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When Heaven Fell

(2007, Fiction - Family Life, Written by Carolyn Marsden)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 6, age appropriate for kids over 8; suggested age 8.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0

  • Common Sense says

    Snapshot of Vietnamese culture past and present.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 8 and Up

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    Example of Vietnamese culture from perspective of a girl, including respect to elders, strong work ethic, appreciation of cultural values.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Memories described of bombs dropped, children and other loved ones killed, land mines, mothers having to run in fear, villages burned.

  • Sex:

    Grandmother tells granddaughter that she had a baby by American soldier who then left her.

  • Language:

    Vietnamese words integrated into text. Glossary at the end.

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About When Heaven Fell

Parents need to know that this book is about recollections of the Vietnam War from the perspective of a Vietnamese family, including loved ones dying, bombs dropping, and villages destroyed. A mother, pregnant by an American soldier and fearful for her daughter's life, gives up her child for adoption in America. There are few books that suitably describe this important piece of history for young readers, but this one has accomplished this through the eyes of a likeable Vietnamese 9-year-old girl. Though she was not yet born during this time, she is very curious and asks many questions. The reader learns of traditions, customs, and ways of life that are inherent in Vietnamese culture.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the Vietnam War, as appropriate to the individual child. How did the war evolve? And how is Vietnam today shaped by what happened then?
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