Little Cricket (Hardcover)

by Jackie Brown (Author)
Key Phrases: little cricket, Shong Lue, Aunt Zoua, Cha Lee (more...)

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

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH; 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 (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #861,844 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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)

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 Beautifully written!, September 1, 2008

By	K. Thao (Kansas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book was labeled for children but it packs so much in it that all ages will enjoy and benefit. I am in my upper 40 and I read every page carefully. As I get older, I come to appreciate and respect my Hmong heritage.
I feel humble of how numerous authors (not of Hmong heritage) want to preserve our stories by putting them in writing (for whatever reason that drew them to do it). I have observed that many Hmong who want to preserve our ways but don't know how to write and those that are able to write seem to have no time or passion.
One of the surprising things that the author told in the story was that the grandfather sew paj ndaub. Though, paj ndaub was traditionally the work of women/girls, it was not uncommon for Hmong men to be very good at it as well especially in the refugee camp experience where the men found few things to do to fill their time. In addition, one of my uncles was famous for making the tab (the woman dress of the Blue Hmong). If one knows how complex, intricate, and the skills with great patience require in making such a masterpiece, one would appreciate its art.
I love the flashbacks, which the narrator tells each time Kia encounters a situation in her new home in Minnesota that caused her to make the comparison. Our experience, whether good or bad, becomes an integral part of who we are.
A great lesson for us all is that we need one another. We all need a little lift in some point in our lives like Kia, Hank, and especially Sam (at the end of the story). The author did not mention the presence of a dad in the Hank & Sam household, so I can only assume that Hank is a single mom raising a special-need son. While Donald Trump or Bill Gates may not need Kia and grandpa's help but for people like Kia, grandpa, Hank, and Sam and the rest of us need each other (no matter what heritage they're from). There is a Hmong song that part of it says, "...the poor lift the orphaned..." It seems that the majority of the rich is so busy getting richer and forget the one important thing that defines the true humanity of the human race--recognizing and aiding those who truly need it.
"...Kia would smile, not because she understood what was funny, but because these good neighbors made her happy with their joyous and quick laughter." I have found that Americans are the most cheerful of all peoples. I watched the summer Olympic on TV not long ago and I could tell which athlete is an American and which is not just by the sense of freedom and joy in their eyes.
It was also interesting that the author chose poker (why not gang, drugs, etc.), which got Xigi into trouble. I understand that casino gambling problem is rampant among the Hmong population in St. Paul/Minneapolis and surrounding. I believe the author wants us to learn a lesson here. It may be too late for the older people that are addicted to gambling and they may have to hit bottom before they "wake up" but our children must be taught that making an honest living by honest and hard work is the surest thing in life and gambling hoping for quick riches only bring despair and disappointment.
What a story beautifully and compassionately told! Thank you, Jackie Brown, for telling our story so well. I am inspired now to write my own story (for my children). It is my intention to make my spouse and all my children to read this book as well.
Khoua|