This World War II story of tragedy, adventure and friendship is narrated by 13 year old Jack Baker, a recent transplant from the landlocked fields of Kansas to an ocean-side prep school in Maine. The death of his mother has left Jack mired in loss. His father, a naval captain, offers little emotional support as Jack puts on a strong face and attempts to join in the social structure of the academy. He is soon befriended by social outcast Early Auden, but struggles with the social cost of their relationship. Early's obsessions (a fascination with the number Pi, titillating reports of a giant bear, and the mysterious death of his brother) leads both characters on a dangerous quest set in the Maine wilderness.
Strengths: The writing is almost seamless, impressive for historical fiction, and the well-paced plot keeps readers invested until the end. The character of Early Auden exposes readers to an admirable hero with a mental illness.
Not-quite-strengths: The amount of characters and plot twists in the second half of the novel are crowded and may overwhelm the reader. The ongoing saga of Pi reads as a substantially weaker story-within-a-story.
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