Dean Hughes

Missing in Action Dean Hughes

Marc Notes: Originally published: New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, c2010.; While his father is missing in action during World War II, Jay moves with his mother to Utah, where he sees prejudice from both sides, as a part-Navajo himself, and through a friendship with a Japanese American from the nearby internment camp.. Publisher Marketing: A boy confronts prejudice and intolerance in this striking, "emotionally honest coming-of-age story" ("Publishers Weekly") set on the American homefront during World War II, from the acclaimed author of "Search and Destroy "and "Soldier Boys." Dirty. Lazy. Good-for-nothing. Jay Thacker is used to being called names because his dad is half Navajo. But he gets a chance at a new life and a new identity when he and his mom move to the small town of Delta, Utah, to live with Jay's grandfather. In Delta, Jay can convince everyone, and maybe even himself, that his dad--who is missing in action as he fights in WWII--is really a POW and military hero, and not gone forever. As the summer wears on and Jay finds himself growing up a little faster than he expected, he learns to look at some truths that had previously been impossible to face. Truths about his father; about Ken, his new friend from the Japanese internment camp nearby; and about himself, too. In this understated and moving story, Dean Hughes offers a glimpse at the choices a boy must make as he decides what kind of man he'll one day be. Review Citations: Booklist 02/15/2010 pg. 71 (EAN 9781416915027, Hardcover) Publishers Weekly 02/22/2010 pg. 68 (EAN 9781416915027, Hardcover) School Library Journal 03/01/2010 pg. 160 (EAN 9781416915027, Hardcover) Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 04/01/2010 (EAN 9781416915027, Hardcover) Kirkus Review - Children 03/01/2010 pg. 202 (EAN 9781416915027, Hardcover) Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2010 (EAN 9781416915027, Hardcover) Wilson Middle/Junior Hi Catalo 01/01/2010 pg. 181 (EAN 9781416915027, Hardcover) Contributor Bio:  Hughes, Dean Dean Hughes is the author of more than eighty books for young readers, including the popular sports series Angel Park All-Stars, the Scrappers series, the Nutty series, the widely acclaimed companion novels "Family Pose" and "Team Picture, " and "Search and Destroy". "Soldier Boys" was selected for the 2001 New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age list. Dean Hughes and his wife, Kathleen, have three children and nine grandchildren. They live in Midway, Utah.