It's hard to believe anyone could could get so worked up over a doll that represents a country! Being one of the children with WW2 or Korean War dads. But our dads brought home souvenirs from Japan, Europe, Korea, etc... As much as Americans may have hated the "enemy", they never seemed to have qualms about souvenirs brought home from those places. I had dolls not only from Germany, but from Japan, as well, and no one thought boo about them in the late 50's, early 60's. Even during Viet Nam, friends older brothers sent home gifts from there and no one cared. Maybe WW2 opinion in the western states was different. Anyway, that was off the beaten path...
I thought the story was interesting enough to look up the dolls. I am glad many survived to the present day. Who knows, the missing dolls may well even show up sometime! I enjoyed the story, itself, and think it would be a fine read for 6th grade up. Maybe even a reader in 5th grade might enjoy it!

I liked this book. It was a slice of prejudice against objects that is not always seen. The emotional ties to items which to the characters represented a cherished loved one was an interesting observation. I found the book entertaining and thoughtful.

I think the book will be of interest only to those who are following the series. During the first three-quarters of the book, I found myself mildly interested with a feeling that the plot was in place for the purpose of teaching history. The last quarter was much better with a good twist at the end. Because of its limited appeal, I will not be writing a blog about it.

Prior to reading Dolls of War, I had never heard of the friendship dolls. I have to say that I found the whole thing fascinating and started doing some research of my own. It turns out Japan sent 58 friendship dolls to the United States in 1927. Of those 58, 45 remain. The majority of the dolls are in museums. Of the more than 12,000 dolls America sent to Japan in 1926, less than 350 survived WWII. Most of those are now in museums as well.

Dolls of War is a bit insular in its telling, focusing mainly on Macy and Miss Tokyo and the area in which Macy lives. The book touches a bit on Japanese internment camps, and people taking things that belonged to their Japanese neighbors, but doesn’t delve too deeply.

Instead, there’s an undercurrent of fear and hate — something that must have been terrifying for young children. Author Shirley Parenteau does a fantastic job showing this through Macy’s eyes. The thought of children running around the schoolyard and shooting down pretend Japanese airplanes is chilling.

Parenteau also delves into daily life during war. She really makes you understand what it was like living with the rationing and blackout requirements of the time.

Shirley Parenteau has written two more books about the dolls — Ship of Dolls and Dolls of Hope — set in 1920s America and Japan respectively. They are both now on my to-read list, as is Kirby Larson’s The Friendship Doll, which is set in the same time period. I’m hoping that Parenteau has a sequel to Dolls of War set in Japan in the works. I’m sure it would be an equally captivating read.

Dolls of War

by Shirley Parenteau

Candlewick Press

Candlewick



Children's Fiction

Pub Date 14 Nov 2017

I am reviewing a copy of Dolls Of War Through Candlewick Press and Netgalley:

It’s 1941 Macy James is eleven and lives off the Oregon Coast with her Father who directs a museum. One of her most prized possessions is the Miss Tokyo Doll She cherishes. It is part of the museums collection, and a connection to her Mother who had just passed away. Mid Tokyo is one of fifty eight beautiful friendship dolls given to American Children by Japan in 1926.

After the Japanese Bomb Pearl Harbor everything changes. Her neighbors demand Miss Tokyo be destroyed, but Macy made a promise to her Mother while she was dying, she would keep the doll safe. Against her Father’s wishes she hides Miss Tokyo to keep her safe. When her brother joins the Navy Macy starts having doubts can being loyal to Miss Tokyo mean she is disloyal to America?

Will Macy be able to save the doll, while remaining a loyal American, or will she have to let Miss Tokyo go? Find out in Dolls Of Wars!

Five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

When I first saw this book it reminded me a little of the American Girl Books I read growing up. It's a little like them in the sense that it's a book of light (though not necessarily in subject matter) historical children's fiction. In the book, Macy--whose mother recently passed away from cancer--is horrified by the bombing of Pearl Harbor. But equally horrifying, is her small town's reaction. Her fellow students and townspeople decide to destroy everything Japanese, and when they discover that Macy is protecting Miss Tokyo, the museum's beautiful Friendship Doll sent over by the children of Japan years prior, their anger is shocking and violent. As Macy's brother and his best friend enlist and the war seems to grow ever closer, Macy is increasingly determined to protect the doll, risking friendships and her own safety to do so. But when tragedy strikes, and her feelings for Miss Tokyo become more complicated, she'll have to remember why protecting the doll was so important in the first place.

Overall, I thought it was a cute children's book that explored an interesting and little-known anecdote from the second world war. It had a bit of a slow beginning, but picked up as things went along. I was disappointed that--since the book was dealing so heavily with American feelings toward Japan during WWII--it didn't delve more into the Japanese internment camps. It did mention them a few times, but there is so much terrible and often unacknowledged history around internment camps in the US that I was a little disappointed that this book seemed to almost touch the issue without really diving in. It's a children's book sure, and that wasn't the story it was interested in telling, but I still thought it could've done a better job with that.