Dash (Dogs of World War II)
Dash (Dogs of World War II) book cover

Dash (Dogs of World War II)

Hardcover – August 26, 2014

by
Price
$8.00
Format
Hardcover
Pages
256
Publisher
Scholastic Press
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0545416351
Dimensions
7.75 x 1 x 8.5 inches
Weight
12.8 ounces

Description

From School Library Journal Gr 3–6—After Pearl Harbor, life changes for fifth grader Mitzi Kashino and her family, as it did for all Japanese American citizens across the US during that time. Family and friends are shunned, bullied, fingerprinted, and even incarcerated for visiting Japan. Relocation from Seattle, WA to Camp Harmony, and ultimately to Minidoka, ID, causes the loss of jobs, school, homes, cars, and personal possessions. Pets were not allowed in the camps, and this is where Mitzi's dog Dash becomes the linchpin in Larson's story. Recognizing the injustice, neighbor Mrs. Bowker does not hesitate to foster Dash for the Kashino family, and she regularly sends letters "from" Dash to Mitzi. The other interned residents anticipate news from the dog, which effectively lifts spirits and encourages a sense of community. Although not as detailed as Winifred Conkling's Sylvia and Aki (Tricycle Press, 2011), both titles complement one another as fictionalized stories of actual events, and share the theme of courage and dignity in the face of injustice. Dash fills a niche between picture books like The Bracelet by Uchida Yoshiko (Penguin, 1993) and Barbed Wire Baseball by Marissa Moss (Abrams, 2013) and works for older audiences such as Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata (S. & S., 2006) and Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston (Houghton Mifflin, 1973). Larson's latest is historical fiction at its best.—Sharon Lawler, Texas Bluebonnet Award Committee Praise for Dash : Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical FictionA Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year*"Emotionally satisfying and thought-provoking." -- Kirkus Reviews , starred review*"[A] trenchant novel." -- Publishers Weekly , starred review"Historical fiction at its best." -- School Library Journal Praise for Duke : *"Exceptionally well-crafted and emotionally authentic." -- Kirkus Reviews , starred review*"[An] incisive tale of loyalty, patriotism, sacrifice, and bravery." -- Publishers Weekly , starred review"A good example of how bravery comes in all shapes, sizes -- and breeds." -- Booklist Praise for Dear America: The Fences Between Us :"Larson deftly folds historical detail into Piper's lively diary entries, which describe her friendships, first romance, and school dramas as well as her view of the subsequent internment of Japanese Americans and the prejudice against sympathizers." -- Booklist "Larson does an excellent job recreating the tension Piper feels. . . . [a] well-researched novel." -- VOYA Praise for Hattie Big Sky : A Newbery Honor Recipient*"[An] engaging historical novel... [Larson] creates a richly textured novel full of memorable characters." -- Booklist , starred review*"Larson... create[s] a masterful picture of the homesteading experience and the people who persevered." -- School Library Journal , starred review"Refreshing." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books *"This emotionally satisfying and thought-provoking book will have readers pulling for Mitsi and Dash"- KIRKUS REVIEWS, starred review*"Despite the hurdles Mitsi faces, hope, resourcefulness, and a new friend help this relatable heroine triumph." -PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, starred review Kirby Larson is the acclaimed author of the 2007 Newbery Honor Book Hattie Big Sky ; its sequel, Hattie Ever After ; The Friendship Doll ; Dear America: The Fences Between Us ; Duke ; Dash , winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction; Liberty ; Code Word Courage ; Audacity Jones to the Rescue ; and its sequel, Audacity Jones Steals the Show . She has also cowritten the award-winning picture books Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship, and Survival and Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine, and a Miracle . She lives in Washington with her husband and Winston the Wonder Dog. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. From DASHMitsi skirted around a puddle. It used to be that her friends thought Japanese things were nifty, like Obaachan's kimonos and celebrating Hina Matsuri. Last year, Judy and Mags had come over before the party to set out the hina dolls and help make the rice balls. Now, they were taking sides with Patty Tibbets. There wasn't a red umbrella big enough to shield Mitsi from that kind of rain. A few blocks from home, she passed some junior high boys hanging out in front of the Higo 10 cent Store, pretending to smoke candy cigarettes. "Hey!" One of them called out to her. Mitsi didn't answer. She kept walking. The boys followed. She walked faster. They walked faster. Mitsi ran. They ran. Right in front of the Nelsons' old house, Mitsi tripped and fell. Her book bag went flying. A boy in a plaid jacket snatched it up and yanked out Mitsi's report. "Aww. Iddin dat sweet? A paper about doggies." He ripped it into shreds, tossing them into the air. "Look, it's snowing!" A scrap with Miss Wyatt's green ink words -- Another fine job, Mitsi -- landed on Mitsi's coat. The boy dumped the book bag out on the soggy ground. A second boy kicked her books into a puddle. All of them. Even her new sketch pad. Knees stinging, Mitsi pushed herself up off the sidewalk. Blood oozed around the edges of the ragged holes in her stockings. Tears boiled at the back of her eyes. "Serves you right." The boy in the plaid jacket glared. He and his buddies formed a ring around her. "Remember Pearl Harbor, remember Pearl Harbor," they chanted. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • New from Newbery Honor author Kirby Larson, the moving story of a Japanese-American girl who is separated from her dog upon being sent to an incarceration camp during WWII.
  • Although Mitsi Kashino and her family are swept up in the wave of anti-Japanese sentiment following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Mitsi never expects to lose her home -- or her beloved dog, Dash. But, as World War II rages and people of Japanese descent are forced into incarceration camps, Mitsi is separated from Dash, her classmates, and life as she knows it. The camp is a crowded and unfamiliar place, whose dusty floors, seemingly endless lines, and barbed wire fences begin to unravel the strong Kashino family ties. With the help of a friendly neighbor back home, Mitsi remains connected to Dash in spite of the hard times, holding on to the hope that the war will end soon and life will return to normal. Though they've lost their home, will the Kashino family also lose their sense of family? And will Mitsi and Dash ever be reunited?

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(145)
★★★★
25%
(60)
★★★
15%
(36)
★★
7%
(17)
★
-7%
(-17)

Most Helpful Reviews

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Kirby Larson does it again!

Kirby Larson does it again! Larson has the uncanny ability to find a fresh perspective on a well covered period of time. In her latest novel, Dash, Kirby Larson brings a new voice to the World War II discussion. A story often left untold in American history is that of the Japanese Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Larson introduces Mitsi Kashino and her family as they are caught up in the anti-Japanese sentiment that spread across the United States. As Mitsi returns to school after the New Year, she finds herself alone. Separated by her friends and classmates at school, Mitsi finds comfort in her dog Dash and an unlikely neighbor. Soon Mitsi and her family are forced into an incarceration camp. Leaving everything they owned behind, Mitsi is forced to leave Dash with her friendly neighbor. With the help of the neighbor and a surprise twist, Mitsi remains in contact with Dash. Even in the hardest of times, Dash's letters bring hope that the war will end and life can return to normal. This must read piece of historical fiction is sure to touch your heart. Dash will have you feeling outraged, grabbing a tissue, and reaching for the phone to call an old friend. Dash is a perfect follow up to Duke (another great new perspective from WW II) and must read for students who love dogs and historical fiction.
6 people found this helpful
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Historical Fiction At Its Finest

My understanding of World War II deepened when I read Duke (Scholastic Press, August 2013) by 2007 Newbery Honor winner (Hattie Big Sky) Kirby Larson. As a companion title, Dash (Scholastic Press, August 2014), follows the lives of another family on the home front. Barely completing the first page, readers will have stepped back in time, becoming another member, a silent member, of the Kashino family.

Returning to school Mitsi, an American of Japanese descent, is hopeful her classmates will no longer stare at her in the hallways or leave hurtful notes in her desk. Hope leaves when her two friends, Mags and Judy, seem to have acquired another pal, Patty, who is especially cruel to Mitsi. Chapter by chapter the dread filling the hearts and home of the Kashino family builds until the day Mitsi and her magic-loving older brother read the announcement posted on a telephone pole.

All people of Japanese descent, whether they were born in America or not, are being evacuated to camps. They can only take with them those items they can carry. A decidedly horrible situation is made worse when Mitsi is told she cannot bring Dash, her closest friend and confident.

Initially they are taken to Camp Harmony (the state fairgrounds) to live in a tiny room with only five cots, a stove to keep them warm and paper thin walls. These Americans ate in a mess hall, used outdoor latrines for multiple people with no privacy, slept on straw-filled mattresses, delivered and received mail and bought supplies at a canteen. As days turn into weeks, Mitsi sees her family dynamics change. Relationships are shifting as connections are made with others at the camp; some are good, others are not. When a rhythm of living here seems to be forming, more bad news is received. They are being moved again...by train for three days...to Idaho.

There is something extraordinary about the books written by Kirby Larson. Great care is taken in depictions of place and people. Every experience is brought to life through the thoughts of her main character and the dialogue between the other personalities. Impeccable research leading to specific descriptions creates movies in the minds of her readers. You are immersed in the worlds her written words weave.

Give Dash written by Kirby Larson to readers who loved Duke, to readers who like exceptional historical fiction, to readers who enjoy seeing the world of others and to readers who like dog stories. I know this book would be a favorite read aloud. Our children need to experience through great stories what happened in the past so we can all be better. You have to trust me, this book will move you...deeply.
5 people found this helpful
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but it is her amazing courage and inner strength that keeps her going and ...

Cross-posted on Tween Book Blog: [...]

Why I picked it up: I have two dogs of my own and I can't imagine moving and not being able to take them with me.

Why I finished it: World War II is a much written about topic in world history, partially because so many of the events that happened away from the actual fighting had a lot to do with discrimination - namely the Jews in Europe and the Japanese in America. I remember a story my grandfather told me about a young Japanese American boy he knew that was taken to an internment camp and never heard from again, and there are days when he would remember the boy and wonder what happened to him. Larson has managed to capture the confusion, the heartbreak, and the uncertainty that surrounded the Japanese-American internment through the voice of a young fifth-grade girl who desperately wants to see things return to normal. Mitsi has a deep affection for her family and for her dog, who becomes her only friend after her other school classmates have alienated her. She struggles with doing the right thing, but it is her amazing courage and inner strength that keeps her going and endears her to the reader. Larson is also able to use her writing to put us in the moment and give a relatable quality to a situation most readers will find a little foreign. It's a heart-breaking story about the human spirit and the power of friendship that will appeal to history buffs and dog lovers alike.
5 people found this helpful
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Five Stars

Loved reading this book even if I am over 80 years
3 people found this helpful
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Educational. Enchanting. Excellent.

This Scholastic title from the co-author of [[ASIN:B006E9CLXU Nubs]] is an excellent introduction to the ugly slice of American history that was the forced relocation and confinement of Japanese-Americans during World War II. The term "evacuation center" has always been too kind. As Professor James Hirabayashi has argued, "The harm in continuing to use the government's euphemisms is that it disguises or softens the reality." These facilities should be called what they were: concentration camps. It was a case of 'round up the usual suspects,' where an entire race of people were seen as suspicious. Fear made President Franklin D. Roosevelt treat people--most of them American citizens--as criminals. Much too late, the U.S. Government acknowledged that internment was based on "race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership." (Civil Liberties Act, 1988)

Dash is due out on August 26, 2014, almost seventy years after Roosevelt's exclusion order was finally rescinded. Time does not heal all wounds, however, nor does wisdom last forever. Barely six weeks after September 11, 2001, the same fear allowed the same government to pass the PATRIOT Act, dealing another blow to American civil liberties. Dash is therefore not only a valuable history lesson, but required reading for today's youth to avoid tomorrow's mistakes.

Like Nubs, Dash features a heartwarming bond between people and dogs. We see that connection sustain hope through rough times, even times of war. Aside from its considerable historical merit, Dash is a well-written book full of believable characterizations and dialogue. Suitable for strong readers from Grade 3 and up. Anyone who enjoys [[ASIN:0937295108 American Girl]] historical books should get this and probably everyone else should, too.

Highly recommended.

[The reviewer was provided with a complimentary copy of the book.]
3 people found this helpful
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Heartfelt story that young readers will love (ages 9-12)

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor has meant that everything has changed for Mitsi. Her best friends are avoiding her, she's getting mean notes in her desk at school, and everyone is looking at her strangely. At least she has her sweet dog Dash to keep her company. When Mitsi's best friends don't even send her Valentine's Day cards, "Loneliness wrapped around her like a snake. She never, ever dreamed that her friends would desert her like this. How was she going to make it through the rest of the year? The rest of her life?"

Young readers will be able to empathize with Mitsi, especially with the way she finds comfort in art and in her dog. When her family receives the order to move to Camp Harmony and leave Dash behind, Mitsi is devastated. Larson builds the story carefully, first helping readers connect to Mitsi and then showing them how she felt torn from everything she knew. The story is infused with heart and feeling, but it never gets bogged down. I loved the period details, from the game "Hinky Pinky" or the slang Mitsi and her friends use ("I'm busted flat. Can't help.").

Through all of the loneliness and hardship, Mitsi holds onto her dream of being reunited with Dash. She receives letters from Dash, who is staying with a kind friend Mrs. Bowker, and finds solace in being able to write him back.
3 people found this helpful
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Great for young readers

In the midst of World War II, the unimaginable is happening to Mitsi Kashino, as the fear of Japanese-Americans takes over. It starts at school, and causes trouble with Mitsi's friends... and then suddenly, her family is being uprooted and sent to a internment camp.

Her life in the camp, honestly, seemed pretty bright compared to what I would have imagined on my own. Of course, the author wanted to make the story nice enough that children will enjoy it, and mostly think happy thoughts about Dash. Still... don't know whether to believe that dessert comes with every supper served, that there was a canteen where you could buy treats anytime you wanted... and other fun stuff.

There were other elements that I hadn't thought of before about the internment camps that I find more believable. Such as meeting at the fence to do jobs on the inside for people on the outside, and vice versa. (Still I was surprised at Mitsi earning so much money, so quickly.) And also I hadn't thought about before how they could mail out money to their relatives to buy special items to be send to families in the camp.

The parts of the plot about Dash are pretty cute. Well, except that Mitsi had to leave him behind when her family moved. But the letters back and forth between Mitsi and Dash? What a darling idea. I can get behind that one, I guess because I'd secretly love to write pretend letters to my dog.

Overall? This book is alright. Not a favorite book though, and generally I like most children's historical fiction. It's more of a fluffy view of the war, and not a gritty view. Still, it's nice for young readers (probably 3rd to 5th graders).

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy of this book; I was not required to post a positive review.
1 people found this helpful
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Wonderful

My 10 year old daughter's favourite book!
1 people found this helpful
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Dash into reading

The Newbery Honor writer has nailed it again. This is a charming mid-grade book that teaches upper elementary students about the Japanese internment using the dog Dash who had to be left behind. Highly recommended.
1 people found this helpful
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Five Stars

Love the concept of these stories.

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