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I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941

(I Survived #4)

Lauren Tarshis

4.26 · Rating details · 6,159 ratings · 523 reviews

70 years later, the bombing of Pearl Harbor comes to life for a new generation of readers!
History's most terrifying moments are brought vividly to life in the action-packed fictional I SURVIVED series! Do you have what it takes to survive ... the bombing of Pearl Harbor?

Eleven-year-old Danny Crane is alone on his favorite beach in Hawaii when the world is torn apart and Wo ...more

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Paperback, 101 pages

Published October 1st 2011 by Scholastic Paperbacks (first published September 1st 2011)

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· 6,159 ratings · 523 reviews

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Start your review of I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941 (I Survived, #4)

Dec 30, 2020 Julie rated it really liked it

Shelves: in-the-middle, true-stories-or-so-they-say, kids-read-across-america, a-boy-s-life, i-think-i-m-turning-japanese, hawaii-five-o

Where, oh where, were these “I Survived” books when I was a kid?

Where was this series, as I was memorizing dates in history and regurgitating them back on paper: The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941?

I knew the dates. I knew a few facts. I knew nothing.

But Lauren Tarshis imagines the people that were there, in these big moments in history, and she makes them three-dimensional. They sweat, they freeze, they scream.

They see the Japanese bomber planes flying overhead, and they a ...more

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May 16, 2018 Juli rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-audiobooks-2018, backlist-read-2018

There are 17 books in the I Survived series. Each book tells a fictional account of a historical event through the eyes of a child eyewitness. The series is well researched and age appropriate for middle grade students. From modern events like 9/11 and the Joplin, MO tornado to more ancient disasters like the destruction of Pompeii, the series gives historical facts and tells great fictional accounts for kids.

I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor is the 4th book in the series. Danny Crane and There are 17 books in the I Survived series. Each book tells a fictional account of a historical event through the eyes of a child eyewitness. The series is well researched and age appropriate for middle grade students. From modern events like 9/11 and the Joplin, MO tornado to more ancient disasters like the destruction of Pompeii, the series gives historical facts and tells great fictional accounts for kids.

I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor is the 4th book in the series. Danny Crane and his mother just moved from New York to Hawaii. His mother works as a nurse at the military base hospital. Danny misses his best friend Finn, who was severely injured in an accident just before they moved from NYC. He's feeling a bit lonely when he meets a young Japanese boy, Aki. Aki introduces Danny to his mother. The next day Aki comes to Danny's house early, saying he hears airplanes. The Japanese are bombing the Harbor. Can Danny survive and find his mother at the hospital?

I like this series. The books would definitely be useful in a classroom situation for reluctant readers or to teach/supplement history lessons. The stories are action-packed and interesting. The cover art is definitely eye-catching.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story. Narrated by Michael Goldstrom, the audio is just over an hour long. Goldstrom reads at a nice pace with good inflection. I have hearing loss but was easily able to hear and understand the audio.

I will definitely be reading more of this series. I like to read children's books as a break from adult literature. Sometimes I just like to read for enjoyment and want a short book for a relaxing reading break. This series fit that need perfectly. The books are well-written and interesting but short enough to be a quick, easy read.

For adults reading this series, always keep in mind that this series is written for children. The length is shorter, details softened a bit, and the main characters are children. Don't expect in-depth more adult coverage of these historical events as adults are not the target audience for this series. ...more

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Aug 14, 2020 Carol rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook, childrens, read-2020, history, series, library-overdrive

December 7, 1941 - 8:05 a.m. - Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - A date that will "live in infamy."

In this #4 edition of the I SURVIVED children's series, Lauren Tarshis takes a mother and son from the rat infested city of New York to a fresh start in the beautiful land of Hawaii, but it's not long before "America was under attack" by the Empire of Japan.

There's a good little storyline here that includes friendship, family and bravery plus lots of history as is the norm with the I SURVIVED books.

A timeline

...more

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Sep 28, 2011 Tiffany Neal rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2011, childrens-historical-fiction

Lauren Tarshis has a really good thing going for her with her I Survived series of books. Even though the characters lack tons of depth and the stories are quite short and simple, they are interesting and give kids a glimpse into major historical events that they might not know much about.
Historical fiction is one of the hardest genres to get my students hooked to, but with her books, I can get any kid to read it. And the other great thing is that since these books only give a taste of this his ...more

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Jun 27, 2013 Vernon Area Public Library KIDS rated it really liked it

Shelves: adventure-fiction, united-states-history, juvenile-fiction, historical-fiction

This book is a short fictional account of what it was like to be a young boy in Hawaii during the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Readers will feel the fear and shock of this surprise attack. It also touches on the problems of Japanese Americans during this time. Other titles in this series deal with the sinking of the Titanic, Hurricane Katrina, shark attacks of 1916, attacks of September 11th, the Battle of Gettysburg, and the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. Author notes at the end of the books giv ...more

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Jan 19, 2018 JACK BLACK rated it really liked it

Wow! This book was REALLY good. I didn’t realize that There were so many things that I didn’t know about the start of world war ||.

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Jun 08, 2020 Jaymie rated it really liked it

My younger kids love these. A little fiction and a history lesson. (Today was Audio)

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Mar 12, 2015 Gavin rated it it was amazing

I liked the book "The Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941," because it was a great read to get into. I enjoyed all the characters.

In the beginning of the book Danny and his mother lived in New York. Danny's best friend Finn fell and hits his head and gets seriously injured. His mom then decided to move to Hawaii to start over. Then they moved there the islands were bombed and Danny had to find his mom in the hospital. On the way Danny was running on the beach and a Japanese plane came behind him and s ...more

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Apr 29, 2014 Keerston Rummell rated it it was amazing

I thought that is was cool because it had bombs. Also it was intense because a lot of people got hurt. It was also intense because this actually happened in real life. I would tell you more but then I would spoil it. I really hope you read it.

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Feb 12, 2020 Abel Mota rated it it was amazing

The book "I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941" by Lauren Tarshis should be read in every school. This book tell a story about an american disaster is a boys point of view. This book will be one of the best books I have ever read. ...more

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Apr 23, 2018 Tracy The Great rated it it was amazing

i loved this book!

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Jun 28, 2018 Misha Rudich rated it really liked it

action packed intense story

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Jul 14, 2014 Alex Baugh rated it really liked it

Shelves: world-war-2

Living in New York City, Danny Crane, 11, and his best friend Finn were always in trouble. Danny's father had skipped out before he was born, so his mother worked as a nurse by day and cleaned offices at night to support them and was often not home. There are just too many kids in Finn's family for anyone to keep an eye on him The two boys skip school, sneak into the movies, and pretty soon, they were hanging out with gangster Earl Gasky.

So, in late1941, Danny's mother takes a nursing job at th ...more

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Dec 15, 2014 David Johnson rated it really liked it

I just read the book "The Bombing of Pearl Harbor" by Lauren Tarshis. This book was a fun short story to read. Danny and his mother just moved to Hawaii from New York City. Danny left his best friend Finn there. Danny and Finn always were getting into trouble. They were best friends and hung out with Earl and his gang. Finn got hurt one day and Danny's mother said she was moving because they needed to start a new life. Danny did not have a father because his father left before he was born. They I just read the book "The Bombing of Pearl Harbor" by Lauren Tarshis. This book was a fun short story to read. Danny and his mother just moved to Hawaii from New York City. Danny left his best friend Finn there. Danny and Finn always were getting into trouble. They were best friends and hung out with Earl and his gang. Finn got hurt one day and Danny's mother said she was moving because they needed to start a new life. Danny did not have a father because his father left before he was born. They moved to Hawaii a couple days after Finn had gotten hurt. Danny was upset that he left his hurting friend in the hospital. They got to Hawaii and his mom was needed right away at the base because she was nurse. She worked long hours. Danny was home alone and he met a little kid named Aki. Aki was playing with a baby boar and was about to be attacked by the mother boar. Danny helped him and so Aki dragged Danny by the hand to his house. Danny Met Aki's mother Mrs. Sudo. Aki knew every plane that the Navy had. The next day there were hundreds of planes in the air. It was the Japanese, who surprised the Navy base and all of U.S. Bombs were being dropped all around. Mrs. Sudo took AKi and Danny to the basement where there was a cellar. Danny ran to go find his mother. A few hours later Danny and his mother were united. Most of the base where she worked at had gotten blown away and was on fire from the bombs. There were a lot of men wounded and over 1,000 died. Thirty minutes later America was at war with Japan.

There are a couple of characters in the book. The main character is Danny. He is eleven and is a trouble maker. There is his other friend Finn, who he left in the hospital. There is Earl and his gang, who Danny and Finn hung out with in New York. Aki is the little boy who was Danny's new friend in Hawaii. Mrs. Sudo is the mother of Aki and tries to keep them both safe. There is Danny's mother who works at the hospital. She takes care of Danny and makes sure he is safe.

The setting of this book is in summer time. It is very hot out and school is about to start. The place of this book takes place in Hawaii near Pearl Harbor.

I think the author is trying to say that things change. We as people have to deal with the change of going somewhere new and meeting new people. Things will never be the same after a period of time.

I would recommend this book to any kids and adults. It is an easy and fun book to read. It does not go into much depth on the history, but it gives you little detail about what happened. There are parts of it where it is funny and then heart pounding and thrilling.

...more

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Apr 23, 2018 Meg McGregor rated it really liked it

Shelves: series-i-love, historical-fiction

I was a Middle School Reading, History, and English teacher for almost 30 years! How did I not know about this series?

Another reviewer, Phillip, recommended one of the books in the series, and I decided to get them all from my library!

I really enjoyed it! I love learning new things and Ms. Tarshis writes about the past so vividly, it is like she was actually there; you get the feeling that she is telling you about personal events!

I can fully understand why students would enjoy reading her books ...more

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Mar 01, 2018 TTdoubleXX rated it it was amazing

Primary Characters : Danny Crane (11) Aki ( 3-4)
Additional Characters :
Finn ( Bestfriend of Danny back in New York)
Mack ( U.S Navy solider )
Mrs./Mr. Sudo ( Aki's Parents)

The story is about a boy named Danny who lived in New York with his mother. Him and his friend Finn get in a bunch of trouble hanging with somewhat of a gangbanger , so his mom decides it is time that they start over. She took a job as a Nurse at the Pearl Harbor (Navy base in Hawaii), Danny is forced to move across the cou ...more

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Jan 30, 2019 Max Miramontes rated it really liked it

The story, I Survived The Bombing of Pearl Harbor by Lauren Tarshis is a good book, but not my favorite from the I Survived book series. I picked it because it talks about true events in the genre of Historical Fiction and brings enjoyment to the reader. I didn’t really like this book of the series because I had already knew about the event of Pearl Harbor, but whenever I read these types of books I like to learn new facts about the events, but I wasn’t able to because I knew a lot. I would reco ...more

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Mar 26, 2017 Landan hill rated it really liked it

I really liked this book it taught you about history of Pearl Harbor and also the story of Danny a New York boy getting in the wrong groups in society hanging around gangs while his mom works to keep the family afloat. My favorite part was when Danny finds the littl boy in the backyard with the pig.

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Feb 15, 2019 Jorge Mota rated it it was amazing

The book that I read was called, “ The Bombing of Pearl Harbor”, by Lauren Tarshis is a good book. To me this book was good because it is about a young boy who survived the bombings of Pearl Harbor and it told his story on how he did it. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read about a boy that survived Pearl Harbor or someone who likes the genre Historical Fiction.

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Dec 31, 2019 Danielle Russell rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, 4-stars, audio, middle-grade

Another fantastic quick read from the I Survived series! Author Lauren Tarshis does an amazing job telling the story of significant events in ways a younger audience can understand. She tells a great story that includes interesting characters. At the end of the book, she also includes factual information regarding the event. The book was entertaining and educational.

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Nov 28, 2018 Perryapril2 rated it really liked it

This was a really informative book. I love that the end of the book has a section of real facts from which the book for written. It makes it easy to discuss things of our history in a context that an 8 year old can comprehend!

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Jan 17, 2019 michael andrew murawski rated it it was amazing

Red
Read

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Jan 07, 2020 Parker rated it it was amazing

Action-Packed Adventure

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May 22, 2019 Brock Brunner added it

Personal Response:
Personally, I didn’t dislike this book but I didn’t like it very much either. I felt that it was too short and somewhat rushed but it also had a somewhat decent story behind it. Overall, it wasn’t a terrible book; however, I feel there are some areas it could improve on, such as characters and depth of the story itself.

Plot:
I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor by Lauren Tarshis is about a young boy named Danny who moved from the streets of New York City to Hawaii with his mo Personal Response:
Personally, I didn’t dislike this book but I didn’t like it very much either. I felt that it was too short and somewhat rushed but it also had a somewhat decent story behind it. Overall, it wasn’t a terrible book; however, I feel there are some areas it could improve on, such as characters and depth of the story itself.

Plot:
I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor by Lauren Tarshis is about a young boy named Danny who moved from the streets of New York City to Hawaii with his mother. Danny is not happy about moving because he is leaving his best friend Finn behind as well as everything else he loves about New York City. The first few weeks were rough for Danny because he missed his best friend and he didn’t know anyone in Hawaii. His mother was working at a hospital as a nurse in this new city as she helped out at the military base stationed in Hawaii. One day Danny met a young Japanese boy by the name of Aki. Aki brought Danny to his house where he met his mother and father. Over the next couple weeks, Danny and Aki became good friends and they were able to spend the day together all the time. However, everything changed one day, when Danny looked up in the sky and saw hundreds of planes flying towards Pearl Harbor. He thought it was just a military exercise until the planes started dropping bombs. In that moment Danny knew they were under attack, but he had no idea who it was. Danny then remembered his mother was at the hospital and the planes were flying in that direction. He started running down the road to try and make it to the hospital. All around him it was a frenzy and everyone was panicking. Danny was eventually able to make it to the hospital where he met up with his mother. After the planes had stopped attacking, there were hundreds of men wounded that needed attention. Danny and his mother, as well as all the other nurses and volunteers, worked endlessly to help as many soldiers as they could. It was took two long days in that hospital of helping the men, but they finally finished. The next couple weeks were rough, as America had declared war on Japan and Danny would never be the same after the experiences he went through that day.

Characterization:
The book is told in third person, mostly through the main character Danny. As a young boy, Danny had experienced a lot throughout the book and all of his experiences had changed him. At the beginning of the book, Danny only wanted to go back to New York and be with his best friend, but after living through the bombing of Pearl Harbor, it had impacted his behavior and his train of thought. He decided he didn’t want to leave Hawaii anymore and he would stay and be there for his mother instead of abandoning her to go back to New York.

Danny’s mother wanted to leave New York and start a new life in Hawaii with her son. She thought that moving here he would be away from any trouble and it would be a better life for him. After the bombing happened, she thought she made a terrible mistake and that moving there wasn’t the best idea; however, Danny had reassured her that it was going to be okay, and he was happy to have moved to Hawaii despite what had happened.

Setting:
The setting of the book takes place in Pearl City, Hawaii during WWII in the 1940’s. The setting is important because Danny’s life wouldn’t have been impacted the way it was if he hadn’t been in Hawaii during the attacks. The time period is significant because it was during the second World War and that was when the Japanese had attacked the United States.

Thematic Connection:
The main theme throughout this book is bravery. Danny had to be extremely brave when he ran into the city that was being bombed just to find his mother. He was being shot at by planes and witnessed men die, something that most kids, and people, have never experienced. Even after everything Danny went through, he still was brave enough to find his mother and help her.

Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about WWII history. This book doesn’t go much in depth of the attacks, but it gives a good summary of what happened that fateful day. I would recommend it to young adults who have an interest about Pearl Harbor and other aspects of WWII.
...more

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Jan 21, 2019 Paulina Banda-Chavez rated it liked it

Resub
Name: Paulina Banda-Chavez

Book title: I Survived: The Bombing of Pearl Harbor

Personal response: The book was actually really nice it had a lot of detail. I like how it had all of the onomatopoeia and it really did feel like you were there in the story. I like how it involved many learning elements for a kid like me who has never read about this was reading this book they would know about different countries. I like how they told me about the cities in Hawaii like Honolulu or Oahu. I like ho ...more

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Mar 27, 2017 Ben C. rated it it was ok

Danny Crane, an eleven year old boy who always found himself in trouble, had lived in New York for most of his life, but now his mother wants to move to Hawaii to start a new life. Of course, this means Danny has to leave behind his best friend Finn for his mother to take a new nursing job at the Hickam Air Force Base in Oahu. Although Danny meets new people he becomes fond of in a new place, he is still bent on returning home to New York. The day Danny plans to board a ship and sneak back, the ...more

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Jul 12, 2018 Kate last name (optional) added it

Physical, yes I did survive. Mentally, oh lord no.

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Oct 03, 2018 Elizabeth Ricks rated it it was ok

Don't you hate it when you have nothing to read? Madi let me borrow this book that she had already finished so that I had something to take to bed with me. ...more

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Oct 25, 2019 Wyatt Halli added it

Great Book lots of action

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Jan 31, 2020 Devlin M added it

The theme for this book would be trying to help people because they might help you back.

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About Lauren Tarshis

Lauren Tarshis

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Lauren Tarshis often wonders how she came to spend most of her waking moments thinking about disasters, as the author of the children's historical fiction series "I Survived." Each book takes readers into the heart of history's most thrilling and terrifying events, including the sinking of the Titanic, the Shark Attacks of 1916, Hurricane Katrina, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the San Francisco ear ...more