The Gold-Threaded Dress [Hardcover]

Carolyn Marsden (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

A young girl from Thailand finds that there are many shades to being American in this poignant story about longing to belong.

In Thailand she was named Oy, but here in America the teachers call her Olivia. Other things are not so easy to change, however. When Oy draws a self-portrait that has brown hair and eyes round as coins, her classmate Frankie makes fun and calls her Chinese. And the popular girl, Liliandra, barely speaks to her, until she learns that Oy has something very special: a Thai dancing dress from her grandmother, shimmering with pink silk and golden threads that make her look like a princess. Will Oy risk shaming her family to win Liliandra’s approval - and be part of the club she has envied from afar?

With compassion and rare insight, Carolyn Marsden tells a simple tale about a young girl who searches for acceptance in a complex culture, while learning to treasure all that she is.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Zeroing in on a very specific situation, first-time author Marsden hits the issues of this age group squarely and truthfully. Fourth grader Oy, a Thai-American student new to a predominantly Mexican-American school, struggles to fit in with the popular clique of girls led by Liliandra. When Liliandra knocks into Oy and a picture of the heroine in a ceremonial Thai dress flutters from her backpack, the trouble begins (" `Oooooh, pretty,' said the girls following Liliandra. `Like a princess' "). The ringleader applies peer pressure until Oy agrees to smuggle the prized dress to school, in order to earn membership in Liliandra's club. Disaster results. Despite the brevity of the novel, Marsden plants details showing the importance of respect for position and education in Oy's home. So when the club initiation rite backfires, the consequences reach much further in Oy's mind than a reprimand at school. A touching friendship also develops with a boy who begins as a bully but softens when he sees Oy's predicament (it turns out he has some Asian heritage as well). The heroine's ultimate decision to take the high road results in a deeper understanding of her parents, including their shared experience as outsiders ("Remember, little daughter," her mother says, "The children are interested in this dress not because it makes them look the same, but because it makes them look different"). Ages 7-9.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grades 3-5--Fourth-grader Oy is the new girl in school. She wants to make friends, hold the pet hamster, and be invited into the in-crowd's clubhouse. She would really like Frankie to stop calling her Chinese, because she's Thai. When a photograph that shows her in ceremonial Thai dress falls on the ground, her classmates become obsessively enchanted with this vision of her. The leader of the clique, Liliandra, demands the dress as Oy's initiation fee to gain admittance into the clubhouse. An almost unbearable conflict ensues within her. The treasured garment from her grandmother symbolizes familiar tradition and fond memories, but her need for friends wins out. The girls carelessly grab at it and try pulling it on over their too-large bodies, and the delicate fabric is stretched and torn. When the teacher is drawn over by all the commotion, Oy is humiliated at being called the instigator of these antics. Crushed by the near destruction of her beautiful dress, she must now take home a note telling her mother of the awful event. This is a simple story about the painstaking effort of trying to fit in. It's a perfect choice to read with youngsters battling for friends, and caught within their own tangle of popularity. The Gold-Threaded Dress will have its place as a favorite for its natural voice and development of uncomfortable, yet familiar, predicaments.
Alison Follos, North Country School, Lake Placid, NY
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; 1st edition (February 18, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763615692
• ISBN-13: 978-0763615697
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,411,093 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Carolyn Marsden grew up in Mexico City and Southern California. Although she wrote for adults for many years, she began to write for children after the birth of her daughters. She attended Vermont College and earned an MFA in Writing for Children. Her first book, The Gold-Threaded Dress, published by Candlewick, was a Booklist Top Ten Youth Novel of 2002. Her second novel, Silk Umbrellas, was a Texas Bluebonnet nominee and Booklist Top Ten Art Novel of 2003. Since then, Carolyn has published several more award-winning middle grade chapter books with Candlewick and Viking, almost all with multicultural themes. The Buddha's Diamonds was a Southern California Booksellers Association finalist and a Booklist Top Ten Religion Novel of 2008. Sahwira: An African Friendship, is set in what is now Zimbabwe. Take Me With You was a Booklist Top Ten Historical Novel of 2010 and a Booklist Top Ten Religious Novel of 2010. Carolyn's latest book, Starfields (Candlewick 2011), touches on the 2012 prophesy. Her next book, The White Zone, is set in contemporary Iraq and will be released by Carolrhoda in February 2012. Carolyn lives with her Thai husband and two half-Thai daughters.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great story about celebrating our differences, July 6, 2005

By 

K. Wilson (Upstate NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Gold-Threaded Dress (Hardcover)

The Gold-Threaded Dress tells the story of Oy, a little Thai girl who has started at a new school in America. Oy faces many difficulties trying to fit in at school. To begin with, her teacher calls her Olivia, her American name, instead of Oy. In addition, a boy in her class, Frankie, keeps saying that she is Chinese and the many Mexican-American students at the school begin to call her Chinita (Spanish for little Chinese). The situation becomes worse when Liliandra, the most popular girl in class, sees a picture of Oy in a beautiful Thai dress and offers her membership into her exclusive club if she brings the dress to school for her to try on.

This book is appropriate for ages 8 and 9. Children in this age range will be able to relate to the issues the book deals with, such as peer pressure and wanting to fit in. They are also beginning to develop empathy for others, and will show concern for Oy's feelings. I would use this book as a read-aloud in a school setting as part of a discussion about cultural awareness and appreciating differences. I would also recommend this book for pleasure reading.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Young Immigrants Featured Review, December 5, 2004

By 

Mitali Perkins - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Gold-Threaded Dress (Hardcover)

From Candlewick Press comes this engaging, easy-to-read story of fourth grader Oy, a Thai-American student new to a predominantly Mexican-American school, who struggles to fit in with the popular clique. The understated yet poignant description of the girls tearing apart Oy's precious family heirloom was especially moving. Readers will sympathize with Oy's desire to find a friend and enjoy the glimpses of wry humor, which is especially prized in Thai culture. The book weaves in other lovely details about Thai traditions like dance, cuisine, and cultural gatherings.

Oy's benevolent, wise parents calmly guide her through the dilemma and act as her advocates in the school. This doesn't always happen in immigrant families, especially when a principal's public reprimand is seen as bringing shame on the whole family. My parents, for example, would have hit the roof! However, Oy's unquestioning devotion to her parents is common among pre-adolescent immigrants, and the cool-headedness, or "jai-yen," of her parents is certainly a prized Thai trait. (My fourth-grade son, who loved living in Thailand, devoured this book in one day, even taking it to school in spite of the 'girly' cover).

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marsden bridges a gap and scores!, December 17, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Gold-Threaded Dress (Hardcover)

Marsden's Gold Threaded Dress honestly, authentically shows the dilemma of young people who must straddle two cultures and learn to honor their own needs as well as navigate the traditions of both cultures. The school situations in young Oy's story could be taken from any school in the U.S, yet they ring as the young girl's personal truth. Marsden's skillful storytelling moves the reader through the story with an even flow and Oy's anguish over the spoiled dress becomes our own. The resolution is generously told. Readers young and old will look forward to Marsden's next books.