Comic Book War, The

Fifteen-year-old Robert’s brothers have gone to fight in World War II and Robert feels powerless to help. When he finds a meteorite close to his house he believes it has magical powers and that his comic book heroes relate to his brothers so he must keep buying them. He finds a way to make money but Crazy Charlie, a girl at his school, swoops in to share his earnings, and Robert learns that she has her own personal reasons for the money. The novel deals with the impacts of war, the war effort on the home front, poverty, gender roles, bullying, alcoholism, suicide, and compassion. Suitable for author study, classroom library, literature circles, book clubs, discussions, and explorations/inquiry projects. Log in to read the full review.