Recommended Age:
10
+
Best for independent readers who enjoy verse novels with emotionally powerful, culturally grounded stories about refugee experience and finding belonging in a new place.
About the Book
Told in verse, ten-year-old HÃ 's life in Saigon is turned inside out when the Vietnam War forces her family to flee to Alabama in 1975, where they must navigate a new language, racism, and the profound grief of losing their homeland. HÃ 's voice is quietly powerful as she struggles to adapt while holding onto the memory of the life and country she left behind. A Newbery Honor book based on the author's own experiences.
Content Ratings
💡
Moderate Themes
HÃ experiences the trauma of war, refugee displacement, the loss of her father, cultural dislocation, and sustained racist bullying in her new country; the emotional weight of losing home and identity is central throughout.
⚔️
Mild Violence
HÃ and her family experience war-driven displacement, the fear of violence during their escape, and bullying and racism in Alabama; a classmate physically bullies HÃ ; violence is present but not graphic.
Engagement:
Genre:
Historical Fiction
Published:
2011
Page Count:
262
