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A Year Without Home
A poignant middle grade novel in verse about a Hmong girl losing and finding home in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. For fans of Jasmine Warga and Veera Hiranandani.
For eleven-year-old Gao Sheng, home is the lush, humid jungles and highlands of Laos. Home is where she can roll down the grassy hill with her younger siblings after her chores, walk to school, and pick ripe peaches from her family’s trees.
But home becomes impossible to hold onto when U.S. troops pull out of the Vietnam War. The communists will be searching for any American allies, like Gao Sheng’s father, a Hmong captain in the Royal Lao Army who fought alongside the Americans against the Vietnamese. If he’s caught, he’ll be killed.
As the adults frantically make plans – contacting family, preparing a route, and bundling up their silver and gold, Gao Sheng wonders if she will ever return to her beloved Laos and what’s to become of her family now. Gao Sheng only knows that a good daughter doesn’t ask questions or complain. A good daughter doesn’t let her family down. Even though sometimes, she wishes she could be just a kid rolling down a grassy hill again.
On foot, by taxi and finally in a canoe, Gao Sheng and her family make haste from the mountains to the capitol Vientiane and across the rushing Mekong River, to finally arrive at an overcrowded refugee camp in Thailand. As a year passes at the camp, Gao Sheng discovers how to rebuild home no matter where she is and finally find her voice.
Inspired by author V.T. Bidania’s family history, A Year Without a Home illuminates the long, difficult journey that many Hmong refugees faced after the Vietnam War.
For eleven-year-old Gao Sheng, home is the lush, humid jungles and highlands of Laos. Home is where she can roll down the grassy hill with her younger siblings after her chores, walk to school, and pick ripe peaches from her family’s trees.
But home becomes impossible to hold onto when U.S. troops pull out of the Vietnam War. The communists will be searching for any American allies, like Gao Sheng’s father, a Hmong captain in the Royal Lao Army who fought alongside the Americans against the Vietnamese. If he’s caught, he’ll be killed.
As the adults frantically make plans – contacting family, preparing a route, and bundling up their silver and gold, Gao Sheng wonders if she will ever return to her beloved Laos and what’s to become of her family now. Gao Sheng only knows that a good daughter doesn’t ask questions or complain. A good daughter doesn’t let her family down. Even though sometimes, she wishes she could be just a kid rolling down a grassy hill again.
On foot, by taxi and finally in a canoe, Gao Sheng and her family make haste from the mountains to the capitol Vientiane and across the rushing Mekong River, to finally arrive at an overcrowded refugee camp in Thailand. As a year passes at the camp, Gao Sheng discovers how to rebuild home no matter where she is and finally find her voice.
Inspired by author V.T. Bidania’s family history, A Year Without a Home illuminates the long, difficult journey that many Hmong refugees faced after the Vietnam War.
6 pages, Audiobook
First published January 1, 2025
24 people are currently reading
3240 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
January 16, 2026
What a massively powerful read about the experiences of the Hmong community. CW: descriptions of violence due to war, death (not on page), displacement from home
What Worked: I believe this is only the second children's book that I've read in my career as a librarian with Hmong representation. The first was The Rock in my Throat by Kao Kalia Yang, a picture book that focused on life of a Hmong refugee child navigating life in the United States. A Year Without Home is a little different in that it showcases what happened post the Vietnam War in Laos that forced so many Hmong people from their homes. Though this book is told from the perspective of V.T. Bidania's sisters experience (she was too young to remember when they left Laos), it is clear that she did a lot of research and conducted a lot of interviews to capture the feelings both positive and negative of the experience of her family and so many others. Historical fiction, for me, is a gateway to assist young and old readers in learning more about the world around them and how the past continuously informs the present. I knew about the Vietnam war and the involvement of the United States; however, I knew nothing about its lasting impact on Laos and the Hmong community. Bidania beautifully crafts all of this into the experiences of Gao Sheng as she loses her home and attempts to break the traditional gender roles enforced by her family and community. It's enlightening, devasting and an important novel to give to young readers so that they can connect with what the experiences of other children around the globe.
What Didn't Work: I almost think that this book could have been benefited from not being written in verse. There are a lot of moving parts to the story and I wanted a little more detail than what was provided.
Overall, this was a thoughtful, powerful novel that I will be recommending as a necessary middle grade historical fiction read.
What Worked: I believe this is only the second children's book that I've read in my career as a librarian with Hmong representation. The first was The Rock in my Throat by Kao Kalia Yang, a picture book that focused on life of a Hmong refugee child navigating life in the United States. A Year Without Home is a little different in that it showcases what happened post the Vietnam War in Laos that forced so many Hmong people from their homes. Though this book is told from the perspective of V.T. Bidania's sisters experience (she was too young to remember when they left Laos), it is clear that she did a lot of research and conducted a lot of interviews to capture the feelings both positive and negative of the experience of her family and so many others. Historical fiction, for me, is a gateway to assist young and old readers in learning more about the world around them and how the past continuously informs the present. I knew about the Vietnam war and the involvement of the United States; however, I knew nothing about its lasting impact on Laos and the Hmong community. Bidania beautifully crafts all of this into the experiences of Gao Sheng as she loses her home and attempts to break the traditional gender roles enforced by her family and community. It's enlightening, devasting and an important novel to give to young readers so that they can connect with what the experiences of other children around the globe.
What Didn't Work: I almost think that this book could have been benefited from not being written in verse. There are a lot of moving parts to the story and I wanted a little more detail than what was provided.
Overall, this was a thoughtful, powerful novel that I will be recommending as a necessary middle grade historical fiction read.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
DNF @ p256
Pre-Read Notes:
I was tempted by the cover and title here! One of the things I love about choosing by cover and/or title is that I sometimes find myself falling in love with a book I ordinarily wouldn't read--like this one! But it's form is charming, a book in verse, organized into hundreds of poems with their own titles that come together to create this beautiful experimental novel. *edit I sort of struggled with the form here, as it turns out. Hundreds of poems are exhausting to read, even if there is a narrative through line.
Thank you to V T Bidania, Nancy Paulson Books, and NetGalley for an accessible digital copy of A YEAR WITHOUT HOME. All views are mine.
Pre-Read Notes:
I was tempted by the cover and title here! One of the things I love about choosing by cover and/or title is that I sometimes find myself falling in love with a book I ordinarily wouldn't read--like this one! But it's form is charming, a book in verse, organized into hundreds of poems with their own titles that come together to create this beautiful experimental novel. *edit I sort of struggled with the form here, as it turns out. Hundreds of poems are exhausting to read, even if there is a narrative through line.
Thank you to V T Bidania, Nancy Paulson Books, and NetGalley for an accessible digital copy of A YEAR WITHOUT HOME. All views are mine.
July 26, 2025
This middle grade novel in verse is inspired by the author’s own family history. I read an advanced reader copy and was deeply moved by its honesty and beauty.
The main character, Gao Sheng, is the eldest daughter in a large extended family living together in a house atop a hill in Laos. With her role come many responsibilities, from preparing meals to caring for younger siblings and cousins.
“This is what’s expected
of the oldest daughter,
which means
I don’t really have a choice.
But I would never say that
out loud
to anyone
ever.
Even though it’s true.”
Gao Sheng loves her home—especially her treasured peach tree and the peace she feels at the top of the hill, away from the turmoil around her.
“Whenever I stand at this special spot
On top of this special hill,
I’m so happy I don’t think
About the war at all.”
But when the communist government takes over, her family is forced to leave everything behind and flee as refugees.
“What if we don’t come back?
I don’t know.
What if we never find another place like this?
What he means is
another place
like home.”
This beautiful book honors Bidania’s family, the Hmong people, and all refugees across the world. Looking forward to sharing this book with students, teachers, and librarians.
This powerful and lyrical book honors V.T. Bidania’s family story, the resilience of the Hmong people, and the experiences of refugees worldwide. I look forward to sharing it with students, teachers, and librarians. Expected release date is January 2026.
The main character, Gao Sheng, is the eldest daughter in a large extended family living together in a house atop a hill in Laos. With her role come many responsibilities, from preparing meals to caring for younger siblings and cousins.
“This is what’s expected
of the oldest daughter,
which means
I don’t really have a choice.
But I would never say that
out loud
to anyone
ever.
Even though it’s true.”
Gao Sheng loves her home—especially her treasured peach tree and the peace she feels at the top of the hill, away from the turmoil around her.
“Whenever I stand at this special spot
On top of this special hill,
I’m so happy I don’t think
About the war at all.”
But when the communist government takes over, her family is forced to leave everything behind and flee as refugees.
“What if we don’t come back?
I don’t know.
What if we never find another place like this?
What he means is
another place
like home.”
This beautiful book honors Bidania’s family, the Hmong people, and all refugees across the world. Looking forward to sharing this book with students, teachers, and librarians.
This powerful and lyrical book honors V.T. Bidania’s family story, the resilience of the Hmong people, and the experiences of refugees worldwide. I look forward to sharing it with students, teachers, and librarians. Expected release date is January 2026.
October 27, 2025
A Year Without Home gives a unique perspective of what life was like in a refugee camp in Thailand back in 1975. This book really gave me a clear look of what life was like for many refugees back then and probably now too. The story is told in verse and it is very hard to put down.
This book would make a great read aloud for upper elementary and middle school classrooms. The book would be a great addition to social studies lessons for studying the region and the end of the Vietnam War.
There are not many books from the Hmong viewpoint in general, and this book would be a great addition for historical fiction sections.
This book would make a great read aloud for upper elementary and middle school classrooms. The book would be a great addition to social studies lessons for studying the region and the end of the Vietnam War.
There are not many books from the Hmong viewpoint in general, and this book would be a great addition for historical fiction sections.
January 23, 2026
This is an amazing book, based on the author's own family's escape from Laos, their time in refugee camps and their subsequent arrival in the United States.
A novel-in-verse, this is a deeply personal, very poignant, and very important story about what makes "home", and how to survive when you've lost everything.
This is an interesting story as well, as it delves into Laos' involvement with both the USA and with Vietnam [and their war there], and the repercussions for the many that helped the American's fight the war, as well as showing what life can be like in a refugee camp, and what it feels like to finally find a place that is safe and warm and home.
This book will spark many conversations and adults and children alike have a real opportunity to learn what it means to be a refugee and without a home.
Thank you to NetGalley, V.T. Bidania, and Penguin Young Readers Group/Nancy Paulson Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A novel-in-verse, this is a deeply personal, very poignant, and very important story about what makes "home", and how to survive when you've lost everything.
This is an interesting story as well, as it delves into Laos' involvement with both the USA and with Vietnam [and their war there], and the repercussions for the many that helped the American's fight the war, as well as showing what life can be like in a refugee camp, and what it feels like to finally find a place that is safe and warm and home.
This book will spark many conversations and adults and children alike have a real opportunity to learn what it means to be a refugee and without a home.
Thank you to NetGalley, V.T. Bidania, and Penguin Young Readers Group/Nancy Paulson Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 10, 2025
At 11 years old, Gao Sheng and her family is forced to flee her beloved home in Laos when the threat by the newly installed Communist government and against the Hmong people who sided with America during the Vietnam War becomes too great to risk staying. Their flight is filled with risk at every turn and even when safely in Thailand, the year long stay in two refugee camps is filled with hunger, poor food and sanitary conditions, a sense of hopelessness and an intense longing for the home left behind. Amid all this, Gao Sheng struggles to find her own identity while enmeshed in a culture that typically relegates females to positions of only childcare and household chores and elevates males in the family to superior positions of authority and value.
Told in NIV that flows smoothly with each word carefully selected and nothing superfluous included keeps the reader focused on Gao Sheng’s two goals-finding home and her own sense of self-worth. Author V. T. Bidania spends much time establishing her main character’s love of the large, hilltop house surrounded by peach trees and her feeling of unimportance, both threading through the time spent running to a safe country and waiting in refugee camps until a sponsor agrees to support them as they settle in another country. As Gao’s family learns to work together to make a new home wherever they are, she begins to speak up a bit more and finds new ways to shine, ultimately realizing how much her parents and extended family do, in fact, value her.
Based on Bidania’s family’s real life escape from the threat of the Communist government in Laos, there is an authenticity that rings out and will intrigue and teach readers in grades 4-7 and hopefully often them a new way to look at those seeking home in a new place and opening their eyes to a part of history they may have previously been unaware. Back matter includes photographs of Gao Sheng and her family (Bidania being the youngest child and only a baby when they fled) as well as additional historical notes. Text is free of profanity and sexual content and the violence is kept understated.
Thanks for sharing a print arc, V. T. Bidania and Penguin Kids/Nancy Paulsen Books.
Told in NIV that flows smoothly with each word carefully selected and nothing superfluous included keeps the reader focused on Gao Sheng’s two goals-finding home and her own sense of self-worth. Author V. T. Bidania spends much time establishing her main character’s love of the large, hilltop house surrounded by peach trees and her feeling of unimportance, both threading through the time spent running to a safe country and waiting in refugee camps until a sponsor agrees to support them as they settle in another country. As Gao’s family learns to work together to make a new home wherever they are, she begins to speak up a bit more and finds new ways to shine, ultimately realizing how much her parents and extended family do, in fact, value her.
Based on Bidania’s family’s real life escape from the threat of the Communist government in Laos, there is an authenticity that rings out and will intrigue and teach readers in grades 4-7 and hopefully often them a new way to look at those seeking home in a new place and opening their eyes to a part of history they may have previously been unaware. Back matter includes photographs of Gao Sheng and her family (Bidania being the youngest child and only a baby when they fled) as well as additional historical notes. Text is free of profanity and sexual content and the violence is kept understated.
Thanks for sharing a print arc, V. T. Bidania and Penguin Kids/Nancy Paulsen Books.
November 12, 2025
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is beautifully written in verse from the perspective of a young Hmong girl fleeing her home due to war. I loved this reading experience and potentially would have loved it even more had I read it at the age it is aimed at (middle-grade). It is based on the author and her family’s real life experiences of fleeing home. I never usually read the authors notes at the end, but I felt compelled to here.
I would recommend to anyone - I think it may be my favourite historical fiction of the year!
This book is beautifully written in verse from the perspective of a young Hmong girl fleeing her home due to war. I loved this reading experience and potentially would have loved it even more had I read it at the age it is aimed at (middle-grade). It is based on the author and her family’s real life experiences of fleeing home. I never usually read the authors notes at the end, but I felt compelled to here.
I would recommend to anyone - I think it may be my favourite historical fiction of the year!
February 15, 2026
"I dedicate this book to all refugees who understand they must leave home, but wish they could stay anyway."
This book encapsulates so much, in not so many words (it is written in poetic verses), so well. I was fortunate enough to have been given an ARC of this book by the independent bookstore I work at, and was drawn in by the colors of the cover. And ohmygosh, I wish I would have read and reviewed it prior to its release date on January 13th, 2026. But I will definitely be ordering myself a copy of the finished book, telling everyone I can about it, and may even purchase a few to leave in some Little Free Libraries.
I am not and have never been a refugee or immigrant. I have, however, lost my home during my childhood and found myself able to empathize deeply with Gao Sheng when she dreamt of home, of peach trees, and of pets left behind during the forced evacuation of her family. This was horrible enough for me, let alone losing my entire country, culture, or any of my extended family members and friends. The experience of losing home as a child is one that leaves you in fragments, no matter the circumstance. The verses in this book also struck a chord with me as an older, caretaking sister, who was also raised to be quiet in order to be good, but who was also always encouraged to be an independent thinker.
"Girls and daughters are
just
as
important.
My sisters--and I--are
just
as
important."
The imagery described and the feelings evoked by Bidania's words were beautiful, honest, tender, and haunting. There is fierce love for her family, fear, longing, hope, just rage, apprehension, and great strength.
I took photographs of so many of my favorite pages, so I could go back to them later. By the end, I had tears streaming down my face and found I was reading ahead on the page just to confirm that all of the siblings were reunited with their brother, Yia.
"I think of that rainy night in Laos
when we realized my brother
wasn't with us just as we were
leaving for the Mekong River.
How my heart felt like it stopped.
It felt like I couldn't breathe."
&
"I will know... where is family,
where is home."
I was amazed to read the epilogue and learn that the entire saga was reconstructed from the stories and memories given from Gao Sheng and other relatives to the youngest sister, Round Moon, a.k.a. V.T. Bidania herself. Thank you for writing this book. I will be looking forward to all of your forthcoming works.
This book encapsulates so much, in not so many words (it is written in poetic verses), so well. I was fortunate enough to have been given an ARC of this book by the independent bookstore I work at, and was drawn in by the colors of the cover. And ohmygosh, I wish I would have read and reviewed it prior to its release date on January 13th, 2026. But I will definitely be ordering myself a copy of the finished book, telling everyone I can about it, and may even purchase a few to leave in some Little Free Libraries.
I am not and have never been a refugee or immigrant. I have, however, lost my home during my childhood and found myself able to empathize deeply with Gao Sheng when she dreamt of home, of peach trees, and of pets left behind during the forced evacuation of her family. This was horrible enough for me, let alone losing my entire country, culture, or any of my extended family members and friends. The experience of losing home as a child is one that leaves you in fragments, no matter the circumstance. The verses in this book also struck a chord with me as an older, caretaking sister, who was also raised to be quiet in order to be good, but who was also always encouraged to be an independent thinker.
"Girls and daughters are
just
as
important.
My sisters--and I--are
just
as
important."
The imagery described and the feelings evoked by Bidania's words were beautiful, honest, tender, and haunting. There is fierce love for her family, fear, longing, hope, just rage, apprehension, and great strength.
I took photographs of so many of my favorite pages, so I could go back to them later. By the end, I had tears streaming down my face and found I was reading ahead on the page just to confirm that all of the siblings were reunited with their brother, Yia.
"I think of that rainy night in Laos
when we realized my brother
wasn't with us just as we were
leaving for the Mekong River.
How my heart felt like it stopped.
It felt like I couldn't breathe."
&
"I will know... where is family,
where is home."
I was amazed to read the epilogue and learn that the entire saga was reconstructed from the stories and memories given from Gao Sheng and other relatives to the youngest sister, Round Moon, a.k.a. V.T. Bidania herself. Thank you for writing this book. I will be looking forward to all of your forthcoming works.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 21, 2026
Had my first book-related tears-come-to-my-eyes moment of the year with this one!
A Year Without Home is a novel in verse based on the author's family's experience of evacuating their home in Laos after the US troops pull out of the Vietnam War, when the communist forces began looking for American allies, and their year spent as refugees. The thing that I think is most important and interesting about this book is that it takes a very serious, scary event that happened, and puts it in the perspective of a kid. So of course the kid is seeing the effects of the war and hearing what the adults say, but she is also just a kid. She wants to go to school. She feels sad about making and losing friends. She wants her dog, her peach trees, her fun time, and to not have to be a babysitter. That perspective made this story feel all the more real.
I especially appreciate putting a world event into a middle-grade/YA book. The Vietnam War wasn't something I really heard much about until I was in high school, and even then I knew SO little about it, and didn't have the context to think about how it affected the people who actually lived over there, even the "good guys".
In conclusion, I really liked this one!
Thanks to Netgalley and Nancy Paulson Books/Penguin Books for Young Readers for the e-ARC!
A Year Without Home is a novel in verse based on the author's family's experience of evacuating their home in Laos after the US troops pull out of the Vietnam War, when the communist forces began looking for American allies, and their year spent as refugees. The thing that I think is most important and interesting about this book is that it takes a very serious, scary event that happened, and puts it in the perspective of a kid. So of course the kid is seeing the effects of the war and hearing what the adults say, but she is also just a kid. She wants to go to school. She feels sad about making and losing friends. She wants her dog, her peach trees, her fun time, and to not have to be a babysitter. That perspective made this story feel all the more real.
I especially appreciate putting a world event into a middle-grade/YA book. The Vietnam War wasn't something I really heard much about until I was in high school, and even then I knew SO little about it, and didn't have the context to think about how it affected the people who actually lived over there, even the "good guys".
In conclusion, I really liked this one!
Thanks to Netgalley and Nancy Paulson Books/Penguin Books for Young Readers for the e-ARC!
January 21, 2026
This novel-in-verse is tender, gripping, and incredibly relevant for kids and adults alike. The verse serves the story, not the other the way around--it never becomes precious or overly elaborate. Rather, the authors uses figurative language, rhythm, and spacing to surprise and elucidate, putting us directly in scenes from a young girl's perspective in her homeland of Laos and then in Thailand. The main character is smart, sweet, and spunky. You will cheer for her and learn a lot about what it means to be forced from your home by war--what it means to start over, finding a way to keep and create home wherever you are. There are so many people who need to read this right now. Top recommendation!
October 26, 2025
This NIV memoir will show how war can steal your home away, break your heart and rip families apart. But in the darkest moments, strength, and hope can still be found. The year 2025 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Hmong refugees arriving in the US and yet the state of the world is just as uncertain as before. It reminded me of “Scattered Stars” and many of the books I have read about the Lost Boys. I know it is going to resonate with many students and I hope others will see it as a window book.
March 8, 2026
A moving middle grade novel in verse about a young Hmong girl and her family's escape from their Laos home in the aftermath of the Vietnam war. Great on audio with an excellent sense of place and family. This is sure to educate and inspire young readers to be more empathetic to refugees and immigrants living in their communities. Recommended for fans of authors like Jasmine Warga and Thanhhà Lại.
November 4, 2025
Received an ARC of this book for a review. It was good and tells the harrowing tale of a family’s escape from Loas during the Vietnam War. It’s a novel in verse and has several good thought provoking lines that touched me.
January 5, 2026
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was a wonderful and eye opening piece of historical fiction based on the author’s life and her family’s experience as refugees from Laos after the Vietnam War. It was beautifully written.
This was a wonderful and eye opening piece of historical fiction based on the author’s life and her family’s experience as refugees from Laos after the Vietnam War. It was beautifully written.
October 23, 2025
Beautifully written. Put this on your middle grade classroom shelves.
February 20, 2026
A beautifully written novel-in-verse, intended for middle grade children, but also an important read for adults. Refugees who escaped Laos in 1975 and endured a year in Thailand’s refugee camps, the author’s family ended up in my hometown, Sparta, Wisconsin, before moving on to Saint Paul, MN. Unique because of its beautiful prose along with its gripping story.
March 3, 2026
Stellar MG fiction in verse about a Hmong family fleeing Laos at the end of the Vietnam War. We are planning an author visit for my middle school next year, and I’m so excited for my students to get to hear from Bidania about her family’s experiences and her inspiring writing journey.
This book is impeccably written, and so very accessible for all readers. Such an important story of a period in history and a population that is sadly not written about enough.
Source: school library hardcover
This book is impeccably written, and so very accessible for all readers. Such an important story of a period in history and a population that is sadly not written about enough.
Source: school library hardcover
February 24, 2026
definite Newbery contender!
September 13, 2025
This sounds SO GOOD! Can't wait to read!!!
January 21, 2026
A young girl finds her entire world upended when the aftermath of war forces her family to leave their beloved home forever. The girl finds herself asking hard questions that have no answers, and yet she also manages to find some good in the world as well. Author V.T. Bidania leans into her own family’s experience to share her protagonist’s poignant story in her newest book, A Year Without Home.
Eleven-year-old Gao Sheng lives in a lovely home on a hill in Laos. Her house has peach trees out back with the sweetest fruit, and she and her siblings and cousins roll down the hill during their playtime. Even though her younger brother can bug her sometimes, she loves him and the rest of her family with everything inside of her.
Yet it’s clear that not everyone loves them back. Gao Sheng and her family are Hmong, and there are many people in Laos who believe the Hmong should leave. This is even more apparent after the end of the recent war, but Gao Sheng isn’t worried. The Communists left; everything should be fine.
Except it isn’t. One day while Gao Sheng and her brother are in school, word comes that the Communists have returned. This time they have a list of all the people who fought against them. Gao Sheng knows her father’s name is on the list, but she doesn’t even have a chance to start worrying. All the grownups in the family make fast plans, and Gao Sheng—the oldest not only of her own siblings but all the kids in the house—gets a bad feeling. Yet she can’t show it; the little ones in the family don’t understand. She has to be strong for them.
The family goes from the house on a hill to a river escape in the middle of the night on boats and finally to a refugee camp in Thailand. There Gao Sheng tries to be brave, but it’s hard. Conditions at the camp are challenging enough when the family arrives, and they start to get worse as more refugees join them.
Yet even in a place where people get sick and don’t have enough to eat, there are still moments of fun. New friends are found, and Gao Sheng even gets to go back to school. In the year she and her family spend at the camp, Gao Sheng realizes that home isn’t just a location. It’s also a place you find in your heart.
Author V.T. Bidania shares in a note at the end of the book that she used her own family’s experiences to tell Gao Sheng’s story, and that authenticity rings true through every verse of the novel. The book doesn’t shy away from sharing the harsh conditions of the refugee camp or of the utter terror Gao Sheng and her family feel at the news of the Communists’ return. Yet it does so in gentle language that readers in the target audience will find instructive and evocative.
Bidania uses the novel-in-verse form to her greatest advantage with descriptions of Laos and the camp in Thailand practically jumping off the page and coming alive. Gao Sheng’s story becomes the story of every young girl, every young person who has lived through such traumatic times; it displays in clear, easy prose how war forever alters life for the youngest of residents in damaged countries. The book highlights the aftermath of a conflict often passed over, especially in modern times. Bidania’s novel proves it bears remembering.
Teachers in particular will want to add this book to their classroom libraries, and anyone wanting to further their knowledge of life after the Vietnam War should read this.
Eleven-year-old Gao Sheng lives in a lovely home on a hill in Laos. Her house has peach trees out back with the sweetest fruit, and she and her siblings and cousins roll down the hill during their playtime. Even though her younger brother can bug her sometimes, she loves him and the rest of her family with everything inside of her.
Yet it’s clear that not everyone loves them back. Gao Sheng and her family are Hmong, and there are many people in Laos who believe the Hmong should leave. This is even more apparent after the end of the recent war, but Gao Sheng isn’t worried. The Communists left; everything should be fine.
Except it isn’t. One day while Gao Sheng and her brother are in school, word comes that the Communists have returned. This time they have a list of all the people who fought against them. Gao Sheng knows her father’s name is on the list, but she doesn’t even have a chance to start worrying. All the grownups in the family make fast plans, and Gao Sheng—the oldest not only of her own siblings but all the kids in the house—gets a bad feeling. Yet she can’t show it; the little ones in the family don’t understand. She has to be strong for them.
The family goes from the house on a hill to a river escape in the middle of the night on boats and finally to a refugee camp in Thailand. There Gao Sheng tries to be brave, but it’s hard. Conditions at the camp are challenging enough when the family arrives, and they start to get worse as more refugees join them.
Yet even in a place where people get sick and don’t have enough to eat, there are still moments of fun. New friends are found, and Gao Sheng even gets to go back to school. In the year she and her family spend at the camp, Gao Sheng realizes that home isn’t just a location. It’s also a place you find in your heart.
Author V.T. Bidania shares in a note at the end of the book that she used her own family’s experiences to tell Gao Sheng’s story, and that authenticity rings true through every verse of the novel. The book doesn’t shy away from sharing the harsh conditions of the refugee camp or of the utter terror Gao Sheng and her family feel at the news of the Communists’ return. Yet it does so in gentle language that readers in the target audience will find instructive and evocative.
Bidania uses the novel-in-verse form to her greatest advantage with descriptions of Laos and the camp in Thailand practically jumping off the page and coming alive. Gao Sheng’s story becomes the story of every young girl, every young person who has lived through such traumatic times; it displays in clear, easy prose how war forever alters life for the youngest of residents in damaged countries. The book highlights the aftermath of a conflict often passed over, especially in modern times. Bidania’s novel proves it bears remembering.
Teachers in particular will want to add this book to their classroom libraries, and anyone wanting to further their knowledge of life after the Vietnam War should read this.
September 21, 2025
ARC provided by Follett First Look
In this novel in verse, Gao Sheng is the oldest of five children living an idyllic life with their parents, grandmother, and extended family in a how in Pa Kao, Laos in 1975. The father has been involved in the Vietnam war, but isn't on active duty anymore. When Gao Sheng's school releases students abruptly, the children find out that the communists are threatening to take over their area. Gao Sheng's father comes home, and tells the family that they will be leaving. The family horse and dog are set free, the family packs meager supplies, and takes off in a taxi for an air base. Sadly, they miss the two planes, so go to Vientiane to stay with the mother's cousin and regroup. Since the officials are checking identification on the main roadways, the father disguises himself and goes through the jungle, since he could be arrested for having been in the army. While in the city, the mother is arrested, the police having been tipped off by a taxi driver. Luckily, she is released. Eventually, the family crosses the river into Thailand, where they stay at the Nam Phong refugee camp. The accomodations are basic, but there is food, and the children are able to play soccer. Gao Sheng does needlework with the women, and eventually there is a school set up. Gao Sheng makes a friend, Choua, who leaves to go to live in Tennessee with her family. The family has a short but successful stint of selling moon cakes before the camp authorities shut them down over health concerns. An uncle and his family get sponsors in the US and leave, taking Gao Sheng's brother Yia with them because he is considered very important, being the only boy in the family. The family is transferred to the Ban Vinai refugee camp, where they have to build their own shelter. About a year after leaving g their home, the family eventually makes it to Sparta, Wisconsin, in 1976, not too far from Yia.
Strengths: While Gao Sheng was losing her home, I was finishing fourth grade, wearing Hee Haw overalls and wondering what 5th grade at the middle school would be like. This put the history into perspective for me. While there weren't as many Hmong refugees in Ohio as there were in Wisconsin or Minnesota, there were a few, and looking back to the history 50 years later after so many people left the country is important. It was interesting that the author was so young that she didn't remember her family's journey very well, so she set it from the point of view of her oldest sister, and interviewed family members to get details. This might be why the journey doesn't seem quite as fraught as it no doubt was. This was a fascinating look at a period in history that many readers might not know about.
Weaknesses: While this is a beautifully written novel in verse with a lot of poetic descriptions and palpable longing for a lost home, I'm not sure how many of my students will make it past the detailed descriptions of small events and feelings. The authors note at the end was helpful in explaining the history behind the family's experience, but it would have been good to see more of that in the text.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who are interested in tales of displacement such as Lai's Inside Out and Back Again, Athaide's Wings to Soar, or Dobbs' The Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna.
In this novel in verse, Gao Sheng is the oldest of five children living an idyllic life with their parents, grandmother, and extended family in a how in Pa Kao, Laos in 1975. The father has been involved in the Vietnam war, but isn't on active duty anymore. When Gao Sheng's school releases students abruptly, the children find out that the communists are threatening to take over their area. Gao Sheng's father comes home, and tells the family that they will be leaving. The family horse and dog are set free, the family packs meager supplies, and takes off in a taxi for an air base. Sadly, they miss the two planes, so go to Vientiane to stay with the mother's cousin and regroup. Since the officials are checking identification on the main roadways, the father disguises himself and goes through the jungle, since he could be arrested for having been in the army. While in the city, the mother is arrested, the police having been tipped off by a taxi driver. Luckily, she is released. Eventually, the family crosses the river into Thailand, where they stay at the Nam Phong refugee camp. The accomodations are basic, but there is food, and the children are able to play soccer. Gao Sheng does needlework with the women, and eventually there is a school set up. Gao Sheng makes a friend, Choua, who leaves to go to live in Tennessee with her family. The family has a short but successful stint of selling moon cakes before the camp authorities shut them down over health concerns. An uncle and his family get sponsors in the US and leave, taking Gao Sheng's brother Yia with them because he is considered very important, being the only boy in the family. The family is transferred to the Ban Vinai refugee camp, where they have to build their own shelter. About a year after leaving g their home, the family eventually makes it to Sparta, Wisconsin, in 1976, not too far from Yia.
Strengths: While Gao Sheng was losing her home, I was finishing fourth grade, wearing Hee Haw overalls and wondering what 5th grade at the middle school would be like. This put the history into perspective for me. While there weren't as many Hmong refugees in Ohio as there were in Wisconsin or Minnesota, there were a few, and looking back to the history 50 years later after so many people left the country is important. It was interesting that the author was so young that she didn't remember her family's journey very well, so she set it from the point of view of her oldest sister, and interviewed family members to get details. This might be why the journey doesn't seem quite as fraught as it no doubt was. This was a fascinating look at a period in history that many readers might not know about.
Weaknesses: While this is a beautifully written novel in verse with a lot of poetic descriptions and palpable longing for a lost home, I'm not sure how many of my students will make it past the detailed descriptions of small events and feelings. The authors note at the end was helpful in explaining the history behind the family's experience, but it would have been good to see more of that in the text.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who are interested in tales of displacement such as Lai's Inside Out and Back Again, Athaide's Wings to Soar, or Dobbs' The Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Oh, gosh, I loved this. I picked it up because of the Hmong subject (the author is Hmong and is writing about her family, though not in the way I'd initially assumed)... there seem to be very few books in English about this topic, or by Hmong authors in general, and I've been on the lookout. I'm glad that we seem to be getting more in recent years.
This is a pretty easy-to-read middle grade novel-in-verse that, for all its linguistic simplicity, tackles a lot of issues. The narrator, Gao Sheng, is frustrated by the way her family continues to value her utility, and place her younger brother's desires and welfare above her own. I was shocked by how much understated nuance the author squeezed in here, because Gao Sheng is frustrated by both her family's treatment of her brother and her brother's entitlement, but she also loves her brother and displays huge compassion for him as the story unfolds. Similarly, her relationship with her family is neither abusive nor cold, but there's a lack of understanding and support on their parts that deeply hurts her several times in the story. Some of this is stated explicitly, and some comes through in the subtext. Given the style of writing and the target age range, it's impressive how few of the family and social dynamics are portrayed as being "good" or "bad." To me, these scenes also feel very much written by an author who grew up in an American/Western context based on the kind of observations she makes, which makes even more sense after reading the author's note.
All of these family dynamics are unfolding in the context of a refugee crisis. While some scenes are scary and upsetting, none of them are graphically violent. As the author states in her notes, her family escaped the worst of the violence, so for those of you looking for books for younger readers, this may be suitable for a younger audience than a work like "Every Falling Star."
I thought the book was really well done, but it was the author's note that made me cry. I had assumed that the author was writing from her own POV, which is not the case, and understanding the full context in which the novel was written got me right in my adult feelings.
Reading this right at the end of 2025 is rough. I've read so many refugee stories in the last few years that talk about coming to America as a place of safety. If anything comes to close to inspiring rah-rah-American patriotism in me, it's stories like these. Yet, in my real life, I've spoken to people who are not safe here, even when they're doing everything they're "supposed" to do to become citizens. My hope is that young readers who find this book will be able to make those connections, and that any kids who have only known life here will realize how ignorant and horrifying it is to tell refugees to "go back where they came from." Gao Sheng's family desperately wants to be able to go home, and has fought to life safely in their beloved house on the hill, but cannot safely do so. Bidania talks about how she wants young Hmong readers to see this book as a mirror, and for other young folks to see this book as a window into another experience. Isn't that the goal of telling personal stories? I hope that this book will to exactly that.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this wonderful book.
This is a pretty easy-to-read middle grade novel-in-verse that, for all its linguistic simplicity, tackles a lot of issues. The narrator, Gao Sheng, is frustrated by the way her family continues to value her utility, and place her younger brother's desires and welfare above her own. I was shocked by how much understated nuance the author squeezed in here, because Gao Sheng is frustrated by both her family's treatment of her brother and her brother's entitlement, but she also loves her brother and displays huge compassion for him as the story unfolds. Similarly, her relationship with her family is neither abusive nor cold, but there's a lack of understanding and support on their parts that deeply hurts her several times in the story. Some of this is stated explicitly, and some comes through in the subtext. Given the style of writing and the target age range, it's impressive how few of the family and social dynamics are portrayed as being "good" or "bad." To me, these scenes also feel very much written by an author who grew up in an American/Western context based on the kind of observations she makes, which makes even more sense after reading the author's note.
All of these family dynamics are unfolding in the context of a refugee crisis. While some scenes are scary and upsetting, none of them are graphically violent. As the author states in her notes, her family escaped the worst of the violence, so for those of you looking for books for younger readers, this may be suitable for a younger audience than a work like "Every Falling Star."
I thought the book was really well done, but it was the author's note that made me cry. I had assumed that the author was writing from her own POV, which is not the case, and understanding the full context in which the novel was written got me right in my adult feelings.
Reading this right at the end of 2025 is rough. I've read so many refugee stories in the last few years that talk about coming to America as a place of safety. If anything comes to close to inspiring rah-rah-American patriotism in me, it's stories like these. Yet, in my real life, I've spoken to people who are not safe here, even when they're doing everything they're "supposed" to do to become citizens. My hope is that young readers who find this book will be able to make those connections, and that any kids who have only known life here will realize how ignorant and horrifying it is to tell refugees to "go back where they came from." Gao Sheng's family desperately wants to be able to go home, and has fought to life safely in their beloved house on the hill, but cannot safely do so. Bidania talks about how she wants young Hmong readers to see this book as a mirror, and for other young folks to see this book as a window into another experience. Isn't that the goal of telling personal stories? I hope that this book will to exactly that.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this wonderful book.
August 27, 2025
Eleven-year-old Gao Sheng has lived her whole life in the highlands of Laos; an idyllic childhood with ripe peaches for eating, and afternoons spent rolling down the grassy hills with her siblings and cousins. They live together in a big house on the hill: Grandma, Dad, Mom, brother and sisters, Aunts, Uncles, and cousins. And together, they are happy. But when the stain of war spreads towards their home, Gao Sheng and her family are forced to flee, leaving behind all that they have known.
Things I Loved:
Peaches - Gao Sheng's small bag of peach seeds came to represent some symbol for home, as a present place and an idea. Her home in Laos is surrounded by peach trees. In the year spent as refugees in a foreign place, home is caught in the in-between, much like the peach seeds without a place to grow. It is in this in-between that she realizes home is with family, reviving her hope for the future. And later, when they are given the opportunity to move to America, Gao Sheng says she will try and grow her peach trees there. A place she will make her own, a place to call home.
"A Good Daughter" - Gao Sheng's inner conflict between being a "good daughter" to her family and her desire for opportunity was an interesting highlight of this story. Throughout her life, she has been dedicated to the nurturing and care of her young siblings and cousins. During their escape and later as refugees in a foreign country, she experiences a greater mental and emotional load from her role as eldest daughter in the family. Many times she expresses a desire to drop her tasks, to shout and play with the other children. But a good daughter is quiet, hardworking; a vegetable picker. As time passes, friends teach her to be loud, speak with confidence, laugh with her heart. When the time comes to build a house in the new refugee camp, she steps into a new role, assisting her father and uncles in their labor. It is after this that she overhears her Aunts and Mom discussing her with another refugee woman, in a moment she notes as the first to hear a compliment from her Mom:
"We always say you're fortunate
to have such a good daughter,
Auntie Shoua says.
She's more than that.
She's becoming a tougher girl.
She once took care of her little siblings
alone outside a police station in Vientiane,
and she even built our house.
The woman gasps.
Built a house? You mean like a man?
Mom shakes her head.
No. Better."
5-stars to A Year Without Home, a heart-felt tribute to Bidania's eldest sister, Gao Sheng, Bidania's other family members, the people of Laos that escaped as refugees, and those that remained. Told in the illuminating prose of author V.T. Bidania (who appears in this novel as Round Moon, the youngest member of the Hmong refugee family), this book is a beautiful and emotional story of love and loss, the pursuit of hope, and a discovery of home.
Thank you to the author for sharing this powerful and moving story. And thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book.
Things I Loved:
Peaches - Gao Sheng's small bag of peach seeds came to represent some symbol for home, as a present place and an idea. Her home in Laos is surrounded by peach trees. In the year spent as refugees in a foreign place, home is caught in the in-between, much like the peach seeds without a place to grow. It is in this in-between that she realizes home is with family, reviving her hope for the future. And later, when they are given the opportunity to move to America, Gao Sheng says she will try and grow her peach trees there. A place she will make her own, a place to call home.
"A Good Daughter" - Gao Sheng's inner conflict between being a "good daughter" to her family and her desire for opportunity was an interesting highlight of this story. Throughout her life, she has been dedicated to the nurturing and care of her young siblings and cousins. During their escape and later as refugees in a foreign country, she experiences a greater mental and emotional load from her role as eldest daughter in the family. Many times she expresses a desire to drop her tasks, to shout and play with the other children. But a good daughter is quiet, hardworking; a vegetable picker. As time passes, friends teach her to be loud, speak with confidence, laugh with her heart. When the time comes to build a house in the new refugee camp, she steps into a new role, assisting her father and uncles in their labor. It is after this that she overhears her Aunts and Mom discussing her with another refugee woman, in a moment she notes as the first to hear a compliment from her Mom:
"We always say you're fortunate
to have such a good daughter,
Auntie Shoua says.
She's more than that.
She's becoming a tougher girl.
She once took care of her little siblings
alone outside a police station in Vientiane,
and she even built our house.
The woman gasps.
Built a house? You mean like a man?
Mom shakes her head.
No. Better."
5-stars to A Year Without Home, a heart-felt tribute to Bidania's eldest sister, Gao Sheng, Bidania's other family members, the people of Laos that escaped as refugees, and those that remained. Told in the illuminating prose of author V.T. Bidania (who appears in this novel as Round Moon, the youngest member of the Hmong refugee family), this book is a beautiful and emotional story of love and loss, the pursuit of hope, and a discovery of home.
Thank you to the author for sharing this powerful and moving story. And thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book.
February 22, 2026
V.T. Bidania knows how to craft a memorable story, and it's an emotional one at that. She transports us on a journey with a Hmong girl and her family as they flee their home during the Vietnam War. We get to see the hardships and pain her family, like many others, went through in order to save themselves and their loved ones.
Gao Sheng's father fought alongside the United States during the Vietnam War, and he will pay the price if he's caught by members of the newly formed government. It becomes a race against time and a matter of life or death for the family to get to safety. They are faced with many obstacles along the way, and Gao Sheng is forced to grow up far too fast and accept roles girls her age typically wouldn't.
There are many heartfelt moments in this story, but it's inner mixed with heartbreaking moments that had me balling my eyes out. What makes the story as a whole even more poignant is that this is based on lived experiences of Vietnam War refugees, people who experienced the pains and horrors of being stuffed into overcrowded refugee camps like Gao Sheng's family.
It made the story come to life in a way that I don't think could have been achieved without connecting it to a very real moment in history. It shines a light on a part of the world's history that really isn't taught in American schools, and it left me gutted at moments, especially when I learned the author was a child refugee and her family really did experience some of what is described in this book.
What I love most about this book though is how it's written. The author writes each chapter as a poem, each one more beautiful than the last. It flows in a way that leaves a lasting impression, and I can see even the most reluctant of readers falling in love with the story. It leaves you feel accomplished, and the easy to understand language makes it accessible to a variety of readers. This is a book I would highly recommend, regardless of whether you are reading for pleasure, having littles read it on their own, or using it as a storytime book. It's definitely one that has countless potential in and out of the classroom.
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest.
Gao Sheng's father fought alongside the United States during the Vietnam War, and he will pay the price if he's caught by members of the newly formed government. It becomes a race against time and a matter of life or death for the family to get to safety. They are faced with many obstacles along the way, and Gao Sheng is forced to grow up far too fast and accept roles girls her age typically wouldn't.
There are many heartfelt moments in this story, but it's inner mixed with heartbreaking moments that had me balling my eyes out. What makes the story as a whole even more poignant is that this is based on lived experiences of Vietnam War refugees, people who experienced the pains and horrors of being stuffed into overcrowded refugee camps like Gao Sheng's family.
It made the story come to life in a way that I don't think could have been achieved without connecting it to a very real moment in history. It shines a light on a part of the world's history that really isn't taught in American schools, and it left me gutted at moments, especially when I learned the author was a child refugee and her family really did experience some of what is described in this book.
What I love most about this book though is how it's written. The author writes each chapter as a poem, each one more beautiful than the last. It flows in a way that leaves a lasting impression, and I can see even the most reluctant of readers falling in love with the story. It leaves you feel accomplished, and the easy to understand language makes it accessible to a variety of readers. This is a book I would highly recommend, regardless of whether you are reading for pleasure, having littles read it on their own, or using it as a storytime book. It's definitely one that has countless potential in and out of the classroom.
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest.
March 21, 2026
A Year Without Home is a middle-grade novel in verse based on author V.T. Bidania’s family. It focuses on eleven-year-old Gao Sheng and her family as they flee their home in Laos after the Vietnam War and seek refuge in Thailand.
What I Liked: I absolutely adore a novel in verse. They are incredibly engaging, especially for reluctant readers who appreciate the "white space" on the page, the concise language, and the fast pace. While the story spans an entire year, Bidania’s pacing makes the journey feel urgent and immediate.
The book takes place in the aftermath of Vietnam and goes into a bit of detail on the Hmong people and the secret war. I love historical fiction and have not read much that takes place during this time period, so reading this story was a bit of an interesting history lesson. The emotions throughout the book are palpable; I could feel Gao Sheng’s grief over leaving her home and her fear during the trek to Thailand. Bidania’s writing creates an instant, deep connection to the characters.
I also appreciated the exploration of gender dynamics within Gao Sheng’s traditional family. At the start, she is burdened with chores and childcare while her younger brother enjoys more freedom and status. However, during their year in the refugee camp, we see Gao Sheng realize that her voice truly matters. A particularly moving moment occurs near the end when she overhears her mother and aunts describing her as smart, kind, and strong.
Ultimately, A Year Without Home is a heartbreaking yet deeply inspiring story of resilience.
This review first appeared on YA Books Central and can be found here:
A Year Without Home is a middle-grade novel in verse based on author V.T. Bidania’s family. It focuses on eleven-year-old Gao Sheng and her family as they flee their home in Laos after the Vietnam War and seek refuge in Thailand.
What I Liked: I absolutely adore a novel in verse. They are incredibly engaging, especially for reluctant readers who appreciate the "white space" on the page, the concise language, and the fast pace. While the story spans an entire year, Bidania’s pacing makes the journey feel urgent and immediate.
The book takes place in the aftermath of Vietnam and goes into a bit of detail on the Hmong people and the secret war. I love historical fiction and have not read much that takes place during this time period, so reading this story was a bit of an interesting history lesson. The emotions throughout the book are palpable; I could feel Gao Sheng’s grief over leaving her home and her fear during the trek to Thailand. Bidania’s writing creates an instant, deep connection to the characters.
I also appreciated the exploration of gender dynamics within Gao Sheng’s traditional family. At the start, she is burdened with chores and childcare while her younger brother enjoys more freedom and status. However, during their year in the refugee camp, we see Gao Sheng realize that her voice truly matters. A particularly moving moment occurs near the end when she overhears her mother and aunts describing her as smart, kind, and strong.
What I Liked: I absolutely adore a novel in verse. They are incredibly engaging, especially for reluctant readers who appreciate the "white space" on the page, the concise language, and the fast pace. While the story spans an entire year, Bidania’s pacing makes the journey feel urgent and immediate.
The book takes place in the aftermath of Vietnam and goes into a bit of detail on the Hmong people and the secret war. I love historical fiction and have not read much that takes place during this time period, so reading this story was a bit of an interesting history lesson. The emotions throughout the book are palpable; I could feel Gao Sheng’s grief over leaving her home and her fear during the trek to Thailand. Bidania’s writing creates an instant, deep connection to the characters.
I also appreciated the exploration of gender dynamics within Gao Sheng’s traditional family. At the start, she is burdened with chores and childcare while her younger brother enjoys more freedom and status. However, during their year in the refugee camp, we see Gao Sheng realize that her voice truly matters. A particularly moving moment occurs near the end when she overhears her mother and aunts describing her as smart, kind, and strong.
Ultimately, A Year Without Home is a heartbreaking yet deeply inspiring story of resilience.
This review first appeared on YA Books Central and can be found here:
A Year Without Home is a middle-grade novel in verse based on author V.T. Bidania’s family. It focuses on eleven-year-old Gao Sheng and her family as they flee their home in Laos after the Vietnam War and seek refuge in Thailand.
What I Liked: I absolutely adore a novel in verse. They are incredibly engaging, especially for reluctant readers who appreciate the "white space" on the page, the concise language, and the fast pace. While the story spans an entire year, Bidania’s pacing makes the journey feel urgent and immediate.
The book takes place in the aftermath of Vietnam and goes into a bit of detail on the Hmong people and the secret war. I love historical fiction and have not read much that takes place during this time period, so reading this story was a bit of an interesting history lesson. The emotions throughout the book are palpable; I could feel Gao Sheng’s grief over leaving her home and her fear during the trek to Thailand. Bidania’s writing creates an instant, deep connection to the characters.
I also appreciated the exploration of gender dynamics within Gao Sheng’s traditional family. At the start, she is burdened with chores and childcare while her younger brother enjoys more freedom and status. However, during their year in the refugee camp, we see Gao Sheng realize that her voice truly matters. A particularly moving moment occurs near the end when she overhears her mother and aunts describing her as smart, kind, and strong.
January 21, 2026
Eleven-year-old Gao Sheng grew up in Laos. Her father is a Hmong captain in the Lao Army who fought with Americans against the North Vietnamese. If he’s caught, he’ll be killed. The adults make plans, and a good daughter would never question or complain. Gao Sheng and her family eventually arrive at a refugee camp in Thailand. Over the next year, Gao Sheng learns who she is and how to rebuild home.
The story is written as a collection of free verse poems. We start with home in Laos, the family, and Gao Sheng's position as the eldest child in her generation. It gives her more responsibility than her siblings and cousins. From a child's perspective, the uncertainty of war and life in the refugee camps is on display for the reader despite the relatively sparse words. It makes me feel like Gao Sheng, who has to guess at meaning despite not being told everything, and the terror of flight is palpable, as is her grief for a lost childhood: "I just want to be a kid."
The Hmong people had helped the Americans in the Vietnam War, and have now lived in the United States for fifty years. A sizeable population lives in the Midwest, where numbers of them were sponsored in the years following the war's end.
The families of soldiers were subject to the same harsh punishment at times, and the story here is based on the author's own family. It's a reality that other families endured in the period, as well as other current war-torn areas around the world today.
We sometimes forget the impact it had on children, and this book brings it into sharp relief. As much as I figured there was a good outcome for Gao Sheng, I still empathize with her grief and heartbreak, the wish for a home that was lost and can never be regained.
The story is written as a collection of free verse poems. We start with home in Laos, the family, and Gao Sheng's position as the eldest child in her generation. It gives her more responsibility than her siblings and cousins. From a child's perspective, the uncertainty of war and life in the refugee camps is on display for the reader despite the relatively sparse words. It makes me feel like Gao Sheng, who has to guess at meaning despite not being told everything, and the terror of flight is palpable, as is her grief for a lost childhood: "I just want to be a kid."
The Hmong people had helped the Americans in the Vietnam War, and have now lived in the United States for fifty years. A sizeable population lives in the Midwest, where numbers of them were sponsored in the years following the war's end.
The families of soldiers were subject to the same harsh punishment at times, and the story here is based on the author's own family. It's a reality that other families endured in the period, as well as other current war-torn areas around the world today.
We sometimes forget the impact it had on children, and this book brings it into sharp relief. As much as I figured there was a good outcome for Gao Sheng, I still empathize with her grief and heartbreak, the wish for a home that was lost and can never be regained.
December 17, 2025
“A Year Without Home” is an absolutely stunning historical work told entirely in verse. It tells us of a Hmong family and their flight from Laos following the Vietnam War. Gao Sheng’s father was a soldier in the army and aided the US in the war, making him a target after the communists take over. The entire family, comprised of Gao Sheng, her parents, her four siblings, and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins all flee their mountain home to escape being killed. Bidania does a beautiful job showing us the beauty of the highlands, the love among the family, and the fear and uncertainty they feel when they are forced to leave. We then see the family escape to Vientiane, and then to different refugee camps as time goes on. We see much of Gao Sheng’s complicated feelings about her role as the eldest daughter among all the cousins and the parentification she experiences during hardship compared to the treatment her younger brother receives. I also loved how each poem could stand alone as a meaningful piece of writing, and then when they are all put together tell the story cohesively. Bidania truly accomplishes a massive feat of storytelling with relatively few words relative to the page length. I found this a particularly meaningful and informative book after spending a month in Minnesota taking care of Hmong patients and their families, and working alongside Hmong healthcare professionals; I feel I have gained a new appreciation for what previous generations went through to reach safety. This was a beautiful piece of writing and I hope it will soon be readily available in every library.
My thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
My thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 17, 2026
This is a deeply emotional story and one that is very close to the author Bidania's own story but it is listed as history fiction though there are photos of Bidania and her father and siblings (four girls and one boy) and an author's note about her experience. I do wish it would have been written as a memoir of this time in her life because it reflects quite a few of the students in my school's own journey as part of the Hmong community. This will with absolute certainty be a book I share frequently in part because of its accessible verse format, but it's historical accuracy, and important message about family, loyalty, gender roles, and refugees who lose their sense of home.
For 11-year old Gao Sheng, she had the most beautiful home on the hill in Laos with both jungle, grassland, and highland and her favorite- peach tree. But this home and this country must be abandoned after the communist government takes over and American troops leave Vietnam. Gao Sheng's family misses the last planes out of Laos and make a daring escape by canoe to a refugee camp in Thailand. The book is Gao Sheng befriending then losing friends to movement, trying to be industrious by selling her mom's rice cakes, helping build a home in a new refugee camp, and ultimately, though trying very hard to be the "good girl" and the "good daughter" feels like her heart is ripped out of her body when her parents make a decision that she disagrees with.
This book is bittersweet. Without giving away the ending as it's a must-read. This lived experience and story is necessary and follows a distinct timeline (noted by dates and new year celebrations as examples) to show the progressive loss of their home from the house itself to the homeland and sense of security that provides.
"Never Break // Sometimes / I feel like / I'm supposed to be / like the mab plant. // So strong / I don't need / good soil or water // so strong / I can fight off weeds / on my own // so strong / I keep working / all the time // so strong /I'm expected / to never break."
For 11-year old Gao Sheng, she had the most beautiful home on the hill in Laos with both jungle, grassland, and highland and her favorite- peach tree. But this home and this country must be abandoned after the communist government takes over and American troops leave Vietnam. Gao Sheng's family misses the last planes out of Laos and make a daring escape by canoe to a refugee camp in Thailand. The book is Gao Sheng befriending then losing friends to movement, trying to be industrious by selling her mom's rice cakes, helping build a home in a new refugee camp, and ultimately, though trying very hard to be the "good girl" and the "good daughter" feels like her heart is ripped out of her body when her parents make a decision that she disagrees with.
This book is bittersweet. Without giving away the ending as it's a must-read. This lived experience and story is necessary and follows a distinct timeline (noted by dates and new year celebrations as examples) to show the progressive loss of their home from the house itself to the homeland and sense of security that provides.
"Never Break // Sometimes / I feel like / I'm supposed to be / like the mab plant. // So strong / I don't need / good soil or water // so strong / I can fight off weeds / on my own // so strong / I keep working / all the time // so strong /I'm expected / to never break."
March 25, 2026
4.5 stars. Hmong history through the eyes of the oldest daughter thrust from her mountain home in Laos with its peach trees, dog, horse, and rooms overflowing with family and love. The Communists of North Vietnam are pushing out the Hmong (who are aligned with the CIA through covert operations) who are forced to move from refugee camp to refugee camp until hopes of wining the war are competely dashed.
The poetic language in this heartwrenching story is exceptional. This book would sit well in a novel in verse book study unit. The characters are lovable, relatable, and honorable. Themes of Hmong family roles, sex roles, and cultural norms abound. Much fodder for discussion and conversation. Figurative language abounds. Highlighting the plight of the Hmong people in this undertold story is engaging and illuminating. And it made me cry.
I listened to the audiobook. The reader held to correctly pronouncing the proper names of all the characters throughout the story. Sometimes this was distracting, but ultimately I'm glad it was read that way. It helps to get a feel for all the language barriers encountered by the family.
I loved that the family remains intact for most of the story. The parents are steadfast and constant. Although the main character bears much responsibility, she remains a 11/12 year old holding culturally appropriate responsibilities for a 11/12 year during an extremely challenging time.
The authors note at the end is important to include in the reading as she describes how true to her life the story is. I tagged it as a memoir though it really isn't, but it reads that way.
The poetic language in this heartwrenching story is exceptional. This book would sit well in a novel in verse book study unit. The characters are lovable, relatable, and honorable. Themes of Hmong family roles, sex roles, and cultural norms abound. Much fodder for discussion and conversation. Figurative language abounds. Highlighting the plight of the Hmong people in this undertold story is engaging and illuminating. And it made me cry.
I listened to the audiobook. The reader held to correctly pronouncing the proper names of all the characters throughout the story. Sometimes this was distracting, but ultimately I'm glad it was read that way. It helps to get a feel for all the language barriers encountered by the family.
I loved that the family remains intact for most of the story. The parents are steadfast and constant. Although the main character bears much responsibility, she remains a 11/12 year old holding culturally appropriate responsibilities for a 11/12 year during an extremely challenging time.
The authors note at the end is important to include in the reading as she describes how true to her life the story is. I tagged it as a memoir though it really isn't, but it reads that way.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
In 1975, a Communist regime threatened life in Laos, the only country Gao Sheng has ever known. As the oldest of her siblings, Gao Sheng is relied upon for many of the family’s needs, even though she is only eleven. When the Communist threat grows, Gao Sheng and her family are faced with the impossible decision to leave their homeland in search of a safe refuge. And though the road to safety is not easy, bravery and determination help everyone navigate the obstacles in their way as they discover a new place to call home. This poignant memoir is recounted in verse, utilizing descriptive, figurative language to connect readers to life in Laos in the mid-1970s. Though the entries are brief, each one is resonant and effectively describes profound experiences and emotions while utilizing very few words. Metaphors comparing certain circumstances to food, fauna, and cultural representations from the land of Laos paint a vivid picture of what life is like for Gao Sheng and her family. Broken into parts and incorporating frequent white space, this accessible novel introduces young readers to both the threat of Communism and the history behind the conflict in Laos in the 1970s. And by featuring a young girl, the book becomes even more relatable, no matter the reader's background. Lyrical and memorable, this powerful middle grade novel in verse is an effective addition to global historical curricula for young readers.
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