A Year Without Home by V. T. Bidania ~ a Review

by MK French

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.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

January 2026; Nancy Paulsen Books; 978-0593697207
audio, ebook, print (432 pages); children's book

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. 

Buy A Year Without Home at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and a golden retriever. 

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us. Get even more book news in your inbox, sign up for our newsletter today! Or Follow Girl Who Reads with Bloglovin. Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.