Reviews
Early Sunday Morning: the Pearl Harbor Diary of Amber Billows, Hawaii, 1941 by Barry Denenberg
lyfordkasey's review against another edition
4.0
I remember reading this book when I was in 3rd grade and it didn't really shock me as much as it did now. I thought of Pearl Harbor as something so far in the past It didn't matter anymore. Now that I am an adult I was like "wow this is insane, that must have been terrifying to live through". I don't really know much about Pearl Harbor but after reading this book I would like to learn more.
huncamuncamouse's review against another edition
3.0
My oddly specific rating for this one is 2.75 stars.
One thing during my reread that I've realized is just how few books I actually read as a child. But this one was one I definitely read and owned. I remembered surprisingly little of it, however. This is a kind of weird addition to the Dear America, and the only one (thus far) that's comparable is the Titanic book, which I was skeptical about but wound up really enjoying.
This is a really short book with a big typeface, and over-all it feels pretty undercooked. I was interested in the parents, but I thought Amber was really flat. I never got to know her that well. You spend the first 3/4 of the book waiting for the inevitable attack. And then there's the aftermath; I find it extremely unlikely that a 12-year-old girl was allowed to give medical attention to people, but whatever. The book ends abruptly with the father announcing that they must evacuate. I had issues with the plotting of the Titanic diary, but the saving grace of that one was how fully formed the narrator was. By contrast, Amber is one of the weakest narrators by far.
Some more time to process the impacts on the people living on the island would have been interesting, and I also think the book would have been much better if it had been told from a native Hawaiian person's perspective. There is so much of the complicated colonial history that is very much glossed over. I don't expect a book for middle-grade readers to get into detail . . . but um some acknowledgment would have been nice! Changing the POV to a Japanese American or native Hawaiian would have been much more interesting and appropriate.
The biggest indicator that Amber is a one-dimensional character? All we learn about her life in the epilogue is that she adopts her friend's orphaned child. We know more about her husband (a documentary maker). We know nothing about Amber's sibling (her mother was pregnant in the book) or any of the events in her life after the bombing. What a disappointment.
One thing during my reread that I've realized is just how few books I actually read as a child. But this one was one I definitely read and owned. I remembered surprisingly little of it, however. This is a kind of weird addition to the Dear America, and the only one (thus far) that's comparable is the Titanic book, which I was skeptical about but wound up really enjoying.
This is a really short book with a big typeface, and over-all it feels pretty undercooked. I was interested in the parents, but I thought Amber was really flat. I never got to know her that well. You spend the first 3/4 of the book waiting for the inevitable attack. And then there's the aftermath; I find it extremely unlikely that a 12-year-old girl was allowed to give medical attention to people, but whatever. The book ends abruptly with the father announcing that they must evacuate. I had issues with the plotting of the Titanic diary, but the saving grace of that one was how fully formed the narrator was. By contrast, Amber is one of the weakest narrators by far.
Some more time to process the impacts on the people living on the island would have been interesting, and I also think the book would have been much better if it had been told from a native Hawaiian person's perspective. There is so much of the complicated colonial history that is very much glossed over. I don't expect a book for middle-grade readers to get into detail . . . but um some acknowledgment would have been nice! Changing the POV to a Japanese American or native Hawaiian would have been much more interesting and appropriate.
The biggest indicator that Amber is a one-dimensional character? All we learn about her life in the epilogue is that she adopts her friend's orphaned child. We know more about her husband (a documentary maker). We know nothing about Amber's sibling (her mother was pregnant in the book) or any of the events in her life after the bombing. What a disappointment.
karawhipple's review against another edition
3.0
Could’ve been worse. The ones I re read back in November were def better. What set of middle readers should I review next??
reginalibrorum's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
alexblackreads's review against another edition
3.0
This was one of my favorite middle grade historical fiction diaries as a kid and I really loved it at the time, but I was a little bit disappointed by it as an adult. Compared to the other diaries like this I've reread in the past couple years, it just didn't feel as strong. It felt like it lacked the depth that a lot of them have.
I think part of the reason is that this book is so short and so fast. It's only about 130 pages of diary and doesn't even start in Hawaii. The main character is only in Hawaii a couple of weeks before Pearl Harbor, and only a couple of weeks after. It doesn't feel like she had enough time to set down roots or meet friends or get invested in Hawaii as a place. I think the whole thing needed to be slowed down. I do think this book is fairly shorter than a number of the other diaries in this series.
I also wasn't a big fan of the epilogue. The epilogues of these books usually wrap them up and give an idea of what could have happened in people's lives of the time (in a child friendly way, of course), but this one just seemed unnecessarily depressing and pointless. It felt like a bit of a sucker punch. I don't mind a good depressing ending because sometimes they add so much depth, but this one felt cheap.
I dunno, it's probably good for kids but one of those books that doesn't hold up as well for adults. I certainly loved it as a child. I just wished I loved my reread of it as much as I did some of the other diaries.
I think part of the reason is that this book is so short and so fast. It's only about 130 pages of diary and doesn't even start in Hawaii. The main character is only in Hawaii a couple of weeks before Pearl Harbor, and only a couple of weeks after. It doesn't feel like she had enough time to set down roots or meet friends or get invested in Hawaii as a place. I think the whole thing needed to be slowed down. I do think this book is fairly shorter than a number of the other diaries in this series.
I also wasn't a big fan of the epilogue. The epilogues of these books usually wrap them up and give an idea of what could have happened in people's lives of the time (in a child friendly way, of course), but this one just seemed unnecessarily depressing and pointless. It felt like a bit of a sucker punch. I don't mind a good depressing ending because sometimes they add so much depth, but this one felt cheap.
I dunno, it's probably good for kids but one of those books that doesn't hold up as well for adults. I certainly loved it as a child. I just wished I loved my reread of it as much as I did some of the other diaries.
mommyhale's review against another edition
4.0
This was a quick children's lit book, but I loved how it brought Pearl Harbor to life from the view of a girl in Hawaii at the time. Great for a further discussion with my daughters after our recent trip to see the wreckage of the USS Arizona.
cmdehart5's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
3.0
mcarter18's review against another edition
An easy nostalgic read from my childhood. I have a few of these, and they’re literally 30 minute reads for me. My grandmother was a librarian at an elementary school, and she was allowed to bring home her pick of books that they cycled out, and most of them went to me. These Dear America books were my favorites for some reason
lovelybibliomanic's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I read this book as a kid, and now having served in Hawaii I gave this book a 5:5 based on historical accuracy and nostalgia of the series itself. Recommend for anyone trying to get their young ones into history.
readwithrhys's review against another edition
3.0
Even though I'm Canadian, I wanted to learn about pearl harbour, so I found this book!