Little Cricket [Hardcover]

Jackie Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 10, 2004 | Grade Level: 4 and up

Twelve-year-old Kia Yang-nicknamed "Little Cricket"-has always lived among her extended family in their tiny Laotian village. But their peaceful lives are shattered one day when North Vietnamese soldiers destroy much of their village, and Kia and her family are forced to escape the encroaching war. After three years in a Thai refugee camp, they finally receive heartbreaking news: only Kia, her brother, Xigi, and their grandfather may emigrate to America. In Minnesota, Kia is overwhelmed by her new life, isolated by culture and language. It is only when Xigi gets into big trouble and Grandfather becomes ill that Kia discovers that they are not as alone as she thought-and that others are more isolated than she'd realized. Set in Laos and Minnesota in the 1970s, this is a powerful first novel from a promising writer.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6–Known for her habit of standing on one leg and rubbing it with the other, 12-year-old Kia is lovingly called Little Cricket by her family. The Vangs are first seen in their Laotian village, and the narrative follows the dwindling family as they escape the North Vietnamese soldiers and search for safety by traveling to Thailand. Eventually Kia, her brother, and their grandfather make their way to St. Paul, MN. Brown tells the story as an omniscient narrator in simple straightforward language, staying with the child's point of view throughout and making frequent mention of the cultural underpinnings and beliefs. The book includes a pronunciation guide for the few Hmong words used in the text as well as some suggested readings and a short history of Hmong immigration. In addition to providing good information for children, this involving story emphasizes the resilience and perseverance of the characters rather than the suffering and pain they endured. Kia's friendship in her new home with an adult neighbor and her son serves as a warm balance to some of the more negative situations that occur. Similar in some ways to Pegi Deitz Shea's Tangled Threads: A Hmong Girl's Story (Clarion, 2003), this thoughtful title is more accessible. A poignant and insightful story of learning to live in a new land.–Carol A. Edwards, Douglas County Libraries, Castle Rock, CO
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. When North Vietnamese soldiers destroy 12-year-old Kia's peaceful Hmong farming village, they nearly destroy her family: Kia's father disappears, and the remaining family makes the dangerous escape through the Laotian jungle to Thailand, where they settle in a refugee camp. A Minnesotan church agrees to sponsor the family's emigration to the U.S., but a paperwork error forces Kia's mother and grandmother to stay behind. It's Kia, her older brother, and her grandfather who travel overseas to cold St. Paul, where life is safe but foreign and the loneliness is crushing. Winner of Hyperion's Paul Zindel First Novel Award, Brown's debut is both a gripping survival story and a gentle, heart-wrenching portrait of an immigrant family. A few purposeful aphorisms and messages aside, Brown writes memorable scenes of a child's experience of war and relocation in graceful, richly detailed language, and Kia's quiet triumphs will thrill young readers. For other titles about Hmong Americans, suggest Pegi Deitz Shea's novel Tangled Threads (2003) or Susan Omoto's nonfiction book Hmong Milestones in America (2003). Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1 edition (May 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786818522
• ISBN-13: 978-0786818525
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #994,634 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nancy King, September 8, 2006

By 

Eric N. king - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Little Cricket (Hardcover)

For a girl of twelve Kia has been through much in her short life. She has experienced the horrors of war, the confinements of a refugee camp, and the sorrow of leaving loved ones behind to travel to a distant and very different country. Here she discovers that by trusting others she is better able to adjust to her new life, and is soon able to help her grandfather adjust as well. Author, Jackie Brown weaves a thoughtful historical fiction that is as beautiful as the stories told by Grandfather's pa ndau (Hmong embroidered story cloths).

5.0 out of 5 stars Little Cricket: An Important Immigrant Story for Tween Readers, February 22, 2011

By 

Tina Says "Tina Says" (Iowa) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Little Cricket (Hardcover)

Kia and her family are living in Laos at the beginnign of this novel. However, war in their country causes them to flee their homes and eventually find shelter in a refugee camp. Kia, her brother Xigi, and their grandfather are granted permission to move to the United States. A church in Minnesota is sponsoring them and will help them adjust to this new life. Unfortunately Mother and Grandmother's paperwork has been misfiled and the two women must remain at the refugee camp while things get sorted out.

Life in America is not easy. Grandfather finds learning new things hard, and Kia often finds him gazing out of the window. Xigi, now an adolescent, is breaking away from his family, and is often gone late into the evening. Kia and her grandfather plant their own garden and try to sell their crop at the local farmer's market, saving money to help reunite their family.

Told in Kia's voice, Little Cricket (as Kia is called) learns a great deal about herself, about starting over, and about what is really important in life.

This book is aimed at 4th-6th graders, told by Brown in a way that middle grade readers will understand. I appreciated the authors' note at book's end explaining why Kia and her family had to flee their country. While my school does not have a Hmong population, I have friends who teach in Wisconsin where there is a large population of Hmong immigrants. Although their story is not the same as that of other immigrant groups, the themes in this book will resonate with anyone coming to a new home.

4.0 out of 5 stars Little Cricket, October 20, 2009

By 

Christina A. Guzman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Little Cricket (Hardcover)

Little Cricket by Jackie is a book about a girl named Kia her and her family are leaving their village. Kia however must only leave with her brother and her grandfather and flee to the United States for safety. Kia doesn't want to leave behind the village in which she grew up in and have become to love. She and her family members are sent to Minnesota and must accustom themselves to the traditions and language of the state. Kia and her brother must now become part of the society. Grandfather has fallen ill and Kia finally finds it in herself to take care of him and realizes they may be alone.

Jackie Brown has presented an excellent book on finding oneself and relocated to another area in a time of war.