Nguyen recounts her upbringing as a child in Vietnam and immigration to the U.S. in this moving, meditative memoir in verse. In a story told in conversation with her younger sister, who embraces her American identity much more forcefully, Bom reflects on her present (1996) life and memories. Told largely through flashbacks, this thoughtful middle-grade novel offers an opportunity for readers to gain insight into the Vietnamese immigrant experience and the cultural ramifications of the Vietnam War through a kind but struggling narrator using her father's typewriter to capture memories. Her upbringing, her Vietnamese family, and the poverty and pain they escape travels with the narrator to her new country. Bom realizes learning English is a way to take control over her own story. Don't let the cover fool you: this memoir in verse is more direct than a novel might be, but captures broad appeal. For readers of Thanhha Lai's evocative prose and nuanced interplay, highlighting coming of age in different cultures.

In this yearning verse novel by Nguyen (Mèo and Bé), an older sister endeavors to connect her sibling to their Vietnamese heritage. Twelve-year-old Bom is concerned by her younger sister Bo's fading memories of Vietnam. The siblings communicate in English despite Ba's scolding and the fact that Má "doesn't understand/ the English words we use." Noticing that "my tiêng Viêt disappears/ a little at a time," Bom wonders "what kind of person doesn't know/ their own language?" As an aspiring writer, Bom decides to transcribe her family's history, addressing her writings to Bo. Bom recalls the hardships her family endured in Vietnam, describing what she knows of her father's seven-year imprisonment in 1975 after the Vietnam War, her parents' subsequent arranged marriage, and her and Bo's births. She goes on to chronicle their new life in 1996 Tennessee, following their sponsorship from a Nashville Presbyterian church in 1991. Nguyen's touching fictionalization of personal experiences, as addressed in an author's note, reflects the push-pull of a young immigrant's fear that with acclimation comes loss of cultural identity. Includes a pronunciation guide, glossary, and family tree. Ages 9--13. Agent: Sara Megibow, KT Literary. (Sept.)

Gr 4--7--Writing from the perspective of 12-year-old Bom, Nguyen tenderly crafts a lightly fictionalized memoir in verse. It's Nashville in 1996, and Bom can't understand how her little sister Bo considers herself only American, not Vietnamese; she seems to have completely forgotten their life in Vietnam before they immigrated to the U.S. with their parents. In an effort to help her sister understand the split loyalties of herself and her parents, Bom uses her father's old typewriter to write poetry that captures stories from their past. Briefly covering her father's and mother's backgrounds as well as her own growing up, Bom encourages her sister to appreciate their heritage while simultaneously coming to grips with her own shifting identity. Sweet moments of family and friendship alternate with heartbreaking stories of suffering and loss. Bom's adjustment to life in America isn't easy with her introverted, creative nature, different from her sister's bold, brave way of making herself at home anywhere. Prejudice, stereotypes, and bullying come into play as do mentions of war and torture (not graphic in any way, but mentioned). Also included are an author's note, glossary, family tree, and pronunciation guide of Vietnamese terms. VERDICT This highly readable verse memoir beautifully portrays the internal anguish of growing up and adapting to life in a new country.--Heidi Grange