Pizza and Pages Book Club: Week 7
A Book Discussion Project by Ryann Uden for LIS404LE, Spring 2005
B for Buster by Iain Lawrence
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The year is 1943 and sixteen year-old Kak escapes from a troubled home, lies about his age, and joins the Canadian Air Force. He becomes a member of a bomber crew that soon finds itself in England awaiting their first mission to drop bombs over Germany. On his first day there, he runs into a pilot from his hometown, Donny, who realizes that Kak is underage. Donny agrees not to reveal his secret, but he tells Kak to come to him when he changes his mind and wants to go home. Kak begans the war with dreams of returning to Canada to a hero's welcome, but as more and more men "get the chop" he wonders if he will make it home at all. Eventually, he decides to tell the truth about his age, but the officer he tells is killed before he can get Kak out. Kak tries to tell his replacement the truth, but instead his crew is assigned to fly every run as punishment for his "cowardice."
Kak forms an unlikely friendship with Bert, the pigeoneer, who takes care of the pigeons that must accompany each flight. Bert helps Kak deal with the fear and doubts he feels as an airman. Kak learns to love the pigeons and comes to think of Percy (the pigeon who flies with him) as a good luck charm. Unfortunately, a new type of bomber is starting to be used and this one doesn't need pigeons. Kak and his crew help save the pigeons from becoming pies in the mess hall, but who will save them? This brutal look into the harsh reality of war forces us all to ask ourselves what courage really means.
Discussion Questions:
1. What is your definition of a hero? Who in this story is a
hero?
2. During the story, Kak and Bert have different ideas of courage. "'No,' I said. 'Real courage is not being scared.' 'Oh no, sir. Pardon me.'...'Real courage is carrying on though you are scared to bits.'" What do you think? What are some different examples of courage as shown by characters in this story?
3. What does Donny mean when he says. "Takes more guts to stay on the ground than it does to get into the crate." (p. 42) Do you think he is right? Why do you think he doesn't tell anyone how old Kak really is?
4. When Kak asks Donny why he won't go tell Uncle Joe that he wants out, he says "We're different...You can do it, but I can't. Kid, I gotta go." (p. 97). Do you think they are different? Why or why not?
5. What did Kak learn about Lofty at the end of the story to change his impression of him?
6. Do you think any of the other guys knew Kak was underage? Who and why?
7. Did experiencing the bombing raid from the streets of London change anything for the crew?
8. Do you think Kak is really seeing and hearing ghosts? If so, do you think he is the only one?
9. How does it change things for Kak when Percy starts to fly with his crew?
10. Why does Kak say that sometimes waiting for the missions was the worst part?
11. When Lofty decides it's not to safe to fly a mission, he yells at Kak and hurts his feelings. Pop consoles him by saying that Lofty is just angry at himself more than Kak. Kak asks why and Pop responds "Well, Kid, you should know." (p. 122). What does Pop mean?
12. Since this story was told from Kak's point of view, did you wonder if he would survive?
Lawrence, Iain. (2004). B for Buster. Delacorte Press: New York, NY.