WORLD WAR II ESCAPADES CREATE READING ADVENTURES FOR YOUNG ADULTS
Reading, history and generations collide in the Tales of the RAF series books set in WWII England.

Don Patterson never intended to write and publish books. But several years ago, when his son reached third grade and started struggling with reading, Patterson and his wife were at a loss to find many books geared toward boys that captured their son's interest. "Finally, I started writing bits and pieces of stories on my computer at work," Patterson said. "Then I'd bring it home and have my son read it. He really enjoyed it."

Eventually Patterson shaped his stories into Tales of the RAF, a series of six books aimed specifically at young boys. He published the books through Hindsight, Limited, a company he founded with his son's teacher, Mary Parenteau, who serves as the books' editor. And what started as a family project, resulted in a career shift for Patterson and a series of books that can be enjoyed by young and old alike.

Set in England during World War II, the Tales of the RAF books follow the adventures of 12-year-old Harry Winslow and the Royal Air Force (RAF) aviators he has befriended. Each book revolves around a particular theme. For example the first book, Scramble, deals with the friendship between Harry and the RAF pilots. In the second book, Fighter Escort, the pilots teach Harry a lesson about responsibility, while subsequent books deal with ideas such as wisdom and helping.

Linking generations

Patterson is happy to report that in addition to snagging the interest of reluctant readers, the books have fueled conversations between young readers and older relatives and friends who lived during WWII - as testimonials from a grandfather, his son and his grandson on the back cover of Night Mission, the latest addition to the series, demonstrate.

"All three generations enjoy the book, but on different levels," Patterson said. While the books encouraged the grandfather to reminisce about his own experiences growing up during WWII, the father saw the books as something he could share with his son and as a way to encourage his son to read more. And the grandson identified with main character, 12- year-old Harry Winslow.

Interestingly, the books created a similar connection for Patterson. When Patterson told WWII Veteran Rodney Loehr about the project and asked him to write a testimonial for the first book, he asked Loehr to include information about his rank and war involvement. Patterson was surprised to discover that Loehr had served as the historical officer for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "In classic format, these men who served in WWII really don't talk about it much," said Patterson, who has since had many conversations with Loehr about his WWII experiences.

"Every time I think of Rodney and the possibility that his health is starting to fail, I feel a sense of urgency to publish these books. The way he [Loehr] looks at it, if there was anything worth fighting for, it was basically to make the world better for children," Patterson said, noting that the books aim to teach kids what it means to be responsible, to have friends and to make good decisions. "To Rodney, that's just what they did. And, I believe that's how they saved the world."

Characters that build character

In his stories, Patterson strives to capture the character traits he has witnessed in Loehr and other WWII Veterans. "These men are of very high character. That's what gets them through everything and that's the kind of thing that I want my son and other kids like him to have access to. I use these pilot heroes to teach Harry the character-building traits he needs to be a hero himself," Patterson explained, noting that Harry becomes the unsung hero of the books.

"The important thing is to show kids they don't need to be a fighter pilot to be a hero," Patterson said. "It's the nature of the men who are flying the airplanes that makes them heroic. It's not the airplanes and the fact that they are fighter pilots. As a result, even 12-year-old Harry Winslow, by just being concerned about others, is heroic in his own way. And that's what I want to try to tell these kids."

Patterson easily relates to kids who don't enjoy reading. "For me, reading has always been a slow, arduous task," he said. He recalled being in fourth grade and asking the librarian for a book he'd like - and having Tom Sawyer shoved into his hands with the assurance that he'd love it. "Well, as a matter of fact, at that point in time I didn't love it. And that disappointment of not finding that right book really becomes a pervasive sort of thing. If you repeatedly don't find that right book, you stop looking. Having grown up as a disenfranchised reader - I would like to try to correct that for my son."

Vintage airplanes spark idea for books

The idea for the books first evolved when Patterson noted his son's interest in vintage airplanes. He then decided to use England as a backdrop in order to connect a little boy with the pilots. "The only way I could think of was to write about the RAF, because they had squadrons stationed out in farm fields in England. And all these kids were growing up around them," Patterson added. With the first four books of the series available and close to 12,000 copies already sold, Patterson already has started a second series of books. The books, which take place in the WWII Pacific Theater, will feature an American boy corresponding with an aviator stationed on an aircraft carrier in the South Pacific.

"We made the RAF books readily readable and easily readable. Each book has a good fast-paced story - classic boy stuff," said Patterson, noting that lots of illustrations of the aircraft and the characters also help retain a reader's attention. "I don't care whether it's the book that makes the kid interested in the airplane or the airplane that actually makes the kid read the book - as long as the interest is there."

And if some of the young adults who read his books are inspired to question their grandparents or visit a library to learn more about the time period, Patterson will consider his work a success. "The important thing is that kids in this age group are getting some books they'll find enjoyable. Part of the enjoyment may come when they go back to a grandparent they might otherwise have nothing to say to and ask about what was happening during that time period," Patterson explained. "And if that stimulates a few hours of discussion between a grandparent and grandchild, that can be my epitaph: 'For thousands of kids, I created a link between these generations.'"

Tales of the RAF books:

Scramble Fighter
Escort Spitfire!
Night Mission
Dawson's Down!

To order books or special box sets which include a model die-cast metal airplane and embroidered patch, call 1-877-848-8762 or visit www.hindsightlimited.com. If you mention you saw this article in Veterans Resource magazine, 20 percent of the purchase price will be donated to the VRNA Scholarship Fund.