Heroes

By Ken Mochizuki, Dom Lee (Illustrator)

A boy challenges prejudice and discovers true heroism in his family's past.

4.1/5 Goodreads · 80 ratings

32 pages· 1,120 words· Est. 9 min read-aloud

$11.95Save 5%

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Bookroo's summary

In the 1960s, Donnie, a Japanese American boy, is tired of being cast as the enemy in his friends' war games. When he claims his family served in the U.S. Army, his friends demand proof. Seeking answers, Donnie turns to his father and Uncle Yosh, who reveal that real heroes don't boast—they simply do what's right. As Donnie navigates the painful legacy of war and prejudice, he learns about courage and identity. Will he find a way to change the game and his role in it?

From the publisher

A Japanese American boy learns about heroism from his father and uncle who served in the U.S. Army.Donnie is tired of playing the bad guy every time he and his friends get together to play war. According to the other kids, Donnie should play the enemy-after all, as a Japanese American he looks like “them.” Instead, Donnie wishes they could just play his favorite game, football. When he argues that his family served in the U.S. Army, Donnie’s friends laugh and dare him to prove it. But when he asks his father and Uncle Yosh for proof, they tell him that kids should play something else besides war. “Real heroes don’t brag,” Uncle Yosh says. “They just do what they are supposed to do.” Set against the backdrop of the 1960s, this intergenerational story explores how one family deals with the painful legacy of war and prejudice. In their powerful follow-up to the award-winning Baseball Saved Us, Ken Mochizuki and Dom Lee once again present young readers with American heroes they won’t usually find in history books, but who they can always hold in their hearts.

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