The Quail Club [Paperback]

Carolyn Marsden (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

"A compelling sequel to THE GOLD-THREADED DRESS. . . . Handles a perennial topic with poignancy and grace." — SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

Oy lives in America now, but she loves learning traditional Thai dances almost as much as being in the Quail Club — five friends who meet after school to hatch and care for baby quail. When their teacher announces a talent show, Oy knows how proud her family would be to see her step onstage in her gold-threaded dress from Thailand. But bossy Liliandra vows to kick Oy out of the club if she won’t team up for a very different kind of dance. In this finely crafted novel, Carolyn Marsden explores what it takes to be a true friend and still be true to yourself.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-A compelling sequel to The Gold-Threaded Dress (Candlewick, 2002). Being invited to join the Quail Club means that fifth-grader Oy feels less an outsider, more American, even if she doesn't even know what a quail is; it means she has friends. That friendship is tested when their teacher announces a talent show and Liliandra decides that Oy must dance an American dance with her, as shown on television. Oy, strongly supported by her parents, wants to perform one of her Thai dances, wearing her beautiful gold-threaded dress. When dancing with Liliandra becomes the condition under which Oy is allowed to stay in the Quail Club, tension ensues. Torn between two cultures, torn between honoring the wishes of a friend and her own, Oy finds a satisfying resolution. Throughout the text, Thai words add much to the cultural authenticity. Girls in particular will read to discover answers to these questions: How can I fit into a new community without losing my uniqueness? As one already in the community, how should I respond to the newcomer? A perennial topic is handled with poignancy and grace.-Alexa Sandmann, Kent State University, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-5. In this sequel to The Gold-Threaded Dress (2002), the announcement of a talent show sounds exciting to Oy, who looks forward to performing a traditional Thai dance in her beautiful silk dress. Her bossy classmate Liliandra, asks Oy to join her in doing a different kind of dance and threatens to expel Oy from their club if she refuses. Feeling conflicted and compromised, Oy wonders if she can remain true to herself without paying the price of rejection from the one group where she feels accepted. Once again, Marsden sensitively portrays the nuances of Oy's feelings as she tries to find her way between her immigrant family's customs and values and those of the children at school. Every choice seems fraught with meaning and every action has consequences. While the novel offers insight into why Liliandra acts as she does, children will probably be more concerned with how Oy will handle her troublesome friend. A sensitive portrayal of a child caught between two cultures. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (February 12, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763634220
• ISBN-13: 978-0763634223
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.4 x 7.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,477,211 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.