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morgynn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Aching, poignant, and hopeful but still true.
christiana's review against another edition
4.0
Not only did I really like it, I think I would actually recommend it to people!
jacob_halaiko's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Emotional and tense. Very good book. Matt struggles with racism and fear. His escape from life is baseball. Once his baseball coach gets cancer everything gets torn. His life falls, and everyone targets him because he is alone. Once he connects with fellow baseball player, he finds new life and forgets his past in Vietnam. Giving new life to him and his coach survives cancer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and War
katiegrrrl's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. This is a book I wouldn't have picked up if the sixth graders had not picked it for our book and bag discussion. I do love novels in verse and verse suited this story so well, it kept the story moving and clear and beautiful.
Matt is a 10 year old Vietnamese boy who was born during the war. His father was an American solider. He is one of the hundreds of children air lifted out of Vietnam at the end of the war. He left behind his mother and younger brother who was injured. In his adoptive family he has a younger brother, a mother who comforts him in the night after nightmares and a father who who throws the baseball with. Matt is plagued with guilt at all he left behind, he deals with racism and his place as a Vietnamese boy in America at the end of a war that divide the country. Matt's voice is sad and unsure but he is surround by adults who want to help him heal the broken pieces. Burg wrote a touching book about a time when American was broken in a voice that often is not heard.
If you haven't picked this up because it just hasn't sounded that interesting you are missing out. Give it a try and you won't want to put it down.
Matt is a 10 year old Vietnamese boy who was born during the war. His father was an American solider. He is one of the hundreds of children air lifted out of Vietnam at the end of the war. He left behind his mother and younger brother who was injured. In his adoptive family he has a younger brother, a mother who comforts him in the night after nightmares and a father who who throws the baseball with. Matt is plagued with guilt at all he left behind, he deals with racism and his place as a Vietnamese boy in America at the end of a war that divide the country. Matt's voice is sad and unsure but he is surround by adults who want to help him heal the broken pieces. Burg wrote a touching book about a time when American was broken in a voice that often is not heard.
If you haven't picked this up because it just hasn't sounded that interesting you are missing out. Give it a try and you won't want to put it down.
andeez's review against another edition
5.0
A book in verse means a fast read for avid book lovers and an accessible read for those more reluctant.
The story starts after Matt, a child from Vietnam, is adopted by an American family. The war just ended and he is processing the world he left behind and the hate people feel toward him because of where he was born.
The memories of Vietnam are slipping as those who fought grow older. It is truly important that we remember what this war was. This book covers it from a 10 year old point of view - any one of my middle school students can grasp the teachings.
Recommended grades 4 and up.
The story starts after Matt, a child from Vietnam, is adopted by an American family. The war just ended and he is processing the world he left behind and the hate people feel toward him because of where he was born.
The memories of Vietnam are slipping as those who fought grow older. It is truly important that we remember what this war was. This book covers it from a 10 year old point of view - any one of my middle school students can grasp the teachings.
Recommended grades 4 and up.
reading_rachel's review against another edition
4.0
Such beautiful writing! It took me a little while to get the dynamics of the story, but it flows so smoothly. Definitely one to share.
kerryzielke's review against another edition
5.0
Okay, I admit it. I cried. The cover looks like a book about baseball, but it is so much more. Ann E. Burg uses free verse poetry to tell the story of a young Vietnamese boy fathered by an American soldier during the Vietnam War. He is adopted by American parents after his mother turns him over to soldiers for a better life in America. He finds solace in baseball, the piano, and visiting soldiers who have also been affected by the war. I would read it again!
akennedy772's review against another edition
5.0
Will be encouraging students to read this next year. Very very good.
readwithpassion's review against another edition
5.0
This is a great novel in verse for students in the middle grades, but I think it can be appreciated by all ages. Matt is a young boy who has been taken from Vietnam to live in America. He is a bui doi (American father, Vietnamese mother) and has nightmarish memories of his experiences. The poetry flows beautifully. My only complaint is that the book weighed a lot, and my arms got a bit tired holding it. :) This is a gorgeous book. I highly recommend it.
angiedkelly's review against another edition
5.0
I picked up this novel in verse because it was mentioned in Booked by Kwame Alexander. What a powerful read. I love how the simplicity of the novel in verse pulls you in and makes you really focus on the words.
Must read.
Must read.