Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A fourth-grade Thai-American student, new to a predominantly Mexican-American school, struggles to fit in with a popular clique. In a starred review, PW wrote, "Zeroing in on a very specific situation, first-time author Marsden hits the issues of this age group squarely and truthfully." Ages 7-9. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-5-Oy's family recently moved to a new home and she's feeling lost and friendless because, although there are several immigrant children attending her new school, no one is from her native Thailand. Her journey from lonely outsider to being accepted begins in Carolyn Marsden's The Gold-Threaded Dress (2002) and continues in The Quail Club (2006, both Candlewick). In the first book, class bully Lilliandra sees a photo of Oy (renamed Olivia by her teacher) in her beloved pink silk dress which she wears when performing traditional Thai dances and demands that the girl bring it to school so she and her friends can try it on. If Oy doesn't comply, she will not be able to join Lilliandra's club. Oy desperately wants to fit in, but she knows her parents would be upset if anything happened to the dress. In the second title, Oy has been accepted into the Quail Club and is feeling better about her life. She decides that she wants to perform a solo Thai dance for the school talent show. Lilliandra tries to bully Oy into performing a contemporary American style duet with her. The girl must reconcile her longing to fit in at school with honoring traditional Thai values. Amy Rubinate's narration sensitively and accurately portrays Oy's feelings of confusion and conflicting loyalties. The unhurried pacing is perfect for these universal stories of acceptance and friendship.-Wendy Woodfill , Hennepin County Library, Minnetonka, MN (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
When Oy, who emigrated from Thailand to the United States with her family when she was four, begins fourth grade at a new school, she is teased and excluded because she's different. After she sees a chance to gain some social cachet, she risks both a beloved Thai dress and her self-respect. Marsden avoids clichéd characterizations, and her careful, detail-oriented prose vividly expresses Oy's conundrum. From HORN BOOK Spring 2003, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Oy silently cries out in frustration that her teacher and classmates do not accept her as Thai; her teacher issues her an "easier-to-remember" English name; and her fourth-grade classmates pull their round eyes into slits and call her "Chinita," little Chinese. Revealing the challenges young immigrants face in a mixed-race school environment, Oy feels torn between the respect she feels for her Thai culture and the acceptance she wants from her American culture. When she draws her family picture, their eyes are as round as those of the boy who teases her most, further exemplifying her will to fit in. She typifies the average fourth-grader's yearning in a way that each reader will recognize or remember. Acceptance into a campus girl's club is contingent upon allowing chubby club members to wear her petite, gold-threaded dress. The slow plot builds to climactic action as school authorities disband and discipline the whole club, whose members are discovered lined up in their underwear waiting for a turn to try on, inadvertently soil, and tear the delicate garment, symbolic of Oy's tender spirit. In an emotional buildup, Oy is forced to face her choices and reconsider her goals. Marsden, in her debut, draws on her own experience as she describes a loving family guiding their daughter in a difficult time. Those who read this short, character-driven story will remember the parallels between their personal experience and the forceful message, concluding that being kinder to new immigrants builds delightful friendships and provides interesting insights into rich cultures. (Fiction. 8-10)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Review by School Library Journal Review
Review by Horn Book Review
Review by Kirkus Book Review
