The Trouble Begins

By Linda Himelblau

Book Overview

Du Nguyen is finally home. Except he's never even met his family. And home is an ocean away from everything he's ever known. Du's mother, father, brother, and two sisters immigrated to California when... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385732732
• ISBN13: 9780385732734
• Release Date: November 2005
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.6" x 0.7" x 5.8"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Richie's Picks: THE TROUBLE BEGINS

is exceedingly difficult to stop myself from jumping up and down as I talk about THE TROUBLE BEGINS, a unique and fun tale of a young boy who has journeyed to contemporary America to rejoin the parents and siblings he hasn't seen since his infancy. In fact, if you are within a half hour of Sebastopol, California, teach third, fourth, or fifth grade, and would like me to come read this really delightful and eye-opening book to your class for the next couple of weeks, then email me and I'll be over there on Monday. "At lunch in the cafeteria the lunch is ugly. It's cheese--stringy like snot--on mushy noodles, with chocolate milk, sickly sweet and not very cold. I eat the apple slices. I raise my hand to be excused to go to the playground. Veronica sits next to me because Mrs. Dorfman makes us walk in line. Veronica says, 'You gotta eat half before you can get up, Du.' She says it loud enough for the lunch aide to hear. The lunch aide shakes her head at me: 'No, you can't go yet' and nods at my food: 'Eat that first.' I shrug and sit there. "Veronica's talking to the girl on her other side. I take my chocolate milk and pour it into Veronica's backpack. I stuff my cheesy mushy noodles into the empty milk carton. I raise my hand. The lunch aide nods 'Yes, you can go now' and smiles happily at my empty tray. As I leave for the playground I hear Veronica shriek." Du's parents and siblings had departed Vietnam for the US at the end of the war. But Du and his paternal grandmother were suffering from tuberculosis and weren't permitted to accompany the family. Instead, his grandma escaped Vietnam with Du, selling her gold jewelry to secure passage on a flimsy, overcrowded little boat. They made it safely to the Philippines, got over TB, and spent eight years living in a refugee camp until the family saved up the funds for their passage. Now it's 1984 when Du and Grandma arrive in America. " 'They could have brought Ma's sister and her mother but they saved and saved and brought you and you're just a bad-luck kid,' Vuong says. I'm an oldest sibling myself, and am known for sometimes not being overly sympathetic to the plight of a youngest, but Du's older, Americanized brother and sisters (Vuong, Lin, and Thuy) are so darn overbearing that I can't help but cheer for Du as he gradually proves himself to them. " 'Clothes cost money!' he shouted. He doesn't even know about my shirt in the trash and my smelly shoes." Du's father is struggling hard to support the family, and his having come from being a respected property owner in Vietnam to renting a little house and having to work for a verbally abusive boss here does nothing for Ba's personality--especially after getting several phone calls at work from Du's school principal. Shades of Dennis the Menace: The most memorable relationship in the book is that between Du and the old man living by himself next door. "Saturday is a long day. I get up early to look for Cat. I blow some weed seeds toward

GREAT BOOK! I enjoyed learning about an immigrant child's struggles to fit into the American life!

I wrote my first KIDS BOOK, The Toonies Invade Silicon Valley, primarily to entertain kids (and myself while writing it) AND to introduce the high-tech kids of The Valley to cultures of other countries. So when I came across this book about a delightful, yet rambunctious, little Vietnamese boy who came to the United States when he was eleven, I was delighted. Even more so when I read it. It was sad to learn that when Du Nguyen's parents came to the US years before, he had to stay behind with his grandmother, but is was heart-warming to see the close bond they shared. To learn of the problems Du faces in the "confusing, new culture" of the United States is a lesson in humility for us all. Du is a brave young man who faces his problems with good advice from his grandmother, but primarily with how he finally learns (the hard way, most of the time) to adjust to his new way of life: the language, the culture, his classmates, his parents, his siblings, etc. This is an inspirational story for other immigrant children AND, hopefully, will teach American children compassion for others who look and act different from themselves.

A different sort of immigrant story

Du has the misfortune of having a fine name in Vietnamese and a terrible one in English. This is no problem while Du and his grandmother live in the Philippines, but is far more of a problem when Du comes to America, and meets his parents and siblings for the first time. Du struggles mightily in the United States as everyone from his next door neighbor, who calls the police on Du, to his teacher, to his father, thinks he is a trouble maker. The book, told from Du's perspective, lets us experience his frustration, anger, and loneliness. Himelblau deserves credit for creating in Du a unique voice and a near modern day (the story takes place during the 1980s) immigrant story that does not paint an unduly rosy picture of life in America. The changes in Du during the story are subtle and realistic and will allow the reader a lot to think about.

The Trouble Begins

This is a wonderful middle grade story of Du, a recent immigrant from Vietnam. It is not a typical immigrant story but a very realistic and captivating family story, school story, intergenerational story and animal story. You will care about Du from page one. This story can be read by an individual or by a teacher outloud to students who will be interested and sympathetic as they see Du face challenges and grow.

A funny, realistic, and colorful story

Du Nguyen is new to America. He was born in Vietnam, but when his parents, sisters and brother relocated to the United States, Du and his grandmother were forbidden to go due to an illness. But now they are better, and his parents have finally saved up enough money to send plane tickets for Du and his grandmother to join the family in America. Du barely remembers his parents or his siblings, and he only knows a little English, but everyone tells him he is a lucky boy. Unfortunately, Du has some trouble adapting to his new life. First, he gets sick on the plane ride. Then his unfamiliar family doesn't seem to have much time for him: his parents work long hours, his siblings study (even though it is summer break), and his grandmother needs to rest. Nobody in the neighborhood is interested in him, except the nosy old man who lives next door. He is forever watching through the window, and it drives Du nuts. When Du sees juicy blackberries growing in the neighbor's yard, he decides to take them --- it serves the old man right for spying on the family. But then the neighbor calls the cops and sets up a booby trap for the next time Du crawls over the fence. The feud begins, and Du decides to get revenge by playing lots of pranks on him, like loosening the bolts on his lawn mower so that it falls apart the next time it's used. Then fifth grade starts, and things get even worse. Du doesn't understand the language well, so he gets put in the slow reading class. And the kids laugh at him and call him "Doo Doo." No one wants to be friends with him except his grandmother, who says he's a dragon, brave and strong. It's going to take bravery and strength to find his way through the obstacles that his new life has put before him. THE TROUBLE BEGINS is a funny and realistic story that throws the reader into the sympathetic cheering section. Du is an intelligent and colorful character who just seems to attract trouble, like sunburn to pale, unprotected skin. But his spirit is admirable and contagious, so he is likable despite his faults. Unfortunately, the author, Linda Himelblau, passed away in early 2005. Although she wasn't able to see her book in print, her spirit will smile knowing the joy that this story will bring to all readers. --- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman, author