On April 24, 1975 the last flight out of Saigon, Vietnam carried over 400 people to the United States, six days before Saigon’s surrender to the North Vietnamese Army.
Kristen Giang was a little girl, on that flight with family, and here in this story she shares all the emotions of the decision to flee from the perspective of someone eight years old; Playing a game of space-explorers to protect herself and her sister’s eyes from tear gas; sneaking a stuffed animal into the family’s overstuffed suitcase for comfort.
Dow Phumiruk’s tender illustrations let anyone feel the excitement and the ultimate hopefulness of this amazing true story.
P R A I S E
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard
“Deeply touching… A tender and powerful portrait of a harrowing, historic event.”
—Booklist
"Mai Giang’s sensory-filled prose gently and evocatively communicates a personal wartime story. Phumiruk’s clean, soft illustrations, done in Photoshop and pencil, bring to life a gamut of emotions…A moving and illuminating story of family, war, courage, and newfound home.”
—Kirkus
“Giang’s affecting, powerful recounting of her family’s escape from Saigon in 1975 renders a largely unexplored moment in history intimate and urgent.”
—BCCB
Kristen Giang is a Chinese American author who immigrated from Vietnam when she was 18 months old and grew up in San Gabriel, California. Last Flight tells the story of her family's escape from Saigon six days before its fall in 1975, on the dramatic last commercial flight out. When not writing, Kristen has spent the past two decades creating Emmy Award-winning digital content for Disney, NBC Kids, and Mattel, among others. She is a proud member of SCBWI and she tweets at @kmgiang. She lives in Los Angeles, CA.
Dow Phumiruk is a clinically retired pediatrician who has found her passion in creating children's books. Dow was born in Krung Thep (Bangkok), Thailand. She is the illustrator of Counting on Katherine, written by Helaine Becker. She now lives in Colorado with her husband of three decades, three artistic daughters and a dog. Dow also enjoys fast and furious sewing projects and limited (she's not that athletic) hiking.
"A moving and illuminating story of family, war, courage, and newfound home.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Giang’s affecting, powerful recounting of her family’s escape from Saigon in 1975 renders a largely unexplored moment in history intimate and urgent.”
– Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Deeply touching… A tender and powerful portrait of a harrowing, historic event.” – Booklist
“Moving and Powerful.” – Publishers Weekly
