This book, "Operation: Happy" by Jenni L. Walsh is one that many homeschool parents may want to consider adding to their libraries. Based on a true story of a miliary Marine family, this historical fiction portrays events from the attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor to how a family dealt with the aftermath of the attack and being separated from the father for safety during the war. The dog, Happy's perspective is a welcome relief from some of the hard subjects that are dealt with by the main character Jody.

Jody and her family go through a lot. From the air raid drills that the residents living near Pearl Harbor had to go through since the military was aware that an attack from Japan may happen, the actual attack on Pearl Harbor and the depression that the mother dealt with after her and the girls needed to evacuate for safety to San Francisco, the book deals with many tough subjects.

This part is a spoiler, but something I feel important for parents to know especially for younger, sensitive readers. The older daughter is attacked by a man in the building they are living in while in San Francisco but the dog Happy stops it before it gets too far. The details are not graphic and Jody is there to witness it, but this prompts Jody into looking for a safer place to live since neither the mom or sister are able to cope with this and for Jody to call her father who helps in getting his family moved to a safer place. These events do affect the children and their feelings are explored in the book.

The description states this is for 8-12 but I think I'd wait until 11+ before I'd let my daughter read this one because some of these subjects will prompt difficult conversations. Every family is different though so parents should be aware of the content for discussions prior to letting their children read this one. I do highly recommend the book and will want my daughter to read this when she is older.

Thank you to Zonderkids fiction and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook. All opinions expressed are my own.

I have a special place in my heart for good children's historical fiction, and this was especially fantastic and unique because it talked about events surrounding WWII and Pearl Harbor from the perspective of a dog and his little girl. Inspired by the true story of a Pearl Harbor survivor, we follow Jody and Happy as they flee danger and end up in San Francisco. Unfortunately, the father cannot come yet, her mother is depressed, and Jody is worried about her family staying together.
We hear the story from both Jody and Happy, and the narrator does a great job voicing the emotions that go along with so much fear and stress while staying hopeful. This was an excellent book, and the author is even considerate enough to let us know that nothing bad happens to Happy in the story. Thanks so much to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook.

A middle grade historical fiction novel that would be a great addition to a classroom or school library. There are heavy topics so I would be cautious with younger readers. Jody and her dog happy face a lot of trials as their home of Pearl Harbor is bombed and they are faced with moving away from their father for safety reasons. A beautiful story of perseverance.

Based on actual events of a middle school age girl is on base during the Pearl Harbor attack. Her father's military background helps provide the courage and strength the family needed during this challenging part of her life.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. Very well done with two narrators, Gail Shalan and Brian Holden.

Wow! Jenni L. Walsh has written over a dozen other books. I'll have to check out some additional books she has written! This was my first book by her.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Zonderkidz for approving my request to listen to the advance listen copy of Operation Happy in exchange for an honest review. Publication date is 02 April 2024.

If you read a middlegrade book this year I highly suggest this one. It was filled with laughter, sadness and adventure plus had a dogs POV. This book is one even adults would enjoy. I listened to the audiobook version and loved the narration of the story.

This was such a cute book. The narrator was fabulous and thought she added a lot to the story. I read a lot of books set in WW2 but very few from the perspective of a little girl and her dog. I devoured it and will recommend it to both younger and adult aged readers.

Operation: Happy by Jenni L. Walsh is a moving historical fiction about family, home, and the comfort of friendship with a good dog. Based on the real-life story of Joan Zuber Earl, the details included in this story are so incredibly vivid and transport the reader completely into the story. It is geared towards a middle-grade audience but is also an excellent read for adults. A perfect read for April, the month of the military child.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Zonderkids for providing me with an advanced audio copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

This was a sad story about a young girl who is given far more than any young child should deal with. I'm glad the author decided to add Happy despite the omission of him from history. He added some much appreciated levity.

I will be buying a copy of this book when it comes out! The historical aspect of this accompanied by the perspective of Happy the dog, made a heart wrenching time in history a little more relatable for students in today’s world.

Based on a true story of a young girl in WWII who experienced Pearl Harbor, it opened my eyes to the others on the island that were significantly impacted by the war. I found myself listening and feeling every emotion of the main character. Even as she navigated her mother’s depression, I was impressed by Jodie’s resiliency aided by her dog.

This is a book worthy of a spot on the bookshelf of a middle school classroom teacher!

✨Review✨

On our road trip down to Florida for spring break we listened to this audiobook and wow! It was so good. I highly recommend this for elementary and middle school students and classes who are learning about WWll and Pearl Harbor. It’s from a perspective of a child whose father served and their family was there on the island at the time of the attack. It broke my heart to see it from a child’s point of view and what their family went through. I learned so much of what families went through, and after the attack what happened to families. The chapters go back and forth from the little girls perspective, and the dogs perspective who saw the family from another light. The dad getting sent after the attack, the family relocating back to the states, the mom going through a depression, trying to get back on their feet, and just the processing of what happened. As an adult I so enjoyed this. My kids asked lots of questions and it was a fun way to introduce a little of that and have some great conversations. It came out April 1st. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you @netgalley @zonderkidz and @jennilwalsh for this advance copy! #netgalley #zonderkidzbooks #jennilwalsh

This book was incredible! This book is for all ages. I was inspired by Jody and her perseverance. What she went through, and knowing it was based on a real story that I immediately looked up during the author note

Christmas a few years prior to the main part of the story, Jody got an amazing dog name Happy.
Jody is the younger daughter in a military family that just got moved to Pearl Harbor in 1940., Her mom was ansty and didn’t want to be there, she had a bad gut feeling and started to prepare in anyway she knew how. Pearl Harbor happened and the war started. Jody, her sister Peggy and Happy got moved around a lot sometimes with and sometimes without adults. Until they landed in a forever place but then had to handle the difficulty of not being on a battlefield anymore.

I honestly can’t think of anything that I didn’t like about this book.

Dog POV 5 stars
Sisters supporting each other 5 stars
Asking for help and being strong enough to accept it 5 stars

Operation: Happy is based on the true story of a Pearl Harbor survivor's time on the island during the 1941 bombing. Each time Jody and her family move to a different military base, she makes a list of things she wants to accomplish in order to feel more at home in her new location. Shortly after arriving at Pearl Harbor, she learns that her beloved dog Happy is getting older. Jody is now on a mission to get through a bucket list of things to do with Happy before he gets too old to do them. She calls this Operation: Happy.

When Pearl Harbor is bombed, Jody, her mother, and her sister must move to San Francisco while her dad stays behind on Pearl Harbor. Without her father, her mother enters a deep depression. Can Jodi and Happy keep the family afloat until they are reunited with her father?

This is a dual narrative told by both Jody and Happy. The audiobook has both a female and male narrator that handled the parts well. Although the chapters dealing with Jody's mother's depression were pretty bleak, I enjoyed the story. It's a good piece of historical fiction to add to middle-grade libraries.

Thanks to Zonderkidz and NetGalley for a review copy of this audiobook.

I was a bit scared to read this book, and I still don't think I can quite give it to my sensitive 12 year old after reading it, since I felt uncomfortable myself with some of the content. This is about a family that survives Pearl Harbour, gets separated from their Marine father, and moves to San Francisco. They are held together by 11 year old Jodi and her dog Happy (who narrates some of the book). I LOVED the relationship between Jodi and her dog and the growing relationship between Jodi and her sister Peggy. The description of life in Hawaii was great too. Overall though, even though I'm sure it was highly accurate, there was a bit too much sadness and lack of parental care in this book to make it recommendable to a younger audience, in my opinion.

Operation: Happy is a touching story about a family and their experiences during Pearl Harbour. Jody and her family are living in Hawaii as the attacks take place. The fear and trauma associated with that time follows them through their journey to survive then and afterwards. Through all her troubles, Jody has the love of her dog, Happy. This book is great and depicts clearly the event in history as well as the effects it had on families.

YouTube Review: 04/10/24
YouTube Handle: KeenCat

Operation Happy is such a delight to read. It warms the heart while at the same time keeping you intrigued throughout the story to always need to hear what happens next. The main perspective is Jodi, the daughter of a marine with occasional second perspective chapters from the point of view of her partially blind dog, Happy. Jodi and her family have recently moved to Ford Island in 1941. The story takes you through trials that a family goes through from the effects of the war. Many things I had never considered before. Jodi always creates a list of things that make her happy about each new area her military family moves to, but here has decided to create a new list, Operation Happy, fun things that Jodi and Happy can do together to distract them from the awfulness of the effects of war. Jodi is an amazing young lady with determination and grit. Operation Happy is heartbreaking and heartwarming in various parts. I loved this story! It felt so real from both perspectives. Such a joy to see how a dog can bring strength, comfort, and happiness through all aspects of life. It also shows in a very real way how it is ok and necessary for us to seek help when life is too much. I listened to the audiobook, which was very well done. I enjoyed the voices of both Jodi and Happy and was always disappointed when I had to turn it off if something else required my attention. This is a historical fiction that will make an amazing edition to any library, whether that be at home or school or traditional library.

This is a historical fiction without feeling like trauma 24/7. It does a good job of presenting what it is like to be a part of a military family during times of war. It does discuss Pearl Harbor with some details. I do think some others do it better, but I think this really gives an idea of how it impacted the daily lives of people. This does a good job of showing what it is like to deal with absent parents or parents dealing with mental health issues. The dog inclusion is sweet- kids will like the chapters from his POV. I think this could work well as a read aloud for upper elementary/lower middle

This was such a heart warming story about a girl and her dog during WWII. I loved the dual POVs of 12 year old Jody and her dog, Happy. Although the narrators were good I didn’t feel like they made the story better and I think I would have preferred to read the physical book. But my kids and I both really enjoyed this story and learning more about this time in history. I loved Jody and Happys relationship and their lists. I felt like the author did a great job at dealing with tough subjects like the bombing of Pearl Harbor, deployment of a parent, and depression. Definitely recommend this as a family read aloud.

The audiobook for Operation Happy is very well done and engaging. The author's note is a wonderful addition as the reader learns that the story is based on a real girl who went through the events at Pearl Harbor.
The different voices are distinctive enough that the characters are brought to life.
The chapters from Happy, the senior retired military dog's point if view are narrated by a male voice in 3rd person.
The story is quite tense and stressful and this emotion is very well communicated by the narrator's performance.
The author makes sure to let the reader know that the dog will not die which is helpful and much appreciated by those who are more sensitive readers but there are some other events that occur that are of a sensitive nature.
Overall it is a wonderfully done audiobook.

Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read it!

This was a unique perspective of the difficult times surrounding WW2. Following a young girl in a military family from the lead up to the bombing of Pearl Harbor all the way through the months after the USA entered the war brought many scary moments for the main character who despite all the stuff happening in the world just wanted to be a kid. The connection to Happy the dog with the chapters from his perspective really pulled this story together.

Audio format 🎧. This is a middle grade historical fiction book about WWII and the attack on Pearl Harbour. Despite the content this was a fantastic and charming book.

What I liked:
Narration was excellent!
Alternating points of view from Happy the dog and the main character
Age appropriate telling of the horrific story of Pearl Harbour
The two plots of escaping from Hawaii and the Happy the dog plot wove together wonderfully.

Warnings (there’s nothing I didn’t like about this book but a few warnings)
The content of this book could be too much for the intended audience. The talk of war and bombs etc might not be right for all readers. Additionally the mother experiences depression/PTSD and there is also an assault referenced. While all of this is told with age appropriate tones I feel it could be triggering or not appropriate for sensitive middle graders

I give this book a 5/5.

Thanks to Net Galley and Zonderkidz for providing me with the audio version of this book!