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“…Revealing the challenges young immigrants face in a mixed-race school environment, Oy feels torn between the respect she feels for her Thai culture and the acceptance she wants from her American culture.”

—Kirkus Reviews

The Gold-Threaded Dress

Written by Carolyn Marsden
Published by Candlewick Press (MA)

In Thailand she was named Oy, but here in America the teachers call her Olivia. Other things are not so easy to change, however. When Oy draws a portrait of herself with brown hair and eyes as round as coins, her classmate Frankie makes fun of her and calls her Chinese. And the popular girl Liliandra barely speaks to her, until she learns that Oy has something very special: a Thai dancing dress from her grandmother, shimmering with pink silk and golden threads, that makes her look like a princess. Will Oy risk shaming her family to win Liliandra’s approval — and be part of the club she has envied from afar? With compassion and rare insight, Carolyn Marsden tells a simple tale about a young girl who searches for acceptance in a complex culture, while learning to treasure all that she is.

Primary ISBN: 9780763615697
Publication Date: February 2002
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook
Publication Status: Hardcover is Out of Print.
Chapter Book, Age 08 or older

Community Represented:

Themes: ,

Setting: United States

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: Immigrant

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