Customer Reviews

The Gold-Threaded Dress

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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.

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).

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.

I liked the book but was bothered by some inaccuracies such as misreading the Thai words and letters. Carolyn Marsden should have known what was written in Thai better. It's not too far off, but enough to indicate ignorance of the Thai language, which she tries to share. It's obvious she asked people to write the words and wasn't able to check for accuracy. Khun Mere is the girl's mother, better pronounced as Maa (like a in apple), and Sawadee is never used without Ka for girls or Krop for boys after it, it's very rude to use that word alone. These inaccuracies hurt the book in my eyes and I think better attention to Thailand would have erased the mistakes.

Oy is trying to fit in. One day, a picture of her in a special dress is seen by the other girls. She is invited to be in the "it" crowd only if she brings the dress for them to try on. This story is a charming story of a child reconciling her Thai heritage and being an American. It is predictable, but it is unique in that the other children are identified as having immigrant heritage as much as the main character, which seems to have the accuracy of Southern Californian situations. It is a brief glimpse into the Thai American experience. Children will find it easy to read. It offers an American perspective that is not often viewed.

This book is about a little girl named Oy. She moved to America with her family from Thailand. A mean kid from school named Frankie would tease her just because the way she looks and her religious background. He would say "Chinese girl." Oy would say "stop I'm not Chinese" but Frankie would still tease her. One day she dropped her backpack in school a lovely picture of her in a pink threaded dress with a hair piece and jewelry fell out. The most popular girl saw it. Her name was Lilindra. Lilindra had a club and Oy wanted to be in it so badly. Lilindra said I will let you be in the club if you let me try on that dress.
Well I bet you're wondering what she did. Im not going to tell you. You're just going to have to figure it out yourself by reading The Gold Threaded Dress.
I think you should read this book. It's really good.

From the engaging cover art, including the photo of the demur Thai child in her gold threaded dress and the elegant border design to the convincing whisps of lint on the end pages, this story pivots on beauty: first the superficial attraction of the elegant and the inner beauty which surfaces in Oy as she defends her family and culture against the blunt ignorance of her classmates who capriciously may or may not include her.

Marsden's deft language, telling just enough, captures the reader with this authentic tale of the poignancy of the first days of school when kids posture for position in their group. Gold threaded Dress is a joy to hold in the hand and the heart.

This is a fabulous book! I read it aloud to my third graders and they simply adored it! It is a great contribution to my multicultural library. There are lessons to be learned about the asian-american identity, about character education, about the trials and tribulations of growing up, and about life in general. I have the fortunate opportunity to be a friend and former colleague of Ms. Marsden and she presented a fabulous author study to my students. I highly recommend this book for use in the classroom. It should become part of the canon for high quality children's literature.

Marsden's The Gold-Threaded Dress was a pleasant story. It was short, but entertaining. I loved reading about Oy and her family and culture. Since reading this story with my ten year old, I have found an interest in going to Thai grocery stores near where I live. My daughter has shown a great interest in learning as much about Thai culture as well.

I love Marsden's THE GOLD-THREADED DRESS! In vivid yet brief chapters, Marsden introduces us to Oy, a young Thai girl trying to fit into an American school. Because of its cultural content, this book is great to read aloud and discuss in the elementary classroom. But most of all, THE GOLD-THREADED DRESS is a personal, touching, satisfying read. Somehow Marsden packs in just enough detail in her short text to give it a rich, textured realism. I look forward to Marsden's next book.