bob as "a place of shame," and then used by his alcoholic father (before he left home). Oddly, Martin's life is reinvigorated when his grandmother dies, bequeathing to him an old Philco radio. One night, the radio magically transports him to 1940 London during the Blitz, and into the company of a boy named Jimmy, who insists he needs Martin's help with something very important. It's at this point (roughly a third of the way into the novel) that the narrative takes off, too, as Bloor deftly evokes the terror of wartime, weaving in interesting threads about U.S. diplomatic history (and allowing readers to witness for themselves the true nature of General Lowery's character). During a series of visits, Martin figures out not only how to answer the question Jimmy says everyone is asked when they die—"<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">What did you do to help?"—but the answers to many of his own questions as well. Have tissues on hand for the final pages. Ages 10-up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Sept.)

A World War II–era radio serves as the conduit between present-day New Jersey and London during the Blitz for seventh-grader Martin Conway. Slipping back and forth in time, Martin uncovers information about his war hero grandfather and mends his relationship with his alcoholic father. Tinged with Catholic spirituality, the story is a provocative but not wholly successful mix of history and fantasy.

John hates All Souls Preparatory School, where he's tormented by Hank Lowery, great-grandson of General "Hollerin' Hank" Lowery, a WWII hero. Or was he? John's older sister, revising the article on Lowery for her job at an encyclopedia, suspects otherwise. John holds the answer—in a radio bequeathed to him by his grandmother that turns out to be a time-travel device that takes him to the home of a boy named Jimmy in 1940s London. With Jimmy, John observes Lowery at the U.S. Embassy, during the events that precede and follow Jimmy's death. Then he can answer the question Jimmy puts to him: "What did you do to help?" Helping involves a lot of research on Lowery and the Blitz, and a trip to London to find Jimmy's aging father. Sound complicated and unwieldy? Just add overtones of religion (Is Jimmy an angel? What does God want of John?) and alcoholism (John's father) and you've got an ungainly mess. The history and ethics are fascinating but are treated to a shallow ending, and though the characters are compelling, the dropped threads will make readers tune out. (Fiction. 9-13)

John Martin Conway despises his exclusive prep school. A lowly scholarship student, he clashes with the obnoxious great grandson of "Hollerin' Hank Lowery," a famous World War II general and the school's founder. The confrontation results in damage to a statue of the famous general that is being erected at the school. Until things cool down, Martin elects to study at home. He is fascinated by a vintage 1940s Philco radio that once belonged to his grandmother, and falling asleep in front of the radio one night, he travels back in time to London during the Blitz. He meets Jimmy, a young boy whose life has a curious connection with Martin's own ancestor, his grandfather who was an aide to "Hollerin' Hank." Through Jimmy, he learns that the general and his grandfather were not quite the American heroes that they were cracked up to be. Yet the story is more than just a time-travel journey; it is also a journey of personal growth for Martin. Not only does he put to rest a mystery surrounding Jimmy's death, but Martin also comes to terms with his feelings of depression and the sorrow of an absent, alcoholic father. This time-travel fantasy has two deftly woven, parallel story lines that occasionally intersect in intriguing ways. Observant teens will appreciate the contrast between Martin's and Jimmy's lives, particularly with the personal problems that they both strive to overcome. There is a bit of something for everyone in this novel, with its elegant blend of contemporary teen angst, time travel, and history.-Jan Chapman.