Missing in Action

by Dean Hughes

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 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.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Historical, World War II, Sports, Fiction, Coming Of Age

240 pages, Hardcover

First published March 9, 2010

About the author

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 six grandchildren. They live in Midway, Utah.

Reviews

[Mary Louise Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twelve-year old Jay Thatcher and his mother move in with his grandparents in a small Mormon, Utah community because his half Navajo father is missing in action in WWII which causes Jay to put his father on a pedestal as a war hero. Jay is thrust in the middle of action as he confronts prejudice as the boys in town nickname him, "Chief." Jay also confronts his own prejudices against the Japanese as he enjoys his friendship with the likeable young Japanese-American man, Ken, who lives in a nearby Utah internment camp and works for Jay's grandfather. Ken models for Jay and his baseball buddies what it means to be an all American boy and to be respected as a man. Jay comes to realize his own father, who is probably not coming back alive, is not a hero because of his abusive past but because Jay's father and mother's people came from a long line of good people, Jay also came from those good people too. There are alot of issues for the young reader to ponder in this story.

[Darin]

Missing in action by Dean Hughes is an interesting book that really brings you back to the struggles of world war 2. No not the actual fighting but the struggles of the families back in the US waiting to recover their family members remains. Thomas is one such boy and this book follows his mind as he struggles to find his identity in a new town. It was better that what I thought it was going to be like and I recommend it to you.

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Missing in Action was written by Dean Hughes. Hughes is the author of more than 80 books intended for younger readers. I got this book because I have to write a review about it for my NJROTC ADV class. This review is completely separate and surely not as in-depth as that one will be. Missing in Action is about this kid, Jay Thacker whose dad is ½ Navajo and is currently missing in action during World War 2. Due to his dad being in the Navy and now missing in action, Jay and his mom moved in with his grandparents in Delta, a small town in Utah.

This book is geared more towards younger audiences, I’d say around those who are between 10 and 14 years of age. Racism, bullying, and tolerance were very big themes within this book. Jay would play baseball with a group of boys from the town and would be taunted occasionally due to him being part Navajo, his nickname was "Chief" and the boys would make comments about Indians being lazy and thieves. Additionally, this book dealt with racism that took place a lot during WW2. Jay started working on a farm with a Japanese American named Ken, mainly due to Jay’s father being MIA in a war against the Japanese, Jay showed a lot of resentment towards Ken at the beginning. Tolerance was shown through Jay slowly becoming friends with Ken and the other group of boys finding out and aren’t very accepting, due to this, Jay has to find a way to deal with the negativity around him as well as find himself. I personally was hoping to see more action dealing with WW2, the only “action” present in the book was when the group of boys played baseball. Overall, I enjoyed how in-depth the book went with character development and how each character felt. I would recommend this book to younger kids looking to get a slow start on books dealing with the military or wars.

[Deegan Kaitner]

Good Reads Final
By Deegan Kaitner
1. The title of this book is called Missing In Action by the author Dean Hughes. I found this book when our class room went to pick out our books in the library. We all had to go to the Non-fiction section which was a lot smaller than the Fiction sections. The cover was cool and the phrase Missing In Action is a Military Phrase.
2. Missing In Action is about a boy named Jay Thacker that moved to a new town called Northville in the state of Alabama. He came from Salt Lake City and because it was hard for his mom to get work wear they were living in previously. Jay does have a Dad but he is in the military and was MIA throughout the entire book while Jay played baseball for his High School. He ends up becoming the best player on his team and gets a scholarship to LSU Full Ride.
3. Well the book was very inspirational because the main character Jay overcomes his obstacles despite not having his father there for him. The main people in his life that believed in him were his grandparents and Jay’s Mom. It shows that even without his Dad that he still did what he loved and still won. My favorite part of the book is when Jay hit a homerun after one of his teammates Gourdy got punched by another player.
4. My personal opinion of the book is 8/10 overall. I think if I like baseball more, I would have enjoyed the book more. I believe this book is for baseball players and enjoyers. However even if you aren't it still tells a good story and has good and bad moments to play with your emotions.

[Erick]

What the book was about a boy who didn’t really get to know his dad and thought he was in outcast in the book. He moved into his town being ¼ indian even though he looked full indian and during that time indians were getting made fun off and all were thought they thiefs. But a group of kids liked him that were into baseball and so was the kid. Later on the kid told his friends that that he got letters from his dad even though he didn’t because he thought his father was dead. So me makes up a lie that his father is still alive knowing that he is dead trying to make himself better. At the end of the story the kid had a baseball game and all the fathers were there but his and later found out that his father was still alive on some island was so happy.

One thing that i didn’t like about the story was how long the story was and how long it took a long time to find his father. For example the begging just had some boring parts and some parts didn’t really make any sense. Also some parts didn’t have anything to do with the book and that was a whole chapter.

I wouldn’t recommend this book to a lot people about to people that are into long books. Or people who are into long books and want to understand the main character's background. Overall this book is still good and could teach a thing or 2. Mostly a few things that kids used to do back in the day.

[Carl Neuman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book I read is Missing in Action. The author is Dean Hughes. The book is set in Delta Utah during World War two. The main character is Jay Thacker. He is from Salt Lake City but moved in to his grandparents with his mom. I found this book while looking for books about sports in the library.

The story begins with Jay waiting to play baseball with some of the kids from town. As he plays with them he makes friends and starts hanging out with them more. His grandpa gives him a job working on the farm with a seventeen year old Japanese kid named Ken from the nearby internment camp. At first he doesn’t want to talk to Ken because of all the bad things he has heard about Japanese. As time goes on Jay starts to become friends with him and Ken helps Jay get better at baseball.

The book ended withJay finally starting to want to stay in Delta and enjoyed a lot of the people there. Ken enlist in the army and Jay continues his dream of becoming a major league baseball player. I like the way the book ended and my favorite part in the book was at the end when Jay and his friends played Ken’s team from the internment camp. I liked the way the author helped people understand that it doesn’t matter what race you are.

This was a good book and I recommend this book to anybody that likes books with good endings and a lesson to be learned from it.

[Taylor Astorga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Missing in Action By Dean Hughes

This is a really good book. Presenting a compelling narrative set against the backdrop of WWll. It explores the journey of a young boy who relocates from a big salt lake city to a small little remote town delta. The author uses many references specifically to Utah which would be different to someone who hasn't been or lived there. Since I am from and lived in Utah, my life I can relate to parts of the book which I really like. Like any good book it has its ups and downs and that's why I like it.

One thing that is very present in this book is the casual racist remarks he received from his new friends. Jay is 1⁄4 Navajo and receives frequent comments such as “Lazy Indian” or his new nickname “Chief”. The main reason he and his mother moved was to live with his grandparents because his father was sent into the Pacific and was declared missing in action. He eventually goes out to work for his grandfather and begins to work with a Japanese boy from internment camp. He deals with the racism that the Japanese Americans received.

The book ends with Jay wanting to stay in Delta with his grandparents and shows how his perspective has changed over time. One main theme that I saw was that it doesn't matter what race you are and it doesn't matter. It is definitely for younger readers those in middle school and below. But overall a good book.

[Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave it three stars. However, if I were to rate it for the age group it was written for it would definitely rate higher. I read this with my grandson, age 13, and he gave it 4 stars. I agree with his assessment. The book is intended for grades 5 through 9.

The story takes place during World War II, and describes the situation and issues around Japanese-American internment camps. It also discusses the issues of being identified as an American Indian, and being a part of an abusive family. These issues are treated fairly and with respect, and help young adults see how opinions are formed from different perspective.

Perhaps the greatest truth learned from the story is how destructive life can be when we are not truthful and honest about what we are thinking and feeling, and hard it can be to do so. Yet, when we are open and honest, good things can happen.

I recommend this book for those of appropriate age and interested in historical fiction.

[Shauna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jay Thacker and his Mom have moved from Salt Lake City, UT to Delta, UT to move in with his Grandparents. His Father’s joined the Navy to fight in WWII and his ship went down. His Father has not been found.
Jay meets some new boys in town playing baseball and Gordy, who likes to call Jay, “chief” because Jay is part Navajo Indian, become friends.
Jay is sent to work on his Grandfather’s farm with Ken who is Japanese American and has been relocated to the Japanese internment camp. Jay learns to deal with prejudice during a war and a small town mind set and the realities of what kind of Father he had.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dirty. Lazy. Good-for-nothing. Jay Thacker . . . That's how the Goodreads synopsis begins. My youngest brother is named Jay Thacker - and certainly is none of those descriptors! Gary and I listened to this book while traveling back and forth to our service mission at Camp Atoka. The setting was the town of Delta, Utah. Jay's father has been lost in WWII so he and his mother moved back to Utah from California to live with Jay's grandparents. This is a youth book and about junior high age kids. It introduces readers to the Japanese internment camp nearby, to down-and-outers riding the rails, and to prejudice and bigotry. All is all, a good listen - and even better for a younger crowd.

[Ranee · Rating 4 out of 5]

YA historical fiction about a pre-teenaged Native American mixed race boy living near a Japanese American interment camp. The title suggests it might be more about the war itself but instead it’s about a boy whose father is missing in action. He deals with the uncertainty of this, a move to his grandparents’, dealing with a troubled family life after effects, prejudice about his racial background and the Japanese Americans, regular growing up angst etc. The characters seem true to the times, for better or worse, including a little teenaged boy hormonal talking about girls

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wondered how young people would feel as they read this book. The book is a YA novel. Will they relate to being an Indian or Japanese during WWII? Why do we as a people have these prejudices? The book seemed a little drawn out at times. Still, worth the time.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Missing in Action Hughes, Dean 3 YA Hist.WWII Part Native American young boy in small town - father MIA in WWII mother grieving befriended by Japanese intern planning to fight in Europe & overcome prejudice using baseball 2015 3/25/2015

[Christine Maynor · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a good book. I’m a big fan of this author but it wasn’t my favorite book of his. It deals with racism during WW11 in America, acceptance and friendship. Very good read but probably more appropriate for teenagers not adults.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The storyline was about the friendship between a 12 yr old part Indian boy and Japanese American boy during WWII. It was a good portrayal of what cultural issues both boys faced. I got impatient with the main character's passive, weak response to the problems that he faced.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Youth book, so aimed at tween/teens. Does make you think about prejudice, of all kinds.
Half-Navajo boy meets a 'jap' boy from Utah internment camp during WWII.

[Hunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was not what I thought it was about

[Isaak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book and very action packed.

[Seth reardon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a little about baseball and family and war it takes place back in the 1940’s it was a great book I recommend it was one of my favorite books I have ever read.

[Jodee Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet short story of acceptance and tolerance of ourselves and others. Perfect ending!

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a very good book. Maybe I'm just snobbish or maybe it's because I despise sports of any kind. But that is my opinion.

[Marci · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does a good job of dealing with the racism of that time period. The Japanese people are referred to as Japs and Jay, who is one quarter Navajo, is called Chief by other characters.

[Maddie Kasmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s ok but definitely not one of the best World War 2 books I’ve ever read. I recommend Ruta Sepetys books instead.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple coming of age story with some tough and beautiful messages. A good novel for youth.

[Michael Kerr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jay is an outsider due to his Navajo heritage, and has trouble fitting in when he moves to his mother's small hometown in Utah. It doesn't help that his father is listed as missing in action as the Navy ship he was on went down in the Pacific. To top things off, his grandfather puts him to work with a Japanese-American teen who had been interned nearby. This is a coming-of-age tale, in which the magical thinking of childhood slowly ebbs away in the face of reality, and Jay begins to learn to think for himself.

[Kirra B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Missing in action is really good. towards the end it gets boring. i would give it a 4 1/2 star rating. missing in action is about a boy who moves to delta and is adjusting to the kids there.

[Emma Nunamaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Missing in Action
By: Dean Hughes
Review by: Emma Nunamaker

I have never experienced any physical or verbal abuse from my parents or friends, but the author Dean Hughes made me feel the pain the main character Jay went through at the time. The story of Jay made me feel like I was him and made me feel the pain he was going through.

Jay was the main reason why i read this book. The reason is because the way he reacts to things. In the situations he was put in, i would have reacted the same way! Not only would we react the same, we both have the same personality. That is why he was my reason to read the book.

In town there is a boy named Gordy. He is a bigger boy with big front teeth. Gordy had his own baseball team, so when Jay also known as “Chief” joined their team with just a little bit of knowledge on how to play from his dad before he left from war.

During this time, a war between America and the Japanese was occurring. On Jay’s Grandpa's’ farm there was a what they call a “Jap”. His name was Ken. Shortly after working with Ken he got to like him, but was not aloud to tell his friends because Jay thought he would get made fun of. When Gordy found out he told Jay he was fine with Ken and told him about their big plans to go the major league Baseball team.

Missing in Action is filled with a lot of sadness and suspense. I never knew that a book could make you tear up..... but i did.

Jay is pictured as a Navajo aka an Indian. He was always asked the same thing anytime he met someone new. “What are you?” “What?” “Are you indian?” “Not exactly!” Jay’s father was Indian so he is only half Indian.

There were many amazing things about the book but many not useful parts. In the book Jay has many flashbacks about the same things but in a different point of view. In another part they keep describing what the farm looked like and the types of trees that were at the location where the story was taking place.

The lesson i got out of this book is to not take advantage of ANYTHING! You need to be grateful for what you have because it may not be there forever. Jays dad was sent to war. He was on a boat that was shot down...... So Jay claims his dad is “Missing in Action.” Is he held captive or is he dead?

[Grossmatthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the book was amazing it was one of the best books i have read in my whole life. Jay thacker is is a kid who likes to play ball, his dads off fighting in the war and they haven't heard from him in awhile. Everyone says that hes dead but jay thinks hes a prisnor in war. He and just moved to a small town in Utah and he doesn't have many friends. One night he is a a baseball field watching some kids his age playing some ball, one kid was trash talking the other teams pitcher. The kid yelled to jay if he wanted to play with them and jay accepted the invite. He played right field with another kid.he played the whole game with the kids and he started to be there friends. that is just a sneak peak at the book if you want the rest you will have to read it for yourself. I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars I gave it 4 stars because I liked the book a lot but it could have had more detail in some areas of the book. This book is one of the best books i have read, having his farther in war was a big detail in the book because he prayed every night that his dad would come home. Jay having no friends to start off with was also good because by the end of the book he was friends with all the kids in town. Jays mom told him that his dad would be coming home and stuff like that but the truth is his dad beat him all the time and they got in to a lot of arguments but his mom stuck with him for some reason. His dad got drunk almost every night but when he left to join the navy his mother started to drink and that made him mad. His mother eventually stopped and that made him happy his grandfather was also happy too. Jay turned out to be a great ball player his hitting got better and hi fielding did too.

[Melanie H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jay Thacker and his mom have left Salt Lake City and moved to Delta, Utah to live with his mom's parents. His father left for the war with the Navy and is officially Missing in Action. Jay is convinced his father will return and doesn't understand why his mother isn't as positive and won't pray as much as he does.

Jay is part Navajo and is often judged for it. When he finds a group of boys in the neighborhood who play baseball, he warily joins the group. The boys give him a hard time at first but eventually learn to just accept him. But then Jay is asked to work on his grandfathers farm with Ken, a young Japanese-American man who helps with the day to day chores of the farm. Jay has to overcome many of his own prejudices to finally become comfortable working with Ken. They become friends after awhile.

When the other boys find out that Jay is friends with a "Jap" they aren't as accepting. Jay has to find a way to be who he is and deal with the negativity around him.

[Patti Sabik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moving provides Jay’s an opportunity to change his identity, but unfortunately he still has to deal with his Navajo heritage stigma, his dad missing in action on the pacific front, and challenges with Ken a new friend from the Japanese internment camp.
I found this book quite slow and difficult to plow through. I was expecting to read more about WWII, the home front, and possibly about life on a Japanese internment camp. Instead, the book was extremely baseball heavy so most of the “action” revolved around the sport. Bullying, racism and tolerance were central themes with a common denominator being baseball. I was intrigued to see two different covers for this book; one emphasizing the soldier and one with the son in baseball gear prominently in the foreground. Apparently I wasn't the only one to view this book to be more appropriate for sports enthusiasts than those interested in WWII historical fiction. All-in-all a decent read, but quiet and reflective.