Last Airlift

About Last Airlift: A Vietnamese Orphan's Rescue from War

2013 Red Cedar Information Book Award Winner

2013 Ontario Library Association Red Maple Nonfiction Award runner-up

2013 Cybils Award shortlist

2013 Cooperative Children's Book Centre Award shortlist

2012 Children's Literature Roundtables of Canada Information Book Award shortlist

2012 Hamilton Literary Children's and Young Adult Award shortlist

2018 The Booklist Reader "The Refugee Experience for Children and Young Adults" selection

2013 Bank Street Best Book selection

2012 Ontario Library Association Best Bets selection

2012 Resource Links "The Year's Best" selection

"Immediate and compelling, this moving refugee story deserves a wide audience."—Kirkus Reviews

"An excellent first step on the ladder that leads to such fine immigrant tales as Thanhha Lai's Inside Out & Back Again."—Horn Book Magazine

"The author tells Tuyet's story with respect and dignity, introducing readers to a brave girl caught up in the turbulent times of her country, her fears of leaving what she knew, and the joy of finding a new life."—School Library Journal

"Tuyet's remarkable true story recounts the heroic rescue on a plane bigger than her orphanage, with babies hurriedly placed in cardboard boxes and an unknown future for all. With the new foods, her own bed, eating with a fork, using a toothbrush (instead of her fingers and some salt), walking on grass (instead of rice paddies), and learning that the lights in the nighttime sky are stars instead of bombs, it's her adjustment to a foreign land and an adopted family that proves most fascinating."—Booklist

"Last Airlift is the story of an heroic deed, of one young girl's courage and resourcefulness when she most needs it, and of the ending she could not foresee...Highly Recommended."—CM Magazine

"[The] biographical approach helps to humanize a war that, for most readers, may seem like ancient history, and the tight focus on the airlift and Tuyet's first days with the Morrises reminds readers that they are sharing the experiences of an agemate."—Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books

"Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch never strays from Tuyet's child-centered perspective in recounting her experiences. In an author's note, Skrypuch describes interviewing Tuyet (obviously now an adult), who found that she remembered more and more of the past as she talked. Dialogue takes this narrative out of the category of pure nonfiction, but Tuyet's story, with its occasional black-and-white illustrations, is no less affecting because of it."—Cooperative Center for Children's Book Choices

"Enhanced with documents and a surprising number of photographs, Airlift is a touching, multi-layered experience. The strength of Skrypuch's storytelling shows strongest in the smallest details."—Smithsonian Institute Book Dragon

"Black and white photographs and documents supplement this biographical tale. Told from the point of view of this eight year old girl, the story is quite informative and compelling. Readers who enjoy biographies will find much to admire in Tuyet."—Youth Services Book Review