The novel captures life in the years following World War II before cell phones and the internet. It takes us back to a time when people looked out for one another; a time when small-town values still mattered. The novel does for those years what Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn did for an earlier time. The novel is also a celebration of who we were back then. It's a joyous hayride, sometimes scary, sometimes sad, sometimes hilarious. It will cause you a lot of smiles and a few tears as well along the way. Jerry and his friends bring alive a bygone era. The story and the characters will resonate, both emotionally and intellectually through the eyes of a young boy named Jerry and is closely based on the experiences of the author. Jerry and his friends confront and resolve a fascinating series of mysteries that will live in your memory, long after the pages are closed. Life growing up in the shadows of WWII. Kids born in the '40s grew up fast. They had to. By the time they were five more than seventy million people were killed in the largest world war in the history of man. The novel illustrates an independence in the young of the day they earned and were trusted with during a time parents and siblings were all off pitching in or fighting for the war effort. They had to fend for themselves, responsibly. It's a book about the examples of heroism set for them by the entire community. With foundations in truth, this novel won Book of the Year - Books & Authors. (Family & Friendship) The Mysteries of Pompey Hollow will make you feel better about yourself and the world around you, and that's saying a lot. Young Jerry is born the same year Pearl Harbor was attacked. When the war was over, after nearly 80 million lives were lost, the family moves to the country. Here our story begins. Life for the young in the shadows of WWII. Named Books and Authors BOOK OF THE YEAR - Antil was named Writer of the Year by Syracuse University.