Middle-grade novel · Fiction
Inside Out & Back Again
Thanhha Lai
About the book
A verse novel about ten-year-old Hà, who flees Vietnam with her family in 1975 and resettles in Alabama.
Reading notes
Accessible free-verse poems about refugee experience and belonging; includes war and a father missing in action.
This description was drafted with AI assistance and checked by a separate AI review against catalog, publisher and award sources on 2026-11-11. It has not been reviewed by a human editor. Report an error.
Recognition
- National Book Award for Young People's Literature (2011)
- Newbery Honor (2012)
Recognition is listed from the awarding bodies’ published records. How we verify awards.
Book details
- Author
- Thanhha Lai
- First published
- 2011
- Suggested ages
- Ages 9–13 (editorial estimate — children vary)
- Reading mode
- Independent reader
- Topics
- immigration, verse novel, refugees
- Edition shown
- ISBN 9780061962790 · Harper, 2017 · paperback
- Catalog record
- Open Library work record · edition record
Metadata verified against Open Library on 2026-11-11. Other editions and formats exist; ISBNs differ by edition.
Not independently confirmed by our AI review: the suggested age range against a publisher range. Treat these details with caution.
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