MARK PENN GOES TO WAR

Book Reviews From Amazon.com .....

5 STARS\5.0 out of 5 stars Mark Penn Goes To War, September 4, 2010
By Brenda Casto (US)

This review is from: Mark Penn Goes to War: A Sequel to "The Bootlegger's Secret" (Paperback)
This book starts us on our journey in the summer of 1942, its wartime in America and everyone is doing their part, including Mark Penn and his buddy Swede Larson. They buy war stamps with their spare money and participate in collecting scrap rubber for the war effort. Mark's mom even has a victory garden planted which Mark has to work in, everyone is very patriotic and doing what they can for the war effort, or so it seems.

While Swede is stuck each morning in summer school, Mark has taken to wandering the hills with his trusty Daisy Air Rifle playing war. While playing he sees a Japanese family living in an old house up on the ridge, he starts creeping around the house and sees that their 39 Ford has California license plates. Mark automatically thinks they either must be spies or they have escaped from camp because he knows President Roosevelt had ordered all Japanese on the west coast into internment camps as potential wartime enemies. He knows he has to get out of there and tell someone, but who ?

I love the way this story is written, you just know that this story could have happened in small town America during WWII. Mark and Swede have the typical problems of boys their age. Mark has girl trouble, his girlfriend has moved away, and Swede has just discovered that the opposite sex isn't so bad. Mark is bat boy for the Aces, and Swede's job on the team is to return foul balls and home runs to the field. For all the fun these two boys have tragedy hits home for them when one of their own is killed at war.

Labeled action/adventure this story has mystery, periods of suspense, young love, and history, a real page turner that holds your interest until the last sentence. If you love stories that take you back to the good old days, reminiscent of Mayberry or Tom Sawyer your going to love this book, and even though it is a second in a series it can easily be read alone. While geared toward pre-teens to young adults I found it quite enjoyable and hope the author continues to write more about these two adventuresome lads.

Book Reviews From Barnes & Noble

 

5 STARSGrand Slam!

MaryJamesML
Posted October 20, 2010

Another home run; no, a grand slam. This book, sequel to THE BOOTLEGGER'S SECRET, gives us a gentle history lesson along with a tale of World War II-era life in small town mid-America. It is also a morality tale in that we're taught not to judge a book by its cover, to use the old cliche. It makes one think of the world today--that Americans of Japanese descent during the time of World War II have now been replaced by Americans of Muslim descent. It's a book for youngsters and adults alike and I hope there's another MARK PENN adventure in our future. I'm looking forward to discovering what kind of 'trouble' Mark and his friend Swede Larson get into next. And whether the cranky Chief of Police is replaced/retired in the next book.

5 STARSMark Penn Goes To War
kittycrochettwo
Posted September 5, 2010

This book starts us on our journey in the summer of 1942, its wartime in America and everyone is doing their part, including Mark Penn and his buddy Swede Larson. They buy war stamps with their spare money and participate in collecting scrap rubber for the war effort. Mark's mom even has a victory garden planted which Mark has to work in, everyone is very patriotic and doing what they can for the war effort, or so it seems. While Swede is stuck each morning in summer school, Mark has taken to wandering the hills with his trusty Daisy Air Rifle playing war. While playing he sees a Japanese family living in an old house up on the ridge, he starts creeping around the house and sees that their 39 Ford has California license plates. Mark automatically thinks they either must be spies or they have escaped from camp because he knows President Roosevelt had ordered all Japanese on the west coast into internment camps as potential wartime enemies. He knows he has to get out of there and tell someone, but who ? I love the way this story is written, you just know that this story could have happened in small town America during WWII. Mark and Swede have the typical problems of boys their age. Mark has girl trouble, his girlfriend has moved away, and Swede has just discovered that the opposite sex isn't so bad. Mark is bat boy for the Aces, and Swede's job on the team is to return foul balls and home runs to the field. For all the fun these two boys have tragedy hits home for them when one of their own is killed at war. Labeled action/adventure this story has mystery, periods of suspense, young love, and history, a real page turner that holds your interest until the last sentence. If you love stories that take you back to the good old days, reminiscent of Mayberry or Tom Sawyer your going to love this book, and even though it is a second in a series it can easily be read alone. While geared toward pre-teens to young adults I found it quite enjoyable and hope the author continues to write more about these two adventuresome lads.


5 STARS

ReadersFavorite
Posted February 22, 2012

It's March 1942, three months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor bringing American into World War II. Twelve-year-old Mark Penn is playing war, honing his skills to one day be a marine. Out near the old Beck place, he sees something that at first he can’t believe. A new family has moved into the area and, they look Japanese! Robert Matsui, his wife Rose, and twelve-year-old daughter Ann have moved from Bakersfield, California, to Middleton, Minnesota, during the two-month period when Japanese-Americans are allowed to voluntarily relocate from the west coast before they would be sent to internment camps. Joe and Fred Beck offer the family a vacant house on the Middleton Ridge near their residence. The reclusive brothers are under surveillance by the FBI as Nazis. While watching the Matsuis, Mark sees Joe Beck give Mr. Matsui a Luger. Mark is too young to join up and go to war, but he hopes that he can aid the war effort by finding out if the Matsuis really are spies. Mark tells his pal Swede Larson, and they report their discovery to Police Chief Karl Morton. Unknown to them, Morton is the local area FBI liaison. Morton orders them to stay away from the Matsuis. The boys ignore him and soon become involved in the FBI's scheme. When their lives are jeopardized they realize that playing war can be a very deadly game. I really enjoyed this book. The characters were well defined and memorable. As I read, I could easily see the boys, out in the woods trying to catch spies. The plot was simple with just enough intrigue to keep the reading wanting to know more. Along with that, the book contains a strong message, simply put, things are not always as they seem. Well done.


5 STARSA TIMELESS STORY FOR ALL AGES

5StarBookLover
Posted November 8, 2010

MARK PENN GOES TO WAR tells of a time during the early months of World War I on the US Home Front when all families, all citizens, children and adults, were deeply involved in the war effort--not just those who had family members in the military. It was a time of shared sacrifice and patriotism, one nation united against a brutal and relentless enemy. This is a wonderful, warm story that readers of all ages can enjoy and also ponder for its deeper message.