The Cricket War
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The gripping story of a boy’s escape by boat from Communist Vietnam in 1980. Twelve-year-old Tho Pham lives with his family in South Vietnam. He spends his afternoons playing soccer and cricket fighting, but life is slowly changing under the Communists. His parents are worried, and Tho knows the Communist army will soon knock on their door to make his brother, and then him, join them. Still, it shocks him when his father says he’s arranged for Tho to leave, immediately. Tho tries to be brave as he sets out on a harrowing journey toward the unknown. A survival story drawn from real-life experience enriches this riveting refugee story.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Debut author Pha∙m and McTavish (Life Skills, for adults) weave a vividly wrought story of hope, loss, and inner strength in this semiautobiographical recounting of Pha∙m's experience fleeing Vietnam. In 1980, 11-year-old Tho∙ lives in Communist Hô` Chí Minh City with his family and spends his days enjoying cricket racing with his best friend Lâm. Then, Lâm leaves without warning or a goodbye, like many others have, to escape the war draft. Suddenly, Tho∙ 's older brother Vu˜ disappears, too. A year later, Tho∙ is floored to learn that his father has arranged for Tho∙ to leave as well, on a boat to America, where he will live with his uncle. But the boat on which he escapes is repeatedly ransacked by pirates. When one pirate crew offers the children on the boat sweets, Tho∙ decides to stow away on their ship ("any pirates who give out treats must have kind hearts. These are the right pirates"). While the protagonist's journey is plagued by trauma and upheaval, and the authors detail Pha∙m's and other Vietnamese refugees' experiences to tear-jerking effect, the creators also offer comfort via joyful interactions throughout this carefully crafted, fast-paced read. Ages 9–12.
