The Gold-Threaded Dress The Quail Club

Gr 3—5—Oy's family recently moved to a new home and she's feeling lost and friendless because, although there are several immigrant children attending her new school, no one is from her native Thailand. Her journey from lonely outsider to being accepted begins in Carolyn Marsden's The Gold-Threaded Dress (2002) and continues in The Quail Club (2006, both Candlewick). In the first book, class bully Lilliandra sees a photo of Oy (renamed Olivia by her teacher) in her beloved pink silk dress which she wears when performing traditional Thai dances and demands that the girl bring it to school so she and her friends can try it on. If Oy doesn't comply, she will not be able to join Lilliandra's club. Oy desperately wants to fit in, but she knows her parents would be upset if anything happened to the dress. In the second title, Oy has been accepted into the Quail Club and is feeling better about her life. She decides that she wants to perform a solo Thai dance for the school talent show. Lilliandra tries to bully Oy into performing a contemporary American style duet with her. The girl must reconcile her longing to fit in at school with honoring traditional Thai values. Amy Rubinate's narration sensitively and accurately portrays Oy's feelings of confusion and conflicting loyalties. The unhurried pacing is perfect for these universal stories of acceptance and friendship.—Wendy Woodfill , Hennepin County Library, Minnetonka, MN