Brooklyn, NY, 1943: Howie's pop is in the merchant marine, dodging Nazi U-boat wolf packs on the brutal North Atlantic sea. Denny, Howie's best friend, has a father in the Eighth Army, battling Nazi General Rommel in North Africa. Every day the boys face reminders of war - scary headlines, blackouts, scrap collections, war-stamp drives. During the week, they depend on Miss Rolanda Gossim, their teacher, to keep their minds off their worries. She may be strict, but she's kind and a lot prettier than any movie pinup. When Howie discovers she is about to be fired, he needs to find out why, and - with the help of Denny and the rest of their class - he makes plans to keep her on the job. Award-winning author Avi has spun a tale that could have taken, place anywhere in wartime America. It is rich with authentic Brooklyn voices and memories of the early 1940s - days when unexpected, even shocking events took place without warning; days when no matter what happened, you could explain it all with "Don't you know there's a war on?'
