Dash Review by Allison Trippe

Bibliography

Larson, Kirby. 2014. Dash. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.   ISBN 978-0545416368

Plot Summary

Dash is the story of a young Japanese-American girl and her dog. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Mitsi Kashino and her family are forced to leave their home near Seattle, Washington, and are sent to an internment camp in Idaho. Mitsi must leave everything behind: friends, school, home, dignity, and worst of all her best friend and dog, Dash. Fearing she will lose Dash, a gracious neighbor offers to care of him after Mitsi and her family are taken away.

When Mitsi arrives at the camp, she and her family come to realize they are imprisoned indefinitely. They encounter filthy living quarters, long lines and crowds of people everywhere, and the camp is surrounded by a barbed wire fence. As the stress from dreadful living conditions sets in, Mitsi’s sense of security and closely-knit family ties begins to crumble. She starts to lose hope that she will ever return home and fears that her family is falling apart.

Glimmers of hope are restored when Mitsi begins to receive letters from her dog, Dash. She and Dash correspond by writing letters back and forth. Through these letters, she holds on tightly to her dreams of returning home and being reunited with her best friend.

Critical Analysis

The story of Dash is an emotional journey based on real events in American history. As noted in the Acknowledgments and Author’s Note, the plot is modeled after the true story of a young girl and her dog. It is apparent that author Kirby Larson carefully researched the sensitive subject of life in internment camps during World War II by consulting primary resources and historical documents such as eyewitness accounts, maps of internment camps, and the diary of a survivor. Larson gives credit to family members of the real Mitsi for sharing their stories and memorabilia with her which inspired her novel, Dash. Authenticity is further created through rich dialogue and descriptive writing, revealing cultural details about events surrounding of World War II. Additionally, further reading opportunities are provided in the Acknowledgements section at the end of the book.

Universal themes of compassion, courage and resiliency unfold in this historical fiction novel. Although the story takes place more than seventy years ago, children will easily relate to Mitsi’s character and the comfort she finds in her dog. Many children will also empathize with Mitsi’s struggles of being bullied and how she was made to feel different. This book will give readers an authentic perspective of what life was like as a young, Japanese-American during World War II.

Awards & Review Excerpts

• 2014 National Association of Parenting Publications Award
• 2014 National Parenting Publications Award
• 2015 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
• 2015 Best Children's Books of the Year
• 2016 Magnolia Award Nominee
• 2016-2017 Golden Sower Award Nominee
• 2017 Sasquatch Reading Award Nominee

From Publishers Weekly: “Inspired by real-life wartime events, the novel vividly communicates the emotional and physical ordeals endured by Japanese-Americans evacuated to relocation camps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.”

From Kirkus Review: “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.”

From School Library Journal: “Larson’s latest is historical fiction at its best.”

Connections

• Use the discussion questions from Scholastic to lead a discussion: http://www.scholastic.com/MotherDaughterBookClub/pdf/Scholastic_MDBC_Dash.pdf
• If students enjoy Dash, recommend other books by Kirby Larson:
• Duke. ISBN: 978-0545416382
• Liberty. ISBN: 978-0545840712
• Hattie Big Sky. ISBN: 978-0385735957
• Hattie Ever After. ISBN: 978-0375850905
• Pair the book, Dash, with poems written by Japanese-American children who survived the internment camps found here: https://japaneseinternmentmemories.wordpress.com/category/japanese-internement-poetry/
• Prior to reading Dash, conduct research with students about World War II incarceration camps and what led up to their creation. This will support students’ understanding of the setting.
• Recommend that students visit Densho.org to learn more about life in incarceration camps.

*Created as an assignment for a Texas Woman's University course.