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Summary
Summary
Twelve-year-old Kia Yang-nicknamed "Little Cricket"-has always lived among her extended family in their tiny Laotian village. But their peaceful lives are shattered one day when North Vietnamese soldiers destroy much of their village, and Kia and her family are forced to escape the encroaching war. After three years in a Thai refugee camp, they finally receive heartbreaking news: only Kia, her brother, Xigi, and their grandfather may emigrate to America. In Minnesota, Kia is overwhelmed by her new life, isolated by culture and language. It is only when Xigi gets into big trouble and Grandfather becomes ill that Kia discovers that they are not as alone as she thought-and that others are more isolated than she'd realized. Set in Laos and Minnesota in the 1970s, this is a powerful first novel from a promising writer.
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
This quietly told first novel about a tumultuous period in history begins with 12-year-old Kia Vang, nicknamed "Little Cricket," in a city far from home, before flashing back to the events that set her migration in motion: the 1970s invasion of her Laotian village by the North Vietnamese. Enemy soldiers conscript the village men to fight the U.S. The Americans retaliate by dropping bombs on suspected Communist camps near Kia's village. Her family flees to a refugee camp in Thailand, where they spend three years waiting to immigrate. When permission is granted, it's for Kia, her brother, Xigi, and grandfather only-mother and grandmother must wait. The three relocate to Minnesota, where grandfather and Kia plant a garden of vegetables to sell at market, and Xigi grows distant. Marooned in an English-speaking world, Kia befriends two other outsiders. The pacing is uneven-a few pages cover three years at the refugee camp, and some threads of the story, such as the fate an elderly friend left in the mountains, are left hanging. While the story feels familiar, and a prologue situating Kia in her new home robs the story of a potential source of tension, the details about Hmong culture will be new to most readers, and Kia's sense of alienation may resonate with other kids who feel displaced. Ages 9-12. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Uprooted from their rural village in Laos by the turmoil of the Vietnam War, Kia's family is torn apart when only some of them are approved to immigrate to America. Most of the book focuses on their difficult adjustment to their new life. Although the story casts light on a little-explored aspect of history, the author too often summarizes events rather than letting the scenes play out in a dynamic fashion. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Gr. 5-8. When North Vietnamese soldiers destroy 12-year-old Kia's peaceful Hmong farming village, they nearly destroy her family: Kia's father disappears, and the remaining family makes the dangerous escape through the Laotian jungle to Thailand, where they settle in a refugee camp. A Minnesotan church agrees to sponsor the family's emigration to the U.S., but a paperwork error forces Kia's mother and grandmother to stay behind. It's Kia, her older brother, and her grandfather who travel overseas to cold St. Paul, where life is safe but foreign and the loneliness is crushing. Winner of Hyperion's Paul Zindel First Novel Award, Brown's debut is both a gripping survival story and a gentle, heart-wrenching portrait of an immigrant family. A few purposeful aphorisms and messages aside, Brown writes memorable scenes of a child's experience of war and relocation in graceful, richly detailed language, and Kia's quiet triumphs will thrill young readers. For other titles about Hmong Americans, suggest Pegi Deitz Shea's novel Tangled Threads (2003) or Susan Omoto's nonfiction book Hmong Milestones in America (2003). --Gillian Engberg Copyright 2004 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-Known for her habit of standing on one leg and rubbing it with the other, 12-year-old Kia is lovingly called Little Cricket by her family. The Vangs are first seen in their Laotian village, and the narrative follows the dwindling family as they escape the North Vietnamese soldiers and search for safety by traveling to Thailand. Eventually Kia, her brother, and their grandfather make their way to St. Paul, MN. Brown tells the story as an omniscient narrator in simple straightforward language, staying with the child's point of view throughout and making frequent mention of the cultural underpinnings and beliefs. The book includes a pronunciation guide for the few Hmong words used in the text as well as some suggested readings and a short history of Hmong immigration. In addition to providing good information for children, this involving story emphasizes the resilience and perseverance of the characters rather than the suffering and pain they endured. Kia's friendship in her new home with an adult neighbor and her son serves as a warm balance to some of the more negative situations that occur. Similar in some ways to Pegi Deitz Shea's Tangled Threads: A Hmong Girl's Story (Clarion, 2003), this thoughtful title is more accessible. A poignant and insightful story of learning to live in a new land.-Carol A. Edwards, Douglas County Libraries, Castle Rock, CO (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Similar to Pegi Dietz Shea's Tangled Threads (2003), Brown's work describes a Laotian Hmong family's journey and adjustment to life in the US in the 1970s. The family, consisting of 12-year-old Kia Vang, the "Little Cricket" of the title, her older brother, and elderly grandfather, leave their Thai refugee camp for Minnesota. The subject is handled well, if simplistically, and the rich Hmong culture is treated respectfully. Kia, a relatable character, adapts to American life most readily, though not without difficulty. A skilled gardener, she achieves happiness and some financial success by planting a plot of her own and selling vegetables at the farmers' market. She finds acceptance and makes friends with two neighbors, one of whom is an outsider like herself. The story's ending suggests a satisfying melding of old and new. Winner of the newly renamed Paul Zindel First Novel Award. (author's note, pronunciation guide, bibliography) (Fiction. 10-12) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
