Inside Out & Back Again

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai was a Newbery honor book for 2012.  The book is about 10-year-old Ha who lives in Saigon and loves her home there.  However, when the Vietnam War reaches her home, she and her family board a ship and find refuge in America.  Ha, however, doesn't seem to find much refuge at all and feels that she'd prefer war-ridden Saigon more than her life in Alabama.  The book follows Ha's transition to a new life in America.

The author did a great job really bringing emotion to the story, which was written in free verse rather than traditional paragraphs.  The book was actually quite sad and was based on the author's experience of coming to America as a child from Vietnam.  It reminded me of how mean kids can be to those who are different but also helped me see the goodness of people who accept an opportunity to make a difference.  It was a well written book and a nice story.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)