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Inside Out & Back Again
  • Published: 3 October 2023
  • ISBN: 9780241613061
  • Imprint: Puffin Modern Classics
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 272
  • RRP: $30.00

Inside Out & Back Again

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The Boy at the Back of the Class meets Manjeet Mann in this powerful verse novel about holding on to one home, whilst desperately seeking another

Ten-year-old Hà has only ever known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, and the warmth of her family and friends close by. But when the Vietnam War reaches the gates of her home, Hà and her family are forced to flee.

The journey onboard a refugee ship bound for America is hard - but nothing can prepare Hà for the strangeness of the country that greets them on the other side. The language is impossible, the food is strange - and not all the locals are friendly. But amongst her struggles, Hà finds joy, friendship - and most of all, the power of hope, love and family.
  • Published: 3 October 2023
  • ISBN: 9780241613061
  • Imprint: Puffin Modern Classics
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 272
  • RRP: $30.00
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About the author

Thanhhà Lai

Thanhhà Lại is a Vietnamese-American writer of middle-grade and young adult novels. She lives in upstate New York with her husband and daughter. Her dog Pico assists her by stepping directly onto the keys of her computer as she types. Her first novel, Inside Out & Back Again (2011), which won the National Book Award and a Newbery Honor, was partly based on her childhood as a refugee growing up in the southern United States. Other books include Listen, Slowly (2015) and Butterfly Yellow (2019), her YA debut. Hundred Years of Happiness (2022), Thanhhà’s first picture book, is out now.
portrait photo of Thanhhà Lai

Praise for Inside Out & Back Again

Captures a child-refugee's struggle with rare honesty. Written in accessible, short free-verse . . . readers will be moved by Hà's sorrow as they recognize the anguish of being the outcast.

Booklist (starred review)

An incisive portrait of human resilience

Publishers Weekly (starred review)