One Good Thing about America

Ruth Freeman

ISBN 10: 0823436950 / ISBN 13: 9780823436958

Published by Holiday House Inc, 2017

About this Item

It's hard to start at a new school . . . especially if you're in a new country. Back home, Anais was the best English student in her class. Here in Crazy America she feels like she doesn't know English at all. Nothing makes sense (chicken FINGERS?), and the kids at school have some very strange ideas about Africa. Anais misses her family - Papa and grandmother Oma and big brother Olivier because here in Crazy America there's only little Jean-Claude and Mama. So she writes letters to Oma - lots of them. She tells her she misses her and hopes the fighting is over soon. She tells her about Halloween, snow, mac n cheese dinners, and princess sleepovers. She tells her about the weird things Crazy Americans do, and how she just might be turning into a Crazy American herself. One Good Thing About America is a sweet, often funny middle-grade novel that explores differences and common ground across cultures. It arrives amidst the prevailing climate of fear and doubt in America. This story of a refugee child restores hope and reminds us that America is, in fact, a nation of immigrants where we must accept our differences in order to survive and that s one very good thing.

Seller Inventory # 00084548675

Bibliographic Details

• Title: One Good Thing about America
• Publisher: Holiday House Inc
• Publication Date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0823436950
• ISBN 13: 9780823436958
• Binding: Hardback
• Illustrator: Honesta, Kathrin
• Condition: Good

About this title

Synopsis

It's always hard to start at a new school . . . and even harder if you're in a new country.

Back home, nine-year-old Anaïs was the best English student in her class, but here in Crazy America it feels like she doesn't know English at all. Nothing makes sense (chicken fingers?), and the kids at school have some very strange ideas about Africa.
 
Anaïs misses home.  She misses their little house under the mango trees, and the family left behind—Papa and grandmother Oma and big brother Olivier.  She worries about the fighting that drove her and Mama and little Jean-Claude to leave.
 
So she writes letters to Oma and tells her about Halloween, snow, mac 'n' cheese dinners, and princess sleepovers. She tells her all about the weird things Crazy Americans do, and how she just might be turning into a Crazy American herself.
 
Inspired by the author's work with students learning English, this sweet, often funny middle-grade novel explores differences and common ground across cultures.  In contrast to a growing climate of fear and doubt, this story of a refugee child navigating her new life restores hope and reminds us that America is, in fact, a nation of immigrants where we must accept our differences in order to survive—and that's one very good thing.

About the Author

Ruth Freeman grew up in rural Pennsylvania but now lives in Maine. She is the author of several successful nonfiction picture books but this is her first novel.