For all 10 years of her life, Hà has only known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, the warmth of her close friends and the beauty of her very own papaya* tree.

    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, the strangeness of its landscape and the strength* of her very own family.

    This is the moving story of one girl’s year of change, dreams, grief*, and healing* as she journeys from one country to another, one life to the next.

    Author Thanhha Lai was born in Vietnam and moved to Alabama at the end of the war. She lives in New York City with her family.

    It is an enlightening* and funny novel. In her debut, Lai writes about a distinct time and place and presents a complex*, realistic heroine whom readers will recognize, even if they haven’t found themselves in a strange new country.(SD-Agencies)