School Library Journal Review

Gr 4-8-It's 1951, and seventh grader Pete Collison lives in a world where stamps cost three cents, the Dodgers are still in Brooklyn, and, fueled by the Korean conflict and Stalin's Soviet Union, Senator McCarthy is looking for stateside communists. Pete's struggles include taunts from his teacher and classmates, who link Pete's dad with the "Red Scare." Also, his favorite author, Dashiell Hammett, is under investigation. Even more upsetting, Pete is being followed by the FBI and his best friend's parents won't let her talk to him. A detective fiction fan, Pete decides to find out who's informing on his father. More questions arise when he sees his dad inexplicably going into a nursing home, and his suspicions grow. When he confronts his father and learns the truth, Pete recognizes that life is more complicated than a novel. Narrator Mark Turetsky effectively communicates a range of New York characters in this entertaining entry into discussions on civil liberties. VERDICT This versatile story is an excellent addition to libraries serving elementary and middle school students.-Barbara Wysocki, Cora J. Belden Library, Rocky Hill, CT (retired) © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.