Inside Out & Back Again- Thanhha Lai

Title: Inside Out and Back Again
Author: Lai, Thanhha
Publisher: Harper Collins, 2011
ISBN-13: 9780061962783

Genre: Historical Fiction
Reading Level: 800 Lexile
Interest Level: 9-12
Awards: Newbery Honor Award, National Book Award

Readers Annotation: Imagine your family in a war torn country in one of the worst wars of all time. The opportunity arises to leave, but you may never see your father again. Which would you choose?

Plot:
HA is ten years old when her mother takes all the children to Alabama, USA from Saigon, Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The culture shock is immediate and all the children have a different experience in America. HA feels as if she would rather be in a war torn country than the foreign place where children constantly make fun of her. The food is bland in American, there are few traditions and the people are so cold towards her. The only people she has are her family. As time goes on, the family needs to come together like never before to thrive in the new and strange environment. Will they make it?

Review:
This book is written completely in poetry. This creates an interesting way that the reader interacts with the characters. The whole book is written from HA's perspective so all the characters, scenes and actions are seen through this lens. this book gives the reader a unique look at what it feels like to be in a completely new environment where people cannot understand you or feel like you are wrong. There is something very grounding about this book and it makes one feel grateful for their live.

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