June Read- Inside Out and Back Again

[Kim]

Has anybody read Thanhha Lai's Inside Out and Back Again yet? I picked it up in the bookstore and it looked lovely, so I've downloaded it to my Nook in hopes of reading it soon. It's a story in verse based on the author's own fleeing of Vietnam when she was a child and relocating to Alabama. Hmmm... another story of a girl displaced to a southern state...

[Franki]

I haven't read it but would like to. Betsy Bird has it on her early Newbery Predictions this week so I think it is one to keep an eye one.

http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/...

[Kelly]

This is on my Newbery 2010 Watch list too!! I loved it! Here's my take on it:
http://thelemmelibrary.blogspot.com/2...

[LauraW]

I got the book from the library today and finished it this evening. Here is my review: As another reviewer said, this book is a good one for a verse novel, as it pairs the poetic remembrances of of Ha's homeland with her beginning fluency with English. The story would be a good starting point for discussions about cultural differences and bullying. It would make a good read-aloud for upper elementary kids.

[Sherry]

I really liked this book. I think the cover could use a little work, but the story centers on diversity and multiculturalism. I would pair this with Ann Burg's All The Broken Pieces.

[LauraW]

I thought it worked well as a verse novel. This is what I wrote in my review: As another reviewer said, this book is a good one for a verse novel, as it pairs the poetic remembrances of of Ha's homeland with her beginning fluency with English. The story would be a good starting point for discussions about cultural differences and bullying. It would make a good read-aloud for upper elementary kids.

[Kathy]

I just reviewed this on for a 6/2 date. I thought the topic worked well as a verse novel myself. I also agree with, and wrote, to pair it with All the Broken Pieces as well as Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba and The Red Umbrella. While the latter isn't a verse novel the topic of growing up away from your family during times of war is well covered.

[Holly]

I just finished this book today. I think novel in verse is sometimes a difficult genre to get into to, but this one pulled me in almost right away. I thought it was heartbreaking and beautifully done. We teach cultures and immigration in social studies in fifth grade, so I think this would be a good novel to use during that unit.

[Hilary]

I think Inside Out could have worked, and maybe even worked better, as a prose novel. Did anyone else get that impression?
Yes! I totally agree. I wrote in my review that I just kept wanting more detail. I enjoyed a lot of the verse, but I felt the story was somehow lacking background, or maybe backbone. I am the first to admit, though, that knowing nothing about poetry makes me feel like I can't give a very good literary critique on a novel in verse. I've read other books in verse that I loved, and although I enjoyed this book, I didn't love it.

[Dana]

I also did not think it provided enough detail. I was n't terribly interested in the development of the story. I thought The Red Umbrella was a much better account of how a child feels living in a foreign country during a time of political turmoil.

[Lisa]

Dana wrote: "I also did not think it provided enough detail. I wasn't terribly interested in the development of the story. I thought The Red Umbrella was a much better account of how a child f..."Agree, I too liked the Red umbrella better. I liked Inside Out and Back Again
quite a bit, but not nearly as well as I did
All the Broken Pieces. I sometimes felt the verse style worked, and at others times not as well, and I too was wanting a bit more character development and plot tension. I do think it would be a great starting point for discussions about Vietnam, immigration, and cultural diversity. I like the idea of pairing with the books mentioned above.

[Lorelie]

I really enjoyed it. I'm not a big fan of verse style writing usually, but thought for the most part, it worked. I will have to check out The Red Umbrella and All the Broken Pieces too now to compare. But I felt it took a very difficult topic and made it available to even reluctant readers, the short chapters and easy style of writing would be easy to follow. I liked that. I will have to check out the other books.... after I get to Gary Schmidt! Love that man!

[Doret]

I finally got a chance to read Inside Out and Back Again. I was a bit underwhelmed. Novels in verse are very difficult. Knowing this I still expect more because if an author is going to go this route I need to feel the pop.

Every word should have a purpose and flow should draw me in. The story had a few very good moments but overall it was just okay for me. Though I only like a handful of verse novels.

The best line was on the inside flap -

"No one would believe me but at times I would choose wartime in Saigon over peacetime in Alabama"

[Christina]

I enjoyed reading this thread. I agree that Inside Out & Back Again will pair well with Ann Burg's All the Broken Pieces. In fact, I'm going to recommend them together to a few of my gifted sixth graders next month. Thanks!

[Mary]

I loved this book and thought the verse worked very well. I felt like I understood Ha's thought process and the things that were important to her that may not be important to me. I usually don't like novels in verse, so this is signficant that it is impressive to me. I am a children's librarian at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County and this book won our Mock Newbery Discussion. The other four choices were Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt, Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming, Junonia by Kevin Henkes, and Small as an Elephant by Jennifer Jacobson. A few of the librarians have had success in selling this to middle grade students.