Meet Mượn Thị Văn, Author of Wishes
Exclusive Interview About Mượn’s Experience as a Refugee
by Traci Swain
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Author’s Thoughts
“I like to highlight the emotional experiences.…So many readers have reached out and have said that this was their experience, and they feel seen.” —Mượn Thị Văn
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Mượn Thị Văn, author of Wishes, was inspired to share the important story of her family’s voyage to America, an experience that many other families can relate to.
In this thoughtful interview, Mượn takes readers behind the scenes of what it was like to be a young Vietnamese refugee and provides details of her family’s journey.
Share this interview with Mượn to help your students learn about the challenges of moving to a new land in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, including:
• The emotional impact and financial hardships endured by Mượn’s family
• Learning a new language
• Experiencing cultural differences
• Adapting to a big life change
Do you know a reader who would enjoy this interview with Mượn Thị Văn? Please share with them on Facebook and Instagram using the hashtag #ScholasticBookClubs.
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About Mượn Thị Văn
Mượn Thị Văn loves to read books of all types and sizes. The first language she learned to speak was Vietnamese, but the first language she learned to read was English (and she was so shy in elementary school that she practically learned to read English before she spoke it). The first book she remembers reading on her own is a yellow Nancy Drew hardback from the school library, and since the library had the whole series, it was a while before she read anything else.
Funnily enough, Mượn doesn’t remember reading picture books as a young child and instead discovered them in high school. In picture books, she found a wonderful meeting of art, poetry, philosophy, and humor. So few books reflected her formative experiences, though, that she desired to bring new and different stories into the world.
Now from her home in Northern California, Mượn crafts stories after school drop-off and before with her kids. Some of these stories become books, and some of these books are read around the world. From her acclaimed debut, In a Village by the Sea, with April Chu, to her latest, I Love You Because I Love You, with Jessica Love, Mượn’s books have received many distinctions. Wishes, her award-winning collaboration with Victo Ngai, was named the Best Picture Book of 2021 by BookPage.
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This Book Is Available from Scholastic Book Clubs
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