Nicknamed after his hometown of Kakabeka, Canada, Kak dreams of flying with the Allied bombers in World War II. So at 16, underage and desperate to...
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reviews
Feb 28, 2011
Ben
rated it: 
In B for Buster a kid everyone refers to as "the kid" or "kak" since he is from Kakabeka Canada is very desperate to get away from his horrid family consisting of an always intoxicated dad and a non-caring mom. So Kak decides at the age of 16 to enlist in the air force of World War II. Little does he know that the war is not a thing he was dreaming of, it is much worse. Kak is sent to Europe to fight with the allied forces and is set as a wireless operator and is placed with
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Oct 15, 2011
Lois
rated it: 
I picked this up having read and admired Lawrence's 'Convicts' and found myself completely drawn into the story, mainly because of the characters's complex relationships, all of which spring to life convincingly and carry this story of a bomber command in WW11.
I also loved the description of the pigeonair and his flock, coming as it does just as I'm working on a book set in 1919 which includes a secondary character who is a pigeon fancier.
I also loved the description of the pigeonair and his flock, coming as it does just as I'm working on a book set in 1919 which includes a secondary character who is a pigeon fancier.
Sep 15, 2011
TheIron
rated it:
An excellent teen/young-adult novel providing a realistic portrayal of life and stresses in bomber command during the war (including the role of pigeons - which I never heard of before). Also an excellent story line of the struggles of an under-age crew member to come to grips with his fears. Where were all these great YA/Teen books when I was young?
Jan 29, 2010
Sarah
rated it: 
Another one that I read for Abe with high hopes because I think we need a war novel on the list. But I didn't like this one. Kak runs away from his drunk father at the age of 16 to join the Royal Air Force. He works as a wireless operator in the belly of bombers and also takes care of the pigeon that was on every flight. Strange, huh. Homing pigeons were used to carry messages back to base if something happened to the aircraft. Usually if the bird came back on its own, the plane and its cr
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Jul 19, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
Iain Lawrence's novels are so hard for me to get through. I wanted to give this one a chance, but I disliked it as much as his previous works. Some middle school boys might like this WWII fighter pilot story, but I found it monotonous.
Nov 16, 2010
Jack23
rated it:
B for Buster is a great book it has lots of interesting details and cool subjects. Its also gets scary at some points. Its about a boy who is only 16 that joins the military. He flies in a bomber plane and goes on special ops to attack different places in germany and what not. Its a sad book too the boy watches lots of his friends go down in horrible plane crashes. I really enjoyed this book and I liked the fact that he was to young to do something but he still did it. The book sends a really go
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Apr 28, 2010
Snorkle
rated it:
I think this is more of a guy's book because I didn't really care all that much for it. It was mostly about war and pigeons and people's views on the value of life. I felt like it had a pretty good message, but it was kind of drowned out by all the "war" talk and suspense. You really wanted to know what happened next, but as soon as you were don with the book you didn't think it was all that remarkable.
*This was written after I read the book - Teen's Top Ten review in 2005. More...
*This was written after I read the book - Teen's Top Ten review in 2005. More...
Nov 01, 2010
Jodi
rated it:
This is a great book taking place during World War 2 (Spring of '43). B for Buster is the name of an old Halifax MK1 - bomber plane. Kakabeka (the main characterk's nickname) is an under aged recruiter, who takes you into the life of a sprog (slang for inexperienced aircrew) or known as a Wireless Operator.
Dec 17, 2010
Megan
rated it: 
At age sixteen, Kak leaves his abusive home and lies about his age so he can join the Canadian Air Force and get in on the action in WWII. While the jacket flaps gives you this background, the novel starts right in on the action. Will appeal to boys looking for war stories.
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