Inside Out and Back Again: A Newbery Honor Award Winner

This was a very interesting read. Told completely through verse, it tells such a complete story that I was very impressed and surprised at how much I enjoyed it. This book tells the story of Ha, a little girl, who found herself immigrating to the United States with her family after the fall of Saigon. It is a story about holding on to your past, your home, your family, and struggling to move forward into the future. It is a story that tells the difficult journey of leaving a place you are so attached with to finding a new home in Alabama, learning a new language, making new friends, eating food you are not familiar with and having a new life. It was very heartfelt and very profound, and the fact that it is based on the author's experiences makes it all the more real. I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to.

Written by Felix, age 10 I like how this book has a great storyline, though it is in written in the style of lots of different poems. It also fits in with the lessons I am learning about in class. I am learning about WWII and discrimination so it’s great to learn about the effects of another war too.

One of the most beautiful verse novels I have ever read. I lent this to one of my form tutees and honestly, for once, she could see a part of herself in something- a big win for both poetry and representation.

Bought for my daughter's homeschooling English project. Interesting book

Beautifully written and devoured in 3 hours. Can’t wait to read it again. Might make you cry.

I enjoyed this book it was a short but very good read

love this book so good

The condition of the book was poorer than described

Loved how it is written. Such an innocent story and so well captured. Heartbreaking at a times and funny too. Glad to have stumbled upon this gem.

Great Book fresh off the press by the looks

A metà tra diario e poesia, ci racconta la fuga da Saigon fino in Alabama della piccola Ha, dieci anni, e della sua famiglia composta dalla madre e dai tre fratelli maggiori. Il padre è disperso in guerra dopo essere stato catturato dai soldati del nord, e anche gli altri famigliari erano rimasti bloccati nel Vietnam del nord quando era scoppiata la guerra. Assistiamo alla vita quotidiana di questa famiglia vietnamita durante gli ultimi mesi di guerra, tra povertà e bombardamenti. Li seguiamo durante la fuga in nave verso gli alleati americani. E siamo con loro mentre tentano di iniziare una nuova vita nell'aliena Alabama, in un mondo completamente diverso dal loro per lingua, costumi, tradizioni, usanze, aspetto. Siamo con loro mentre cercano di mantenere la dignità, mentre cercano di integrarsi, mentre lottano contro le incomprensioni e le difficoltà. Il tutto narrato magistralmente e poeticamente dai brevi appunti poetici di Ha, che ovviamente è basata sull'infanzia dell'autrice. Una bellissima lettura.

Inside Out and Back Again is a touching book about a young girl named Hà who has to leave Vietnam and move to the U.S. because of the war. The story is written in short poems, which makes it easy to read but still very emotional. You really feel what Hà is going through—missing her home, learning a new language, and trying to fit in. It's sad at times, but also full of hope and strength. Great for kids and adults. I learned a lot and felt a lot. Highly recommend!

I've never read a book of poetry cover-to-cover (Jelly Belly excepted) but this is so much more than poetry. It stands as I would say the defining novel of the Vietnamese immigrant experience in the US (not that I've read any other). It's an easy read that I would say is very relatable to anyone over 30 and probably many in their teens. It tackles tough issues without ever seeming preachy. Should be required reading for people convicted of hate crimes as part of their rehabilitation. Amongst the tear-evoking memories of the author are moments of humour, love, and kindness that makes it a bit of an emotional roller-coaster, but one well worth the price of admission.