Operation: Happy by Jenni Walsh

In 1940, Jody and her military family move, again, to the base at Pearl Harbor. While there is much to enjoy about living in Hawaii, there are also many hard realities of living during a war on a naval base. Jody’s family lives through the attack on Pearl Harbor, but now she has to leave the island without her father who has to stay behind. With her dog, Happy, by her side, how will Jody navigate this new situation?

Some chapters are written from Jody’s perspective, and some are written in the third person, but essentially from Happy’s perspective.

Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Read Aloud: Ages 9 and up

This middle-grade novel is engaging, well-written, and tackles tough subjects. If you are looking for a lighthearted and fun read, this probably isn’t the book for you. However, if your child is drawn to stories of courage, strife, and resilience, this could be a good choice. I have a child that likes to have a good cry over a book, and she loved this title. As noted earlier, this isn’t a book that shies away from hard topics, including a child’s perspective of living through the Pearl Harbor attack. Jody’s mom also spirals into depression when they have to leave the island without her husband. The cover perhaps is a bit misleading in the tone of the book as you see Jody and Happy looking at each other in a sweet and smiling way.

If you are looking for a book to introduce the realities of war without being too scaring, this book could also be a good choice. While it contains heavy themes, your child will not have to endure the loss of any characters. Overall, this book will appeal most to animal lovers who can endure darker stories that aren’t tied up neatly in a bow at the end.

Language: 
dumb, shut it, dang, my God, crappy are each used once
Jody mentions Happy’s dog poop a couple of times
Happy “upchucked on the boat”
Mom stops her sentence before an obvious swear word
Jody mutters a “cuss that’d normally have Mom putting soap in my mouth as a punishment”

Questionable Behaviors: 
Jody eavesdrops on her parents’ conversation
Peggy and Jody both lie to their parents once and Jody lies to a stranger once
Peggy lies about drinking coffee
Jody describes delighting in Peggy’s jealously as “a little wicked witch coming out of me too”
Peggy and Jody fear they will be taken from their mom, and devise and carry out a plan to deceive their teacher into believing someone else is their mom

Sexual Content:
Jody’s older sister has a crush on two different boys

Other Things to Note:
A man’s tattoo is mentioned
It is noted that Mom and Dad do not sleep in the same room because Dad snores
Jody’s mom is convinced they are in danger in Pearl Harbor because of a dream she had
There is a lot of chaos and (obviously) bombing during the attack on Pearl Harbor. During that time, Jody and Peggy have to load machine guns and belts.
Cigarettes are mentioned

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