Noodle Pie

Experiencing culture shock during a family visit to Vietnam, Andy struggles to respond to a Vietnamese name he does not recognize and is surprised by a family restaurant that is nothing like what he expected.

Grade 4–6—It is his father's first trip back to Vietnam since emigrating to Australia, and 11-year-old Andy cannot help but take stock of both the cultural differences and the changes in his dad's behavior. Even on the plane ride there, his normally thrifty, casually clad father has been replaced by a diamond-ring-wearing Viet Kieu (the term for anyone returning to their homeland) in a business suit. Once in Hanoi, the obvious differences in amenities, prices, and customs continue. Particularly troubling are the street children who hover around the foreign visitors. As Andy gradually gets over his culture shock, he gains a better understanding of his family relationships, thanks in part to his cousin Minh, a resourceful and determined girl. Minh and Andy provide a vivid tourist and insider portrayal of Hanoi, with especially tantalizing descriptions of food at the family-owned restaurant. Do not read while hungry.—Joanna K. Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library
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Eleven-year-old Australian Nguyen Cuong Anh (Andy) and his father visit their family in Vietnam, a country his father fled during the war. Their family runs a restaurant frequented by locals, but Andy's cousins would like to attract tourists as well. Together, the kids successfully demonstrate how this could work and why the restaurant should change. Andy's father, a gardener in Australia, is generous with money and wears an expensive suit and jewelry to impress his relatives, a deceit he finally admits at the end of their stay. The sentimental confession is not fully convincing but ends their visit on an upbeat note. Despite his heritage, Andy observes contemporary Vietnam through Western assumptions and values. With the few Australian terms easily understood in context, his comments on foods, customs, and attitudes will amuse and resonate with U.S. readers in a rare, lighthearted Vietnam novel. Grades 5-7. --Linda Perkins