Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, and then just received a Newbery Honor. And now that I've read it, I can agree that the awards and honors are well-deserved. Written in free verse poems, this children's book tells the story and experience of 10-year-old Ha's journey from war-torn Vietnam to safety in the very foreign United States. Each poem is like a moment, a snapshot, a taste, a feeling. Lai very effectively brings to life the little things--the difficulty of adjusting to new food, language barriers and difficulties, etc. It's absolutely lovely. Plus, it's fast--you could probably read it in an hour or two.
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