Author:  Sarah S. Kilborne

Illustrator:  Melissa Sweet

Discussion Guide:   Pat Bowes

Setting: Vietnam, South China Sea, islands south of Vietnam, Singapore, America

Main Characters:
   : Tuan Ngo
   : His father
   : Tuyen - cousin
   : Old man on boat
   : Pirates
   : Germans

Topics:
Vietnam War
Communism
Viet Cong, Viet Minh
Refugees - Boat People
Immigration/Emigration
Family

Prereading Activities

: Look at the title and picture on the cover.  What is going on?  Why is the boy leaving
   Vietnam?
: Discuss what a refugee is.
: Share Cincinnati Enquirer articles about refugees who made it to Cincinnati.
: Discuss emigration/immigration.
: Be sure to discuss Communism.

Activity Ideas

: Imagine you have to go on a long trip with only one of your parents.  Write a creative
  story about where you were going, everything that happened along the way, and how
  you eventually got there.  Be sure to include plenty of details.
: Write the next chapter to this story.
: Play marbles

1) Why would Tuan and his father be put in a labor camp if they get caught trying to
    leave Vietnam?  Why can’t they do what they want?

2) Our soldiers protect us. Who are the Viet Cong soldiers?  Why is Tuan afraid of
     them?

3) Do you think Tuan’s father will make lots of money in America?  Why or why not?

4) Why does an old man jump in the sea?

5) Were the pirates nice to the boat people?

6) Why did a man put a hole in the boat?  Do you think this was a good idea?

7) Why do you think the family was supposed to give their rice to the Viet Cong?

8) Why did Tuan and his father have to wait on islands?  Why can’t they just come to
     America whenever they feel like it?

9) Why do we have immigration quotas - rules saying how many people can come to
     America each year?

10) What is malaria and why does Tuan have to stay away from people who have it?

11) Do you think Tuyen should have stayed with Tuan and his father instead of leaving
       the island for America?

12) If it is three o’clock in the morning in San Francisco, what time is it in
       Philadelphia?  What time would it be in Cincinnati?

13) This is a true story.  Tuan was 11 years old in 1983.  How old is he today?

14) Do you think Tuan will go back to Vietnam?

15) Look at a map and trace the route that Tuan took from Vietnam to Philadelphia.