This children's novel-in-verse is extremely appealing. It's influenced very much by the life of the author, who as a child went through much of what the protagonist, Hà, experiences. After the loss of her father in the Vietnam War, ten year old Hà, her mother, and three older brothers are evacuated, under heavy fire, from Saigon. They end up as refugees in Alabama, of all places, and life there is very different from at home. Given that the book is told from Hà's perspective, there is a particular focus on her struggle to fit into primary school, but it's clear from the text that every member of the family is having their own challenges. Racism, unfortunately, is a clear problem, but there are also a number of kind and helpful people, particularly their cowboy sponsor, one of Hà's schoolteachers, and a neighbour who helps the little girl to better her English. (There's a series of poems about the problems of learning English, with all its difficulty and stupid rules, and some of them are very funny indeed.)

It's an immensely sympathetic telling of what must have been a difficult and often alienating experience. What a great book for kids, though - as an adult I really appreciate it, but I'm not the intended audience. I can see this one really appealing to younger readers, however, because the story is so interesting, and Hà is so relatable in her confusion and humour and (occasional) spite, that one can't help but root for her... and, of course, for other refugees like her.