Inside Out and Back Again: A Newbery Honor Award Winner

Inside Out and Back Again is a #1 New York Times bestseller, a Newbery Honor Book, and a winner of the National Book Award!

Inspired by the author's childhood experience as a refugee--fleeing Vietnam after the Fall of Saigon and immigrating to Alabama--this coming-of-age debut novel told in verse has been celebrated for its touching child's-eye view of family and immigration.

For all the ten years of her life, Hà has only known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, and the warmth of her friends close by. But now the Vietnam War has reached her home. Hà and her family are forced to flee as Saigon falls, and they board a ship headed toward hope. In America, Hà discovers the foreign world of Alabama: the coldness of its strangers, the dullness of its food . . . and the strength of her very own family.

This moving story of one girl's year of change, dreams, grief, and healing received four starred reviews, including one from Kirkus which proclaimed it "enlightening, poignant, and unexpectedly funny." An author's note explains how and why Thanhha Lai translated her personal experiences into Hà's story.

Author: Thanhhà Lai
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 02/22/2011
Pages: 272
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.79lbs
Size: 8.45h x 5.90w x 0.97d
ISBN: 9780061962783
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.8
Point Value: 2
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 142622 / Inside Out & Back Again


Award: National Book Awards - Winner
Award: Newbery Medal - Honor Book
Award: Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens - Recommended
Award: Black-Eyed Susan Award - Nominee
Award: Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award - Nominee
Award: Jane Addams Children's Book Award - Honor Book
Award: Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award - Nominee
Award: South Carolina Childrens, Junior and Young Adult Book Award - Nominee
Award: Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award - Nominee
Award: Rhode Island Children's Book Awards - Nominee
Award: Nene Award - Nominee
Award: Sequoyah Book Awards - Nominee
Award: Beehive Awards - Nominee
Award: Sasquatch Award - Nominee
Award: Nutmeg Book Award - Nominee
Award: Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award - Nominee
Award: North Carolina Children's Book Award - Nominee
Award: Iowa Children's Choice (ICCA) Award - Nominee
Award: Virginia Readers Choice Award - Nominee


Review Citation(s):
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 03/01/2011
Horn Book Magazine 03/01/2011 pg. 120
School Library Journal 03/01/2011 pg. 164
Booklist 01/01/2011 pg. 88
Kirkus Reviews 01/15/2011
Publishers Weekly 01/31/2011
Publishers Weekly Best Books 11/07/2011 pg. 40
Booklist Ed Choice Youth 01/01/2012 pg. 13
SLJ's Best Books 12/01/2011 pg. 29
BookPage 03/01/2011

About the Author
Lai, Thanhhà: -

Thanhhà Lai is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Inside Out & Back Again, her debut novel in verse, which won both a National Book Award and a Newbery Honor, and the acclaimed Listen, Slowly and Butterfly Yellow, both of which were named to numerous best book of the year lists. She was born in Viêt Nam and now lives in New York with her family. To learn more about Thanhhà and her charity, Viet Kids Inc., visit www.thanhhalai.com.