Review
7th grader Martin is aimless and unhappy and, if
not already there, well on his way to full blown depression. He
hates his private Catholic school, his parents are separated,
his father's an alcoholic and his mother "lives in the glorious
past of her father and mother, and in the glorious future of her
daughter and son"; but Martin feels oppressed by his family's
"glorious past" and doesn't see anything glorious in his future.
Things change when his grandmother dies leaving him a
Philco 20 Deluxe radio that had belonged to his grandfather,
and he starts to have strange, very real dreams about World War
II London, dreams that he eventually realizes are real.
London Calling tackles some big topics and ethical
dilemmas, including religion, alcoholism and what makes a hero. It also puts...
Beyond the Book
Edward Bloor is the author of
Tangerine (1997),
Crusader
(1999),
Story Time (2004)
London Calling (2006) and
Taken (2007).
Tangerine
was an ALA Top Ten Best Books for Young
Adults, a Horn Book Fanfare Selection,
and a Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book.
Formerly, an English teacher in Florida
public high schools, he became a senior
editor at Harcourt Brace School
Publishers in 1986. He was born in
Trenton, New Jersey in 1950, educated at
Fordham University and is married to
Pamela Dixon, a teacher. They have a
daughter and son, and live in...
