Sink or Swim by Steve Watkins (review)

When the bombs drop on Pearl Harbor, seventeen-year-old Danny is off like a shot to the Navy recruiters, but before he gets to the war, the war gets to him as a German U-boat surfaces into his trawling net, drags him underwater, and leaves him severely injured. His younger brother Colton, who watches it all go down and brings his brother home, is enraged and now bent on fighting the Nazis. As Danny lingers in unconsciousness in their hometown's clinic, Colton grabs his brother's recruitment papers and passes himself off as a very young-looking teen to a Navy so desperate for recruits that they turn a blind eye to the thousands of minors who manage to enlist. Loosely inspired by the story of Calvin Graham, the youngest known American to serve in World War II, this gripping novel follows his basic training at Great Lakes, his subchaser training in Miami, and his deployment aboard a patrol craft, one of the nimble vessels in the "Donald Duck Navy" tasked with sighting U-boats and attacking wolf packs. Diligent research (explained in Watkins' closing notes) manifests in the authenticity of training strategies as well as the life-and-death maneuvers of the wolf packs and their Ally predators. Short chapters, generous font and leading, and a relatively modest page count make this an appealing selection for reticent readers, and nonstop action recommends it to real world thrill-seekers of all reading stripes. EB