For the Duration: The War Years (26 Fairmount Avenue Series) Book

"For the duration." Looking back from our contemporary vantage point and knowing that World War II lasted four years, it's easy to fall into the the trap of thinking that adherence to gas rationing, conservation of rubber and the enduring of other wartime shortages for four years wasn't all that bad. It must be remembered, though, that Americans and citizens of the other Allied nations had no way of knowing how long the war would last while it was happening. Would it last for a year? Five years? Ten? Fifty? Would the Allies even win the war, ultimately speaking? All of these sobering realities that faced Americans represented uncertainties in their lives, and therefore the concept of buckling down "For the duration" was a source of major anxiety, for sure. Especially for a kid as young as Tomie.

In For the Duration, the hints from past books of potential trouble between Young Tomie and his older brother begin to come to a head. Tomie's antics have always bothered his brother somewhat, but as Buddy grows older it appears that his tolerance for Tomie is decreasing. His view of Tomie as sort of a sissy gets to be more clearly etched, and the eye rolling and other innocuous gestures of Buddy's mild disapproval from previous books now become more pronounced and worrisome. Buddy refuses to intervene one day in the schoolyard when a group of his friends picks on Young Tomie and calls him a sissy because of the tap dancing shoes that he wears strung across the back of his neck; Buddy steals the key to Tomie's diary and keeps it for more than a week, returning it only after writing unkind things all over the entries that Tomie has so lovingly crafted. The situation with Buddy isn't getting any easier, and the two boys are experiencing all of this strife during the war, when tempers are already thin and people are less comfortable with themselves and others than ever before.

Yet Young Tomie finds that even if his brother has turned on him, there are plenty of others who continue to treat him with love for exactly the kind of boy he is. Tomie's grandfather, Tom, draws close to the grandson who was named after him when Tomie's Uncle Charles (Tom's son) goes off to fight in the war overseas. Young Tomie is also cast in the lead role of yet another of Miss Leah's musical productions, and he brings down the house with his adroit and hilarious portrayal of King Neptune. The after-party is like a pleasant dream, as Tomie and the other dancers have a memorable night of celebration with their families in honor of a show well done. Young Tomie dances with Miss Leah and it all feels like a walk in the clouds, a night suspended from the dire realities of war, a night during which a boy can simply be happy in the company of friends.

The war continues, though, and Tomie can see that for however long it lasts, it is his responsibility, and the responsibility of every other patriotic American, to plug on ahead "For the Duration" and continue to support the soldiers risking life and limb overseas to defeat the Axis powers. It won't be easy, Tomie knows, but he will do his part to render assistance as well as he can.

For the Duration is a good story, longer than any previous entry in the 26 Fairmount Avenue series. The continued theme is that of Tomie's growing older, and as he grows, the charming antics that used to stand out about him so well have begun to fade just a bit. Perhaps it has more to do with the seriousness of the war that encompasses everything, but I can't say for sure either way.

I enjoyed reading this book, and can hardly wait for the next installment of the series. Young Tomie is one of my favorite characters in literature, and it's always fun to spend some time with him in these books. By this eighth addition to the 26 Fairmount Avenue mix, I feel as if I have known Tomie for my entire life!

I would give two and a half stars to this book.