Adrift at Sea: A Vietnamese Boy's Story of Survival

Gr 1–4—A personal account of one family's escape from Vietnam following the fall of Saigon. Ho, only six years old at the time, tells a remarkable tale of perseverance that involved attacks from soldiers, a broken boat at sea, and a trip that was intended to last four days but went horribly awry. Amazingly, throughout the harrowing journey, his family remained intact. "It's hard to find a place to sit, but finally we huddle together, clutching hands and falling asleep to the lullaby of slapping waves and the growl of the motor." Back matter includes family photographs, maps, and a historical note about the Vietnam War and the resulting refugee crisis, which makes this title helpful for discussing the topics of relocation and the history of refugee placement. The narrative, while gripping, includes vocabulary words like skiff, bailing, adrift, and tethers that young children unfamiliar with sailing are unlikely to recognize. Deines's illustrations, created with oil paint on canvas, provide some contextual background but have a muted palette and tend to minimize the story's emotion and sense of urgency.