Jody is used to moving around. It’s just part of being a military kid. And it’s especially difficult during war time. Just as she is getting settled in one location, she and her family are relocated to a small town called Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. While Jody and her sister are super excited to explore the new island, their mom has a really bad feeling about this move. But Jody is in luck– her parents have agreed to let them have a dog. Happy, a former combat dog, needs a new family as he can’t do his job anymore. It’s the perfect match. Unfortunately, Mom was right and this new assignment brings the war right to Jody‘s backyard.

The audiobook version of this book has two great narrators. The book is written from the perspectives of Jody and Happy, the dog. I am not usually one for flipping back-and-forth between perspectives, but I tend to find audiobooks make it a little easier, especially when multiple narrators are used. I loved the uniqueness of hearing from the dog, but I kind of wish it had, from his perspective, meaning it was told in first person. It doesn’t detract from the story a lot, but I think it would have elevated the book even more. The book could be split up into three parts – before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the attack, and the after. I really liked hearing the story during the second part, but I do wish it had been a little more in-depth and longer. They leave the island fairly soon after the attack and I wish I could have read a little more about the experience of what would have happened afterwards. The least developed part was the third section. I felt a lot more could have been written about the way Japanese Americans were being treated after the attack. I do like how Jody recognized this issue, but I feel like more of the story could have been explored. Overall, I thought it was a really great historical fiction book and such a unique twist, telling it from the perspective of a child.

This is a hard yet sweet story. I did find that it lacked focus on the focal point of the story. If it were longer or even broken up into multiple books, I feel this story could have been more seamless but I would have preferred more in depth time spent in Pearl Harbor and dealing with its aftermath. The relationship between Happy and his girl was very sweet and a great plot to compliment such a dark setting.
Rating: 2.5

This kid’s novel is based on a true story and memoir from a girl who lived through Pearl Harbor. Very unique as you don’t hear war stories from a kid’s perspective very often.

The audio was well done with chapters going back and forth between Jody and her dog. I really wish the dog’s POV was in 1st person though like Jody’s. I feel like it would have added so much to the story!

The story brings out important facts like Pearl Harbor was already preparing for war and a possible attack, how Japanese-Americans were treated, etc. Her journey takes her back to California to be safer while they wait for their dad. The author delicately handles a mom who is in shock and not caring for her children. I presume this is all true to the real story.

I plan to listen again with my kids maybe in the next year. There are some heavier themes, but I think this will initiate some great conversations. I also believe knowing this history is so important!!

Overall 4 🌟
Recommend for ages 10-12+

⚠️One moment of possible assault, but Jody steps in.
⚠️ Couple mild slang words.

Thank you to NetGalley for access to this audiobook!

In a Nutshell: A middle-grade historical fiction about a little girl’s experiences during and after the events of Pearl Harbor. Based on a true story. A bit too dark for the age group, but a good read for those who can handle it.

Plot Preview:
1940. Jody is excited when her father is transferred to a small naval base in Pearl Harbor. She always creates a “top ten” list for every new home her military family moves to, but this time, the excitement is greater as it is the first time she will have her wonderful pet, an ex-military sentry dog named Happy, by her side. When Jody learns that Happy is slowing down, she resolves to do as many fun things as she can in the time she has left with him. However, this plan is affected when her mother has some ominous feelings about the island. When her worst fears come true, Jody’s father needs to stay behind but the rest of the family (Jody, her mom and her elder sister Peggy) is evacuated to San Francisco, which will bring new challenges in their lives.
The story comes to us in Jody’s first person perspective, with some chapters from Happy’s third person pov.

Bookish Yays:
🐶 I was thankful for the small note at the start, telling us that Happy will be fine during the story. We dog lovers want doggies to be safe and “happy” even in fiction.
🐶 Jody’s perspective is exactly as a child would sound like when excited or worried or determined. I liked her character, and felt sad at how the two main adults in her life failed her.
🐶 Happy is excellent. I love how his confusion at human vocabulary and his fondness for silly words is included in his narration, as well as his propensity to copy the way Jody talks. I wish there had been even more chapters from his view. Dogs make every book brighter, and Happy is no exception. I am glad the author made this fictional addition to a factual story.
🐶 Appreciate the realistic representation of the lives of military families, the focus on how scary wartime can be for children and animals, and the mention of the bias against Japanese Americans after the Pearl Harbor attack.
🐶 Loved the pun in the title. Happy is an operation as well as the pet dog's name. Thus, ‘Operation: Happy’ includes fun activities with Happy the dog as well as Jody’s elaborate attempt to maintain a happy face while their domestic situation was crumbling.

Bookish Mixed Bags:
🐾 The book can be divided into three distinct parts: pre, during and post Pearl Harbor. The pre-attack section was my favourite. The second section didn’t take that many chapters but it was still well written, though a bit traumatising to read. However, the final section that’s set in San Francisco didn’t work that well for me. It went a bit haywire by trying to cover too much. The result felt cluttered.
🐾 The story isn't entirely happy unlike what the title and the cover suggest, covering quite a few sad themes that aren’t often a part of middle-grade fiction. Some of the more triggering topics are depression, war-related trauma, and sexual assault. I felt like the book went overboard with the misery, especially in the post-Pearl Harbor section, but the author’s note reveals that the story is based on true incidents written in the memoir by Pearl Harbor survivor Joan Zuber Earle. This memoir, while speaking about the children during the war, aimed at adults. So it could get away with darker content. But as this book is aimed at middle-graders, I am not sure if it works as effectively.
🐾 While we know that there is a 1.5 years gap between Jodi and her elder sister Peggy, their actual ages (12 and 13 respectively) aren’t revealed until the 87% mark. This left me quite uncertain for most of the book as I couldn’t understand if the character depiction was realistic or not.
🐾 I thought the story might stop at exploring the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, but it goes a year beyond. This means that the ending isn’t exactly the end of the war, but the end of Jody’s struggles. I did like this ending, but I am not sure if I like a book to stop in between a major war.

🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at close to 5 hours, is narrated by Gail Shalan and Brian Holden. Both the narrators were exceptional. After the first chapter, I actually googled to see if Gail Shalan was a tween/teen-aged narrator, because she was so good at voicing Jody. Her exuberant narration was perfect. Brian Holden was somewhat overshadowed but that’s also because he had to voice only Happy while Gail voiced a variety of characters. But his rendition of Happy was spot on. If your child listens to audiobooks, this would be a fabulous one, as long as they are okay with the sadder themes.

All in all, it’s not like I hated anything about the book. However, the book contains many incidents that could be a tad too upsetting for the target age group, even though the writing approaches the content delicately.

Recommended, but with hesitation. I don’t feel comfortable advocating it to younger middle-graders. Maybe it would work better for younger teens, children aged 11-14. Discretion advised before handing the book to sensitive children. But if you do opt to give this a go, the audiobook is a great option.

3.5 stars, rounding up for the audio version.

My thanks to Zonderkidz and NetGalley for the ALC of “Operation: Happy”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

***AUDIO BOOK VERSION***
Operation: Happy is an engaging and relaxing historical fiction audio book based on a true story.
We follow two POV; Jody whos twelve-years-old, and her dog Happy. Happy came to love with Jody and her family after being retired as a military dog. The family travel around alot due to her father being in the Marines. Set during the time of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, we follow this family through their experience of the attack and being narrated from two different points of view; a human and an animal, was really captivating and unique.
The first part of the book is their life before the attack, and the second part is the attack and the aftermath.
I thought it was fantastic at the beginning of the book that the author/narrator let's the listener know that Happy doesn't die as that would have been very traumatic for even myself as an adult to have read through. This was a beautifully told story and very eye opening to what the children, families and even animals were subjected to during this war.

4.75⭐️

Wow! This was such an amazing story. Listening to this as an audio book added a lot for me and the story also. Heartwarming, heart-wrenching. I smiled, I cried, I gasped, I felt all the emotions throughout this story with Jody and Happy. Would absolutely recommend to anyone and everyone.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley & Zonderkidz for allowing me to listen to this on audiobook for free! All opinions are my own:) The publication for this has already passed & I’m so grateful they still let me have the arc after the date!

I cherished every moment of this touching middle-grade tale. The WWII setting captivated me, and it was a unique experience to delve into a children's book that explores the tribulations of a family affected by war, including the events at Pearl Harbor and their subsequent evacuation to California. The focus on Jody and her dog (rest assured, all ends well with him) added a personal touch. The story completely absorbed me, stirring a multitude of emotions as I listened to the excellently narrated audiobook.

This is such a hard review to write. On one hand, as an adult, I actually loved this story! But as a parent, I can't imagine reading this with my young kids and that breaks my heart since the story was so good. Based on a true story of a Pearl Harbor survivor that was a child at the time, it includes their story of struggling with the coming war, bombing, depression with mom, moving across the ocean, a near rape, bullying, kids having to fend for themselves while trying not to get taken from their mom, etc. Many heavy topics for kids! Would definitely pre-read and read/listen together with older kids.

I loved reading this story! It was so different from what is on the kids fiction shelves. This story takes place during Pearl Harbor. This family was living in Hawaii and moves to California to be safer. All while one of the kids in the family have a new dog that used to be a working dog. I fell in love with these characters very quickly. It was cool to see the different chapters - one her side, the next the dogs perspective. As I was reading it seemed to be going to a sad ending but it pulled through in the end. It really was a great story. The best part is that this was based on a true story and that there is even more to the story if the reader wanted to keep it going. I gave it 4 stars because it was such a great story, great characters, great morals but I couldn't give it that last star because it ended very abruptly. I wanted it to be tied with a bow at that end but it left open ends. Granted that is so you go read her true story its based on but I really wish it wrapped up here too.

I had to wait until the next day to post my review because of how much this book left me to process. I went into this story naively thinking that I would be crying the most with the possibility of Happy the dog dying. I was hooked from the beginning and I could not stop listening. The narrators did an amazing job, I felt like I was really immersed in the story. I loved that this book includes POVs from Jodie and Happy. This story deals with heavy subjects like depression and assault. I was sobbing before I was even finished listening to this story.

It follows Jodie( a 12 year old girl), her doggie best friend Happy, and her family. They have always been a military family moving from place to place and this time they are led to Hawaii during World War 2. At first, everything is as normal as it can be until they start to realize war is much closer than they thought it could be. Life changes drastically after the events of Pearl Harbor and the family is left to deal with their PTSD.

This book was not what I expected but I ended up loving it even more. I never looked too much into Pearl Harbor but after this book, I am left with the thirst to learn more. I would highly recommend for everyone middle grade and up to read. I will definitely be purchasing a copy!

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this audiobook.

This is a beautiful historical fiction novel about a girl and her dog during WWII. Happy is a retired military working dog who finds himself in the service of protecting his new charge: Jody. Jody is new to Pearl Harbor and this dog is her wish come true. Jody has always made lists to cope with life. And with Happy and Hawaiian air, she starts a new bucket list. Hawaii seems to be the most perfect paradise ever. Jody has the best schedule: Happy walks Jody to school, he hangs out with her at her lunch and afternoon nap and walks her home. They explore the island. Things seem to be going pretty well.. until Jody's mom starts doom prepping. Jody and her sister Peggy grow more and more concerned with their mom's behavior and their dad's absences. When Pearl Harbor is attacked, Jody and her family are faced with sheltering in a bomb shelter and then evacuated to San Francisco. Jody's dad needs to stay behind, but Jody promises to lead team Zuper while her dad is not with them. Leading team Zuper turns out to be harder than expected in San Francisco where the risks and dangers are not as straight forward as bombs dropping. Can Jody and Happy keep their family together?

What I loved most: the alternating perspectives of Jody and Happy, Jody's quest for the fountain of youth in Hawaii, in the end - the author's note shares that the whole story is based on a WWII Pearl Harbor Bombing Survivor.

This would be a good story to partner with any WWII unit in any school.
For all the dog lovers who venture into these pages - know that the trigger warning about the dog being okay in this story is 100% accurate.

I adored the FMC and her dog, Happy. I found her to be a truly resilient young girl and the addition of Happy the dog was the icing on the cake. The alternating POVs were a great touch to the story! We see Jody and her sister go through many changes in the midst of the war. This is a story that middle graders and adults alike can embrace. I loved it so much that I ordered a copy for my 12 year old niece. I feel comfortable gifting her a copy and know that there is not subject matter covered that I wouldn’t want to expose her to. Would make a great addition to any child’s library and is a great opening to learning about WW2.

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me access to this audiobook. I was so happy to listen to this with My nine year old daughter. We both love puppies and this is her first historical fiction book and it’s nine-year-old approved.. We love us some Happy.

Operation Happy is about a young girl and her dog named Happy. It is based on a real experience of a girl during this time. The book is enjoyable it doesn't just stop after Pearl Harbor but keeps the story going to how their lives were changed after the bombing. The writing is very age appropriate and the author did a great job of developing the characters. This book deserves a spot in my classroom library.

Operation: Happy
Review

This is a compelling story based on true events. This is based upon a family that was there during the bombing of Pearl Harbor as the father was a marine. It starts off slow and steady but reels you in as we follow Jody and her family from before Pearl Harbor happened to when they evacuate to California. The story is written from the POV of Happy, Jody’s dog and Jody, a 12 year old girl. The author conveyed intense emotions throughout the story and had accurate facts relating back to the war. My daughter and I listened to the audio version of this book and it sucked both of us in and led to many deeper questions. The details in the writing of this book made it very emotional and interesting. This is an amazing book if you have an interest in history or the idea of perseverance. There was tears, laughter, joy, and sadness as we went through the roller coaster of this book with the characters.

I loved how Peggy and Jody’s spirits and personalities were expressed and still talked about the tough things (mom’s depression) and how the girls struggled but overcame all of it.

This is one book I wish I could read again for the first time! Highly recommend this book!

This middle grade novel is based on a true story and memoir from a girl who lived through Pearl Harbor. Very unique as you don’t hear war stories from a kid’s perspective very often. I really enjoyed that and felt it added to the stories that have not been heard and voices that maybe had not been shared much with a lot of the other historical fiction of World War II.
The audio was well done with chapters going back and forth between Jody and her dog. I enjoyed the narrators and thought they did a good job. It was easy to listen to them.
I appreciated how the author brought in some good topics related to the experience of Japanese Americans and the mother's depression that could create some good discussion and starters for kids to do more research and learn.
I plan to purchase this book and read it with students and my own children. There are some heavier themes, but I think this will initiate some great conversations. I also believe knowing this history is so important!!

Thank you to NetGalley for access to this audiobook!

Thank you NetGalley and Zondervan for the ARC!

This is a historical fiction based on the life of a Pearl Harbor survivor. I love the characters, Jody and Happy. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the different narrators for each POV. Jody was strong and reliable, a great fill in for leader of their family while her dad fight in the war. This is a book I would listen to again with my 3rd grader son. I recommend to audiences middle grade and up.

There is always a hindering thought when a book includes a dog. I am always fearful something will happen and I will be inconsolable. However, this story includes the bravery of Happy, and showcases a story of resilience and how to stay strong when the world is falling down around you, especially during war.

I was thrilled when I recognized the voice of Brian Holden, a throwback to when I was obsessed with his theater group, Starkid. He’s a perfect narrator and kept this story light hearted and enticing.

Operation: Happy
by Jenni L. Walsh

The historical fictional story of survival and all the cost of world War 2 to a military family based on the real story of a pearl harbor survivor and her family. The author added a dog to the story and other aspects that not only added drama but showed the difficulty and struggles. Its a great story showing the girl's point of view but also the dog's. The characters show the loss of innocence and the personal sacrifice of the family for the protection not only of our country at this time but also themselves. World war 2 books have been popular in classrooms, especially with young boys. This is a positive story about that difficult time.

A wonderful story of strength and courage in the face of unimaginable challenges. Jody is a dynamic character who fiercely loves her family, including her dog, Happy.