Into a Strange Land

School Library Journal

Gr 6 Up An easily read account of the plight of unaccompanied refugee youth in America. The saga unfolds from the secreting of a child onto a boat after a very high price for passage is paid, to arriving at a camp to await placement and transport to a free country. The drama and emotional upheaval continue after the child arrives in America and is placed in foster care. High expectations and the traumatic loss of family, country, culture, and language make adjustment most difficult and often results in deep depression. Interviews with foster parents, child welfare case workers, officials, but most importantly, the refugee minors themselves, provide the basis for this book about courage and love. Most of the subjects are from Southeast Asia, but some refugees from Africa and other continents are included. The various cases and interviews help readers to develop an appreciation for the trauma and apprehension faced by these individuals as well as those of the foster parents. Numerous black-and-white photographs are included of many of the refugees whose stories are chronicled in the book. This book provides new subject matter for junior high school students and should be of general interest to any community that is assimilating a refugee or immigrant population. It would pair nicely with Jack Bennett's novel The Voyage of the Lucky Dragon (Prentice-Hall, 1982). Sue Geren Diehl, Robertsville Junior High School, Oak Ridge, Tenn.