On April 24, 1975 the last flight out of Saigon, Vietnam carried over
400 people to the United States, six days before Saigon's surrender to
the North Vietnamese Army.
Kristen Giang was a little girl, on that flight with family, and here in
this story she shares all the emotions of the decision to flee from the
perspective of someone eight years old; Playing a game of
space-explorers to protect herself and her sister's eyes from tear gas;
sneaking a stuffed animal into the family's overstuffed suitcase for
comfort.
Dow Phumiruk's tender illustrations let anyone feel the excitement and
the ultimate hopefulness of this amazing true story.
P R A I S E
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard
"Deeply touching... A tender and powerful portrait of a harrowing,
historic event."
--Booklist
"Mai Giang's sensory-filled prose gently and evocatively communicates a
personal wartime story. Phumiruk's clean, soft illustrations, done in
Photoshop and pencil, bring to life a gamut of emotions...A moving and
illuminating story of family, war, courage, and newfound home."
--Kirkus
"Giang's affecting, powerful recounting of her family's escape from
Saigon in 1975 renders a largely unexplored moment in history intimate
and urgent."
--BCCB