Inside Out & Back Again, Thanhha Lai

Inside Out & Back Again, Thanhha Lai

Ha and her family narrowly escape the rise of communism in Vietnam and dangerously travel to America to start fresh, safe lives in Alabama. Growing up in a small hut with her mother and brothers, Ha misses her father who went missing in combat. She nurtures a precious papaya tree, and holds what is left of her family close. With the promise of a bright future, they bravely board a ship headed for America. There are pieces of their new life in Alabama that are better. Adequate clothes, enough food, daily schooling, and stable jobs to support themselves are new realities Ha's family did not experience in Vietnam. However, there are also new painful pieces that make Ha wish for her war-torn childhood home. Written in verse, Lai offers a raw view of immigration and family through a child's eye that is sure to leave the reader reeling for more.

Living in a country and attending classes where immigration, multiculturalism, and language barriers are an everyday reality for the majority of America's citizens, holds many difficulties. Prejudices are easily found and adopted. That does not have to be the case. Lai aids readers into the shoes of a young, scared, shy immigrant who just wants to fit in and discover what normal means. Teachers will be able to help their foreign students with more sympathy and students will develop empathy for their classmates that do things a little differently, after reading Inside Out and Back Again.

Wonder, R.J. Palacio

Wonder, R.J. Palacio

Encouraging all readers to exercise a little more kindness, Palacio explores different levels of what it is to be mean and inspires a desire to avoid everything mean and to build everything nice. Auggie was born with a facial deformity. His appearance is different enough to initially spark fear, distrust, and discomfort in almost all his first encounters. He's used to it. It's been that way his whole life, and while it is perpetually hurtful, he approaches the subject with humor. Making the switch from being home schooled, to entering the cruelty of middle school ignites a painful growing experience not only for Auggie, but all those he interacts with as everyone involved learns the importance of kindness.

Some kids are rude on purpose. Sometimes kids aren't trying to be blatantly rude, but still are due to an insensitivity. Sometimes adults are rude. Some adults place their objectives higher than anyone else and don't really care who they tred on to get what they want. Some adults simply give too much or too little attention to sensitive subjects. Palacio delves into a multitude of unkind behavior, helps readers recognize potential scenarios where they could improve, and convinces all of the importance and the potency of kindness. A vital read for middleschoolers or those about to enter middle school, but really anyone and everyone will walk away from this novel a bigger and more understanding person than before.