When Heaven Fell [Hardcover]

Carolyn Marsden (Author)

Book Description

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

When a Vietnamese girl receives a visit from her half-American aunt, brimming curiosity — and cultural misperceptions — come to the fore.

Every day nine-year-old Binh sells fruit and sodas to the girls whose families can afford to send them to school, and every night she returns to her one-room home to share a simple meal with her family. Everything changes, however, when her grandmother tells Binh she had a daughter during the war, a child who was sent away to America as a little girl. Now Di Hai — Binh’s aunt, a teacher — is coming to visit, and Binh can’t help but wonder what luxurious gifts she will bring.

Yet when Di Hai arrives, there are so many confusing things about her: she’s taller than the men, she’s not married, and her presents are mere trinkets that could have come from Third Aunt’s tourist shop! Still, Binh secretly hopes Di Hai will take her to live in America. Can her aunt live up to her expectations? Carolyn Marsden tells Binh’s story with warmth and sensitivity as she ushers readers into the life and dreams of a young Vietnamese girl.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3–5—Vietnamese and American cultural assumptions are woven seamlessly into the plot in this accessible and inviting story. Nine-year-old Binh is fascinated to know that she has an American aunt, who at age five was sent to the U.S. as part of Operation Babylift. Now Di, 35, comes to Vietnam to visit her birth mother and other relatives. Binh knows that all Americans are rich and imagines her aunt taking her home with her to live in the house that looks so enormous in photos. Binh, too poor to attend school, is embarrassed to tell her aunt that she helps her family eke out a living by selling fruit from a cart, and Di knows little of Vietnamese culture. With some final, brave efforts at communicating, Binh finally helps Di sort out what is and isn't offensive in Vietnam, and the tension is dispelled. Direct language, a balance of simple and complex sentences, and a generous use of white space will pull in younger readers, giving them more depth than is typical in early chapter books. Despite unfamiliar words and a rather large cast of characters, the story of Binh and her family shines through the spare text, creating a welcome chance to experience another culture. Pair this with Andrea Warren's Escape from Saigon (Farrar, 2004) for a nonfiction look at the same topic.—Faith Brautigam, Gail Borden Public Library, Elgin, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Binh, a nine-year-old Vietnamese girl, is surprised to learn that her grandmother once had a child with an American soldier. Sent to America for adoption at the end of the war, Thao is now coming for a visit. Binh and her family look forward to meeting the child, some with curiosity about American ways and others with hope that Thao will give them money or even take them to America. The visit brings cultural differences into sharp contrast, but Binh is able to help her aunt understand her family's ways. The author of The Gold-Threaded Dress (2002) and Silk Umbrellas (2004), Marsden sensitively portrays expectations and disappointments on both sides, but the main focus is on Binh's thoughts and emotions. Readers will make frequent use of the appended glossary, as Marsden uses Vietnamese words to define family relationships such as di hai (eldest aunt) as well as terms such as bui doi (derogatory term for a person of "mixed blood"). An unusually accessible introduction to the culture of modern Vietnam. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (February 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763631752
• ISBN-13: 978-0763631758
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 7.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #313,162 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

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enthralling, Beautiful, Present Day, August 11, 2007

By 

A. P. Sayre "Children's Book Author" (Midwest) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When Heaven Fell (Hardcover)

I loved WHEN HEAVEN FELL. Author Carolyn Marsden brings us into the world of contemporary Vietnam. It is easy to explore other cultures through Marsden's writing because she puts us securely and comfortably inside her main characters. I was enthralled by Binh's world, her thoughts, her concerns, her joys.

When I saw the title I thought it might be about war...but it isn't. This book is appropriate for quite young readers. It only has a few gently told flashbacks. This is a terrific book to get kids thinking about other kids, other countries, other cultures. It's not solely a "Vietnam" book. It is a think about the world book. It would be a great book for kids to begin thinking about expectations, gifts, loving, and how we behave toward others.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for collections seeking strong multicultural stories., June 10, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When Heaven Fell (Hardcover)

Nine-year-old Binh sells sodas to schoolgirls whose families can afford to give them an education - and returns home to live with her family in a simple one-room home. Her simple life is destined to change when a new aunt comes to visit from America, bringing with her cultural confusion: she's tall, isn't married, and brings no special gifts to the family. Will Di Hai take her to America? A young Vietnamese girl faces another culture and different dreams in WHEN HEAVEN FELL: perfect for collections seeking strong multicultural stories.

5.0 out of 5 stars Pull the reader into the book and straight onto the streets in Binh's village, June 5, 2007

By 

A Customer (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When Heaven Fell (Hardcover)

Nine-year-old Binh lives in a small village in Vietnam with her mother, father, grandmother and older brother. They don't own many material things; they sleep on floor mats in their one-room hut, wash their clothes and dishes in the nearby river, and stretch every dong (Vietnamese money) just to buy enough rice, fish and vegetables to feed the family.

To help earn a little more, Binh sits on the roadside everyday selling sodas and fruit to passersby. She is glad to help but longs to attend school, so that she can learn about faraway places like America and hear stories about the war. While school itself is free in Communist Vietnam, the uniforms and books cost more than what her father can afford. So school, like other luxuries, can only exist as a dream. But what Binh's family lacks in possessions, they more than make up for in love, heritage and tradition.

Since family is so very important, her grandmother's announcement comes as a great surprise. During the war, her grandmother had fallen in love with an American, but they became separated in the confusion and lost touch. In their short time together, they had a daughter named Di Hai. After the war, the government began killing many of the children with mixed heritage. To save her daughter's life, Binh's grandmother sent the five-year-old to an adoption organization in America. Thirty years later, Di Hai has tracked down her birth mother and is coming to Vietnam for a visit.

Binh cannot contain her excitement. Everyone knows that all Americans are very rich; Binh learns that from the films she watches at the video café in town. Binh's aunt is sure to bring expensive gifts for everyone --- and perhaps will take them all back to America. But when Binh learns that Di Hai is a teacher, she is ashamed of her own lack of education and vows that her aunt will not discover her secret.

Almost immediately, the family is disappointed with Di Hai's lack of extravagant gifts brought from America. And though she does speak Vietnamese, it is more like how a young child would talk than an adult. Each side of the family suffers through the confusing culture clash, not knowing exactly how to act or what to expect. Maybe with time, they will grow closer and more comfortable with one another.

Then, Di Hai and Binh take a bus trip together to visit the ocean and go shopping. Just when the opportunity arrives to get some amazing presents, Binh doesn't feel right accepting the fancy dress. Where would she wear it? And besides, the money would help a lot more going to her family to buy food. In the end, Di Hai finds the perfect gift for Binh, one that is absolutely priceless.

Carolyn Marsden has created another lovely story for young people that will expand their imaginations, broaden their horizons and entertain them for hours. She weaves a wonderful story about a girl's life in Vietnam and what happens when an American outsider comes to visit. Her vivid descriptions and vast knowledge pull the reader into the book and straight onto the streets in Binh's village.

--- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman