When Clouds Touch Us, the stand-alone sequel to Inside Out and Back Again finds Ha and her family leaving Alabama for Texas, losing hard-won familiarity and friendships behind. Starting over is challenging but with grit, determination, and teamwork they work together as a family to finally find a place to call home. This novel in verse is written to emulate the cadence of Lai’s native Vietnamese as Ha continues to synthesize her two lives: Vietnamese and American.
Thanhhà Lại is a Vietnamese American writer of middle-grade and young adult novels. She lives in upstate New York with her husband and daughter. Her dog Pico assists her by stepping directly onto the keys of her computer as she types. Her first novel, Inside Out & Back Again, which won the National Book Award and a Newbery Honor, was partly based on her childhood as a refugee growing up in the southern United States.
Ages 9-12
This event is free to attend and open to the public, however, reservations are required for school groups interested in attending. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis.
