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September 2026 - A Day at the Beach
By Kristen · 5 posts · 55 views
By Kristen · 5 posts · 55 views
last updated Sep 07, 2025 06:50PM
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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
Inside Out & Back Again recounts a year in the life of a young Kim Ha, a ten-year-old girl, whose family flees Vietnam just before the fall of Saigon. The story is infused with equal parts sadness and wonder. Despite the horror of war, Ha finds much to love about her country. She is torn by wanting to remain in case her father, missing for nine years, returns home to find them, and wanting to go somewhere where life could be easier for her family. But starting over in the United States is anythi
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Inside Out and Back Again transports you back in time to the fall of Saigon during the Vietnam war. Ha and her family barely escape and eventually end up in Alabama where they must adjust to life in the United States. This verse novel is beautifully written. Readers understand better how the Vietnamese think and speak after finishing the book. Vietnam is not just a war torn country; it is Ha's home. She describes what food she likes and what she likes to do. The plot, characters, and setting in
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So, I'll be honest. I didn't really like this book at the first and was pretty bugged it won the Newbery this year.
It seemed like it was a complete copy cat of "All the Broken Pieces" which I just read so I am sure that didn't help.
Once I got about 1/3 through the book, I started to really get into the story. I still think it is very, very similar to "All the Broken Pieces" but it was able to stand on it's own and I really enjoyed the story.
I still think it is weird that they chose a winner tha ...more
It seemed like it was a complete copy cat of "All the Broken Pieces" which I just read so I am sure that didn't help.
Once I got about 1/3 through the book, I started to really get into the story. I still think it is very, very similar to "All the Broken Pieces" but it was able to stand on it's own and I really enjoyed the story.
I still think it is weird that they chose a winner tha ...more
It's been awhile since I read this one, but it's a great story. It's about a Vietnamese girl whose family escapes to Alabama where they face a whole new set of trials. It's a good piece of historical fiction. The thing that makes this book stand out is the author's use of imagery and language. It was a Newbery Honor Book. I think it should have won.
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Ha is a spunky girl living in South Vietnam, missing her father who has disappeared and looking forward to eating the fat papayas that will grow from the seed she planted. But it's a new Tet, and things are about to turn inside out. The year brings Ha far from home on a Navy ship to a new life, beginning again, in Alabama. Her story of immigration, school bullying and finding her way in a new life is told in verse. I listened to this one on audio, which I think might be a good alternative for ki
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A Newbery Honor book this year, and very deserving. Beautifully written and a compelling story, that reads very, very quickly. I think this would be a great book to read and discuss in the classroom.
This is a Newberry Honor book and National Book Award winner. It took me two hours to finish it.
The story is told in verse about a 10 year old Vietnamese girl who becomes a refugee in America.
Powerful, inspiring, heart breaking and poignant.
The story is told in verse about a 10 year old Vietnamese girl who becomes a refugee in America.
Powerful, inspiring, heart breaking and poignant.
The style of the book made it interesting. I enjoyed it
It had some really beautifully crafted moments, including her family getting on a boat to leave Saigon, her dealing with insults from white kids at school, and the difficulties she faced learning English in Alabama. Ultimately I don't love books in verse and this was over so quickly. I wish I knew more about all of these characters, including her father, who is a primary focus in the beginning of the book.
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Feb 17, 2012
JoAnn
marked it as to-read
Apr 14, 2012
Annisha Jeffries
marked it as to-read
Jan 18, 2018
Meg
marked it as to-read
