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October 2026 - Graciela in the Abyss
By Kristen · 1 post · 16 views
By Kristen · 1 post · 16 views
last updated Oct 01, 2025 07:27PM
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June Read- Inside Out and Back Again
By Kim · 15 posts · 137 views
By Kim · 15 posts · 137 views
last updated Dec 19, 2011 08:09AM
What Members Thought
This is a beautifully written book, no doubt. However, perhaps due to the novel in verse format, the portrayal of this family's intense removal from home and immersion into a fairly unwelcoming new culture was a little superficial. In particular, I wanted more out of the main character, beyond that she was annoyed that people thought she was dumb. Yet, her insights about her experience, her daily life, were largely complaints, which ultimately made her unsympathetic for me. I felt this novel doc
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This was a beautiful story of a young girl leaving her home with her family at the fall of Saigon and eventually making their way to Alabama. It is written in verse and it is very well done. It is amazing how much emotion and imagery can be conveyed in so few words. Newbery potential...
I loved this book of free verse about a young girl who is born in Viet Nam in the late 60's and emigrates to America in the 70's. It is a very powerful book with fairly simple language. I can see a lot of possibilities for comparing and contrasting other works to this one.
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A beautifully written book. A young girl's story of leaving her beloved Saigon and immigrating to America during the Vietnam War. It includes her struggles to learn English, make friends and learn a whole new culture.
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Such a great portrayal of one girl's journey to America from Viet Nam after the fall of Saigon. Full of visual language and images. Don't miss this one.
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Jan 09, 2012
Caren
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-s-fiction,
historical-fiction
Stunning. Written like "Out of the Dust". Won National Book Award and is definitely going to get the Newbery medal, whether it be gold or silver.
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Feb 25, 2013
clare o'c
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
middle-grades,
historical-fiction,
1800-s,
immigrants,
american-south,
viet-nam,
refugees,
novels-in-verse
Awards are given for a reason and this book is most deserving. As it's told in verse it is a very quick read. The perspective of Hà as she experiences fleeing Saigon and starting a new life in Alabama is one that will open children's eyes to the difficulties encountered by those who are different. They will also see that there are many commonalities that we all share. Super good.
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A spare novel in verse of a ten year old girl's move to Alabama in the 1970s from Vietnam after the fall of Saigon. Newbery Honor and National Book Award winner for Children's lit. Both well deserved. Interesting to read this not long after "Never Fall Down" which dealt with an eleven year old boy's survival of the Cambodian killing fields.
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Narrative poetry...we don't have enough in this particular subgenre for our kids to really appreciate the beauty of the rich language needed to move a story forward. Pair with All the Broken Pieces or Home of the Brave.
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Nov 03, 2015
Lisa
marked it as to-read
