Book Review: DASH

Book Review, Genre 5: DASH

Author: Kirby Larson

Title: Dash

Illustrator: Whitney Lyle

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Publication Date: 2014

ISBN: 978-0-545-41635-1

Plot summary: When her Japanese-American family is forced into an internment camp, 11-year-old Mitsi Kashino is separated from her home and her beloved dog Dash. Living at the camp, Mitsi clings to her one connection to the outer world--the letters from the kindly neighbor who is caring for Dash.

Critical analysis: Author Kirby Larson has created a very believable character in 11-year-old Mitsi Kashino. She goes to school, she has a brother, parents, and a grandmother who lives with her. And she has a dog. Mitsi’s love for her dog Dash shines throughout the book, especially when the historical aspect of the book is brought to the forefront: Mitsi’s Japanese-American family is required by the U.S. government to relocate to an internment camp – everyone in the family except for Dash – after Japan attacks Pearl Harbor and brings America into World War II. The fictional Mitsi even writes a letter (and receives a response) from the very real General John L. DeWitt, who was responsible for incarcerating Japanese Americans from the West Coast. While today’s junior readers might not understand fear created by war, they will understand the never ending love for a pet.

The setting of the book changes from the familiar: a quaint American town, home and school, and changes to the unfamiliar to the reader: internment camps hastily put together by the U.S. Army. “Five Army cots were lined up in the middle of a space smaller than their kitchen at home. There were no mattresses or pillows or blankets on the cots. Just some cotton bags. Except for a stove for heat, the cots were the only furnishings. No table. No chairs. No nothing” (p. 98).

The theme of the power of family love shines throughout the book as each member of the Kashino family stands up for what they believe in while being held at the camp: Mitsi believes her dog Dash should be allowed at the camp; Mitsi’s mom, dad and grandmother believe that staying positive and supporting your neighbor will overcome many inconveniences; Mitsti’s brother believes that crime doesn’t pay.

The style captures the essence of the early 1940s: America is plunged into war, bigotry flares, and there is no end in sight to the fear of not knowing what could happen next. Readers can believe the trials the fictional Kashino family had to endure by the amount of evidence that author Larson presents in her writing. At the end of the book, Larson explains her Author’s Note how she found inspiration for the book through her research from a diary about a dog kept by a kind American woman while a Japanese-American family were sent away. Larson says, “I can’t imagine how hard it was for Mitsi to be separated from [her dog] when she had no idea how long the separation would last. … Every story needs a heart hook, and that was mine.”

Review excerpt:

• 2015 winner, Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction
• 2014 Master List, National Parenting Publications Award
• 2014 Gold Winner, National Association of Parenting Publications Awards
• 2016 nominee, Magnolia Award

• Booklist, July 1, 2014 (vol. 110, no. 21) by Ilene Cooper: Based on a true story of a girl who had to leave her dog, this book helps readers understand the hardship that Japanese American citizens endured while at the same time offering a story of one girl with relatable hopes and worries. What also comes through is how a strong family can pull together in the worst of circumstances.

• Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 2014 (vol. 82, no. 12): 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. 

Connections:

• Librarians can show this book trailer to promote Dash: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d61fcuviTPw

• Dash is the second book in the Dogs of World War II series by Kirby Larson. The first book in the series is Duke ISBN: 9780545416375. The third book in the series is Liberty ISBN: 978-0545840712

• Learn more about author Kirby Larson at www.kirbylarson.com

• Other books by Kirby Larson:

1. Hattie Big Sky ISBN: 9780385903325
2. Hattie Ever After ISBN: 9780385737463
3. The Friendship Doll ISBN: 9780385906678
4. Audacity Jones to the Rescue ISBN: 9780545840569

Bibliography

Cover, Mount Juliet, Tennessee. Personal photograph by Amy Wilson. September 27, 2016.

Larson, Kirby. Dash. New York: Scholastic Press, 2014. 9780545416351