Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai (Paperback)

Winner of the National Book Award and a Newbery Honor, Thanhha Lai's novel in verse is inspired by her own childhood. Ten-year-old Ha has only known life in Saigon, but when the Vietnam War reaches her home, she and her family flee on a ship and eventually resettle in Alabama.

Told through short, vivid poems across one year, Ha's story captures the grief of leaving home, the struggle of learning a new language and the hard work of finding belonging in a new country. Moving and accessible, this paperback is a favorite in classrooms and with middle grade readers.