All The Broken Pieces [Hardcover]

Ann E. Burg (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 11 and up | Grade Level: 6 and up

A remarkable literary debut by a stunning new voice in children's fiction.

Two years after being airlifted out of war-torn Vietnam, Matt Pin is haunted: by bombs that fell like dead crows, by the family -- and the terrible secret -- he left behind. Now, inside a caring adoptive home in the United States, a series of profound events force him to choose between silence and candor, blame and forgiveness, fear and freedom.

By turns harrowing, dreamlike, sad, and triumphant, this searing debut novel, written in lucid verse, reveals an unforgettable perspective on the lasting impact of war and the healing power of love.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6–8—In 1977, 12-year-old Matt Pin lives a fractured life. He is the son of a Vietnamese woman and an American soldier and was airlifted to safety from the war zone. Adopted by a caring American couple, he has vivid and horrific memories of the war and worries about the fates of his mother and badly injured little brother. Matt's adoptive family adores him, and he is the star pitcher for his middle school baseball team, but there are those who see his face and blame him for the deaths of the young men they lost in the war. The fractured theme runs the course of this short novel in verse: Matt's family, the bodies and hearts of the Vietnam vets, the country that is "only a pocketful of broken pieces" that Matt carries inside him. Ultimately, everything broken is revealed as nonetheless valuable. While most of the selections read less like poems and more like simple prose, the story is a lovely, moving one. Use this in a history class or paired with Katherine Applegate's Home of the Brave (Feiwel & Friends, 2007).—Heather M. Campbell, formerly at Philip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock, CO
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From Booklist

*Starred Review* Airlifted from Vietnam at the end of the war and adopted by a loving American family, Matt Pin, 12, is haunted by what he left behind, even as he bonds with his new little brother and becomes a star pitcher on the school baseball team. In rapid, simple free verse, the first-person narrative gradually reveals his secrets: his memories of mines, flames, screams, helicopters, bombs, and guns, as well as what the war did to his little brother (“He followed me / everywhere, / he follows me still”). But this stirring debut novel is about much more than therapy and survivor guilt. When his parents take Matt to a veterans’ meeting, he hears the soldiers’ stories of injury and rejection and begins to understand why the school bully calls him “frogface” (“My brother died / Because of you”). There is occasional contrivance as Matt eavesdrops on adults. But the haunting metaphors are never forced, and the intensity of the simple words, on the baseball field and in the war zone, will make readers want to rush to the end and then return to the beginning again to make connections between past and present, friends and enemies. Add this to the Booklist read-alike column “Children at War.” Grades 6-10. --Hazel Rochman

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0545080924
• ISBN-13: 978-0545080927
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #107,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #58 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Historical Fiction > Military & Wars

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, June 18, 2009

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: All The Broken Pieces (Hardcover)

Matt Pin was airlifted from Vietnam at the age of 10 and adopted by an American family. He is now in seventh grade and has adjusted well to his new family. He remembers the early adoption classes and meetings when he was learning to speak English, and he's glad they helped him remember the customs and traditions of his culture. His American parents now have a biological son, but Matt has always felt loved and appreciated.

The downside is that Matt also remembers Vietnam. He hasn't forgotten the sounds, the smells, and the horrors of war. He knows his father was an American soldier, but he's not sure why he left his mother behind. Should he want to find this missing father or just put it all in the past? He knows his mother told him she loved him and that was why she sent him away, but how do you give up someone you love?

What haunts him the most is the younger brother he left behind. Matt can't find the words to share the tragic story that separated him from the toddler. His loving American parents hope time will heal the many wounds created by the awfulness of war. Their encouragement, along with that of another Vietnam vet, the game of baseball, and Matt's interest in music, work together to start the healing process.

ALL THE BROKEN PIECES is the first novel for author Ann E. Burg. Written in verse, the spare language brings focus to the raw emotions felt by all the characters. Burg examines the effects of war from many vantage points as she involves her readers in this turbulent time.

Even readers without a connection to this controversial war will come away with an understanding of the widespread damage done when war is chosen over peace.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "All The Broken Pieces" is a breakthrough, compelling, must-read novel, March 13, 2009

By 

L. Rich - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: All The Broken Pieces (Hardcover)

Not only is "All The Broken Pieces" beautifully written, I found it compelling in every way:

The story is riveting -- a young Vietnamese boy adopted by an American couple at the end of the Vietnam war, how he outwardly acclimatizes to his new family, school and country but has a rich and troubled inner life riddled with nightmares and waking fears and how these and others' prejudices affect him;

The verse is spare yet utterly evocative in its brevity -- it communicates better than any regular prose novel the way images and conflicting thoughts and feelings tangle in people's minds every day;

The emotions it conveys from and about the characters are affecting -- you can't help but feel the small happinesses, the pain, the joy of resolution..

And all of this in a quick read that already has me returning to it to find passages that especially moved me. I think this book will resonate for anyone, and it will certainly have special relevance for those of us who lived through the Vietnam era, who had friends or loved ones who fought in the war, or who was there him or herself.

5.0 out of 5 stars Must-Read for Young (and Older) Adults, December 1, 2011

By 

Valerie A. Petro "Game Master" (Brownsburg, IN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: All The Broken Pieces (Hardcover)

Initially disorienting. Immediately intriguing. Constantly moving. Deftly touching.

This book is appropriate for readers of all ages, young and old. Older readers, already aware of some of the history of Vietnam, will maybe learn a new side of the conflict (and its aftermath). Younger readers will be drawn to the story of the young boy who is alienated, but never stops in his struggle to find his place between the past and the present.

The verse format is beautiful and works perfectly to complement the emotional complexity of the tale.