The Lifesaver

Philip Yelton gets left behind at Pacifica Military Academy in California when his parents move to Hawaii in 1952. At first, twelve-year-old Phil is miserable—he flunks his first inspection; he splatters green paint all over Julius, one of the school’s maintenance men; and he can barely stand his roommates. But before long Philip befriends Julius and, when he spots a faded photo of an old battleship, discovers his secret. The Lifesaver is a story of extraordinary heroism, a boy’s adjustment to life at a military school, and the camaraderie between this boy and an older, wiser African-American.