Dash by Kirby Lawson Book Review


Written by Kirby Lawson

Published by Scholastic Press in 2014

ISBN Number 978-0545416368

Plot Summary: Dash is a dog that gets separated from his owner as she is rounded up during World War 2 and sent to a Japanese internment camp. Mitsi is separated from everyone that she knows and loves and her whole world is turned upside down. Mitsi spends a lot of time around people who are really sad and finds that she doesn't fit in with the people around her. She doesn't agree with a lot of the actions that are taken by her brother and his friends as they cause trouble around the camp. She finds solace in her art until she is able to be reunited with her beloved Dash. 

Critical Analysis: This is a heartwarming tale of never giving up on your dreams of being reunited with the people/animals that mean the most to you. Knowing that giving up everything that makes you part of who you are was a big theme in this story as Mitsi had to leave behind her heirlooms, books, and even their radios and cameras in case they might be accused of being a spy. The novel does a good job of blending historical details with an interesting story that will be sure to take the reader back to the time period of World War 2 and readers will be able to put themselves into Mitsi's shoes as she learns how to be okay with her new reality. There could have been more historical details about the internment camps and how they functioned but the author does a nice job of weaving a story that everyone will be sure to enjoy. 

Review: 

Kirkus Book Reviews

Eleven-year-old Mitsi Kashino and her family are forced to move to a Japanese internment camp following the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The Japanese-Americans are forced to leave their homes, their jobs, and all but what they can carry. Unfortunately for Mitsi, this also means leaving her beloved dog, Dash, behind. Thankfully, a good-hearted neighbor agrees to take Dash in. The neighbor writes letters to Mitsi, composing them from Dash’s point of view, and these keep Mitsi connected with the world beyond the fence. Overcrowded living quarters, long lines and minimal resources stretch the patience of the internees and threaten the bonds of the Kashino family. However, even amid their incarceration, there are spots of hope. Mitsi and her family find new friendships, rediscover old traditions and reinvent their lives. Through it all, Mitsi holds tight to her dream of the end of the war and her reunion with Dash. Larson makes this terrible event in American history personal with the story of one girl and her beloved pet. Spot-on dialogue, careful cultural details and the inclusion of specific historical characters such as artist Eddie Sato make this an educational read as well as a heartwarming one. An author’s note adds further authenticity.

This emotionally satisfying and thought-provoking book will have readers pulling for Mitsi and Dash. (Historical fiction. 8-12)

Connections: 

Students can learn more about the internement camps through the national archives and the World War 2 musuem including reading some primary sources about life in the camp. https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/japanese-relocation 

https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/japanese-american-incarceration

More Books about the Japanese internment 

When Can We Go Back to America?: Voices of Japanese American Incarceration during WWII by Susan H. Kamei ISBN 978-1481401449

The Bracelet by Yoshiko Uchida ISBN 978-0698113909

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