Books with author Dean Hughes

From the author of Soldier Boys and Search and Destroy comes an “immersive and inspirational” (Booklist, starred review) page-turner based on the little-known history of the Japanese Americans who fought with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II.Yuki Nakahara is an American. But it’s the start of World War II, and America doesn’t see it that way. Like many other Japanese Americans, Yuki and his family have been forced into an internment camp in the Utah desert. But Yuki isn’t willing to sit back and accept this injustice—it’s his country too, and he’s going to prove it by enlisting in the army to fight for the Allies. When Yuki and his friend Shig ship out, they aren’t prepared for the experiences they’ll encounter as members of the “Four-Four-Two,” a segregated regiment made up entirely of Japanese-American soldiers. Before Yuki returns home—if he returns home—he’ll come face to face with persistent prejudices, grueling combat he never imagined, and friendships deeper than he knew possible.

Spencer Morgan And Dieter Hedrick Are On Opposite Sides Of The War And Fighting For The Same Thing. At the age of fifteen, Dieter's blind devotion gets him promoted from Hitler Youth into the German army. Dieter's determined to prove his allegiance and bravery all costs. Spence, just sixteen, drops out of his Utah high school to begin training as a paratrooper. He's seen how boys who weren't much in high school can come home heroes, and Spence wants to prove to his friends and family that he really can be something. Their worst fear was that the war would end too soon -- that they wouldn't get the chance to prove themselves. But when they finally see the action they were hoping for, it's like nothing they could have ever imagined.

RICK WARD WANTS TO GO TO WAR. And he's not sure why. Maybe he's running from his dad and his crazy temper. Maybe he's running from his girl, who seems to think he's more of a joke than a man. Or maybe he's just running -- to find himself. But after Rick ventures into the Vietnam jungle, he discovers that no one -- not protestors, politicians, or writers -- has got a clue. War is far bigger, scarier, and more complicated than anything he ever could have imagined.

Spencer Morgan And Dieter Hedrick, one American, one German, are both young and eager to get into action in the war. Dieter, a shining member of the Hitler Youth movement, has actually met the Führer himself and was praised for his hard work. Now he is determined to make it to the front lines, to push back the enemy and defend the honor of the Fatherland.Spencer, just sixteen, must convince his father to sign his induction papers. He is bent on becoming a paratrooper -- the toughest soldiers in the world. He will prove to his family and hometown friends that he is more than the little guy with crooked teeth. He?ll prove to his father that he can amount to something and keep his promises. Everyone will look at him differently when he returns home in his uniform, trousers tucked into his boots in the paratrooper style.Both boys get their wishes when they are tossed into intense conflict during the Battle of the Bulge. And both soon learn that war is about a lot more than proving oneself and one?s bravery. Dean Hughes offers young readers a wrenching look at parallel lives and how innocence must eventually be shed.

From the author of Soldier Boys and Search and Destroy comes an “immersive and inspirational” (Booklist, starred review) page-turner based on the little-known history of the Japanese Americans who fought with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II.Yuki Nakahara is an American. But it’s the start of World War II, and America doesn’t see it that way. Like many other Japanese Americans, Yuki and his family have been forced into an internment camp in the Utah desert. But Yuki isn’t willing to sit back and accept this injustice—it’s his country too, and he’s going to prove it by enlisting in the army to fight for the Allies. When Yuki and his friend Shig ship out, they aren’t prepared for the experiences they’ll encounter as members of the “Four-Four-Two,” a segregated regiment made up entirely of Japanese-American soldiers. Before Yuki returns home—if he returns home—he’ll come face to face with persistent prejudices, grueling combat he never imagined, and friendships deeper than he knew possible.

Dirty. Lazy. Good-for-nothing. Jay Thacker is used to being called names because his dad is half Navajo. But things are different after he and his mother move to a small town in Utah to stay with his grandparents during WWII. Jay makes friends and earns money working the fields for his well-respected grandfather—but he encounters a problem in Ken, a fellow worker who’s from the nearby Japanese internment camp. Ken’s a Jap. And Jay’s dad, who’s been fighting for the navy out in the Pacific, is missing in action. This moving story about an unlikely friendship deftly addresses themes of prejudice and intolerance, providing readers a glimpse of the past that enlightens the present.

A boy discovers the complexities of conflict in this fast-paced and thoughtful look at the Vietnam War from the acclaimed author of Soldier Boys and Missing in Action.Rick Ward wants to go to war.And he’s not sure why. Maybe he’s running from his dad and his crazy temper. Maybe he’s running from his girl, who seems to think he’s more of a joke than a man. Or maybe he’s just running—to find himself.After basic training, Rick enlists with the Charlie Rangers, a special unit that ambushes the enemy in secret jungle raids. It is the most dangerous front line duty, and Rick’s six-man team will experience everything from horrifying enemy encounters to mourning the death of a comrade.Rick will discover that no one—not protestors, politicians, or writers—has got a clue. And he will see that war is far bigger, scarier, and more complicated than anything he ever could have imagined.

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.

This tense and thought-provoking World War II story, from the acclaimed author of Missing in Action and Search and Destroy, examines what it truly means to be a hero.Spencer Morgan and Dieter Hedrick are on opposite sides of the war, but they’re fighting for the same things: honor and respect.At the age of fifteen, Dieter’s blind devotion gets him promoted from Hitler Youth into the German army. Dieter is determined to prove his allegiance and bravery all costs.Spence, just sixteen, drops out of his Utah high school to begin training as a paratrooper. He’s seen how boys who weren’t much in high school can come home heroes, and Spence wants to prove to his friends and family that he really can be something. Both Spence and Dieter fear the war will end too soon—that they won’t get the chance to prove themselves. But when they finally see the action they were hoping for, it’s like nothing they ever could have imagined.

Three tense, action-packed, and thought-provoking war stories from acclaimed author Dean Hughes are together for the first time in a collectible boxed set.In Soldier Boys, Spencer Morgan and Dieter Hedrick are on opposite sides of World War II and fighting for the same thing. Search and Destroy finds Rick Ward enlisting with the Charlie Rangers special unit in Vietnam. He wanted to go to war—but this war is far bigger, scarier, and more complicated than anything he ever could have imagined. And in Missing in Action, Jay Thacker works hard to convince everyone, and maybe even himself, that his dad—who is missing in action as he fights in World War II—is really a POW and military hero, and not gone forever. These three stand-alone stories take a searing look at war and its consequences, examining what it means to be a hero, what it means to be a friend, and what it means to be a man.