A Boat to Nowhere

Rating:
Summary: The Boat To Nowhere: It's Great!
Review: I am 9 years old and I really loved this Vietnamese story. It paints a lot of pictures in my mind. It has a lot of exciting parts but no like Harry Potter where there's only one suspensful part...this book has it throughout the whole story. I felt like I was in the jungle and out at sea. I think this book is actually better for kids 9 and up. I also thought it was easy to read.

Rating:
Summary: A Boat to Nowhere
Review: I teach a 7th grade English/Geography block class. A Boat to Nowhere was adopted by the English department before I arrived. In some ways it was a good choice. Wartski does a wonderful job with setting. She really paints a picture of the jungle of Vietnam and the isolated and tiny utopian village that Mai, the young protagonist, lives in with her grandfather and brother.

When Kien, the "monster" Mai and her brother Loc hear in the woods arrives, their peaceful way of life is over. Kien, an orphan from the war, brings news that the government will soon find this remote paradise and set up new rules. He is right, and when the govenment officials do arrive, it is Kien, surprisingly, who is able to help Mai, Loc and their grandfather, if he is willing.

Most of my students enjoyed reading this novel, so I would certainly recommend it. While studying Southeast Asia, we also read The Clay Marble (set in Cambodia) by Minfong Ho. Both were good novels; however, the characters in The Clay Marble seemed more fully developed.

Rating:
Summary: The Boat To Nowhere: It's Great!
Review: Overall, my students did not feel that this book really met their needs as readers. They struggled with relating to characters that were developed minimally. For example, Mai seems to jump back and forth between loving and hating Kien due to small actions on Kien's part. She forgives him quickly and returns to despising him pages later. There seems to be no feasible reason for this switching besides the contrived plot. Speaking of the plot, my students found it extremely predictable and a little sappy at the end. Overall, not a bad book for lower level readers, but do not expect to be thrilled by this story.

Rating:
Summary: Plot/Character Development?
Review: Overall, my students did not feel that this book really met their needs as readers. They struggled with relating to characters that were developed minimally. For example, Mai seems to jump back and forth between loving and hating Kien due to small actions on Kien's part. She forgives him quickly and returns to despising him pages later. There seems to be no feasible reason for this switching besides the contrived plot. Speaking of the plot, my students found it extremely predictable and a little sappy at the end. Overall, not a bad book for lower level readers, but do not expect to be thrilled by this story.