Review of Newbery Honor Book: Inside Out and Back Again

I am personally drawn to books featuring Asian culture: A Single Shard, Snowflower and the Secret Fan, and Double Luck are a few of my favorites. Now I have a new title to add to my list: Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai. This middle grade book features main character HÀ who is born in Vietnam, but flees with her mother and brothers to Alabama where they seek refuge from the war raging in her country. Although a cowboy and his wife serve as HÀ’s sponsor family, life at a new school is not a day on the ranch. HÀ suffers teasing about her speech and her Asian looks, and she is forced to find a way to fit in.
 How can you resist a book when a main character states: “…at times I would choose wartime in Saigon over peacetime in Alabama.” This from a character who is smart, feisty, and authentic equals a book with angst, humor, and drama.

Product Details

·        Reading level: Ages 8 and up

·        Hardcover: 272 pages

·        Publisher: HarperCollins (February 22, 2011)

·        Language: English

·        ISBN-10: 0061962783

·        ISBN-13: 978-0061962783

Available at:

Boulder Bookstore in Boulder (or by mail)

Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver
Barnes and Noble (and be sure to say hello to Jeff at the Boulder location!) 

Amazon