Too Young to Escape: A Vietnamese Girl Waits to Be Reunited with Her Family

One day they will send for her, but how long must Van Ho wait for her family to find a way to get her out of South Vietnam?

During the aftermath of the Vietnam War, Van wakes up one morning to find that her mother, her sisters Loan and Lan, and her brother Tuan are gone. They have escaped the new communist regime that has taken over Ho Chi Minh City for freedom in the West. Four-year-old Van is too young--and her grandmother is too old--for such a dangerous journey by boat, so the two have been left behind. Once settled in North America, her parents will eventually be able to sponsor them, and Van and her grandmother will fly away to safety. But in the meantime, Van is forced to work hard to satisfy her aunt and uncle, who treat her like an unwelcome servant. And at school she must learn that calling attention to herself is a mistake, especially when the bully who has been tormenting her turns out to be the son of a military policeman.

Van Ho's true story strikes at the heart and will resonate with so many families affected by war, where so many children are forced to live under or escape from repressive regimes.

Publisher: Pajama Press
Published: 04/07/2020
Pages: 152
Weight: 0.4lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.80w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9781772781168
Age: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.8
Point Value: 3
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 198317 / Too Young to Escape: A Vietnamese Girl Waits to Be Reunited with Her Family

About the Author
Ho, Van: - Van (Vanessa Gatensby) is happily married to her husband Andrew, and they have two children, Noah and Emma. She has a successful career working for one of the largest medical device companies in the world. Van thinks back to the days when she was forced to get up at 5:00 a.m. to work on the spindle, and she is grateful that she's never had to make the tough decisions her mom and dad were confronted with.Skrypuch, Marsha: - Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch is a multi-award-winning author of historical fiction and non-fiction for children and young adults. Dance of the Banished was a USSBY Outstanding International Book, a White Ravens Selection, and the winner of the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People. Last Airlift: A Vietnamese Orphan's Rescue from War won the Red Cedar Information Book Award and its sequel, One Step at a Time: A Vietnamese Child Finds Her Way won the OLA Silver Birch Non-Fiction Award. Both were Bank Street Best Books. Her other acclaimed titles include Stolen Child, Making Bombs for Hitler, and Underground Soldier. In 2008, in recognition of her outstanding achievement in the development of the culture of Ukraine, Marsha was awarded the Order of Princess Olha. She lives in Brantford, Ontario.