This fictionalized account of the author’s childhood in Vietnam during the civil war, the fall of Saigon, and new life in Alabama is written in free verse.  She never knew her father, who was highly educated but had been missing for many years.  Her mother was left to raise four children with scarce resources.  The difficult decision was made to flee Vietnam.  They gave up everything to start a new life.   The author has managed to pluck the emotions from her memory and convey them with such ease to the reader.  A deserving winner of the 2012 Newbery Honor Medal and the National Book Award, this is a must-read for all.     Highly recommend.