Missing in Action

By Hughes, Dean

Publishers Summary:
Dirty. Lazy. Good-for-nothing. Jay Thacker is used to hearing himself called names because his dad is half-Navajo. But he's hoping, now that he and his mom have moved to stay with his grandparents because of WWII, that things could be different. Delta is a tiny town in Utah, nothing like Salt Lake, where they used to live. And Jay's grandfather is an elder in the church, a beloved and well-respected man. Jay begins to make friends and even to make some money as he works the fields for his grandfather. There's just one problem: he works alongside a young man named Ken, who's from the camps in nearby Topaz. Which means Ken is a Jap. And Jay's dad, who's been fighting for the navy out in the Pacific, was recently declared Missing in Action. An understated and moving story about an unlikely friendship from the author of the acclaimed SOLDIER BOYS, this is one of Dean Hughes's best novels to date.

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ISBN
978-1-41691-502-7
Publisher


REVIEWS

School Library Journal

Reviewed on March 1, 2010

Gr 6-8 Hughes tackles a multitude of issues in this intriguing yet uneven World War II-era novel. Although Jay Thacker's part-Navajo heritage immediately marks him as "different" in his new town, his baseball skills and his grandfather's standing in the local Mormon community soften barriers in Delta, UT. The 12-year-old's newfound baseball buddies quickly reveal their prejudices against Native Americans, nicknaming him "Chief" and discussing their parents' views that Indians are lazy alcoholic thieves. Jay's o...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

Horn Book Guide

Reviewed on January 1, 2010

During World War II, Jay moves with his mother from Salt Lake City to rural Delta, Utah. As Jay makes new friends and hones his baseball skil...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

Junior Library Guild

Reviewed on March 1, 2010

Jay and Ken’s complex and convincing friendship is uneasy, yet true. As with many kids’ experiences of the sport, the baseball ...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

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