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    Tara and the Towering Wave: An Indian Ocean Tsunami Survival Story
    Tara and the Towering Wave: An Indian Ocean Tsunami Survival Story
    Tara and the Towering Wave: An Indian Ocean Tsunami Survival Story
    Ebook78 pages1 hour

    Tara and the Towering Wave: An Indian Ocean Tsunami Survival Story

    By Cristina Oxtra, Francesca Ficorilli and Jane Pica

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    When her mother announces a holiday vacation to Thailand, Tara isn't thrilled. She'd rather stay home with her friends, but Mom is determined they use the girls' trip to explore their Thai heritage. Tara is reluctant to travel so far from home, especially to a country she doesn't feel connected to. But then disaster strikes. The day after Christmas, a massive tsunami sweeps through Phuket, Thailand. Tara's resort vacation suddenly becomes a fight to survive - and find her mother in the wreckage.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCapstone Young Readers
    Release dateAug 1, 2020
    ISBN9781515888802
    Tara and the Towering Wave: An Indian Ocean Tsunami Survival Story
    Author

    Cristina Oxtra

    Cristina Oxtra is a Filipino American author. She earned an MFA in creative writing for children and young adults at Hamline University and a BA in journalism. She received the Loft Literary Center 2019-2020 Mirrors & Windows Fellowship for indigenous writers and writers of color. A former journalist and educator, Cristina is also a military veteran and public relations professional. She enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, baking, training in Tae Kwon Do, watching supernatural and paranormal TV shows, and going to comic cons. Her website is at www.cristinaoxtra.com.

    Read more from Cristina Oxtra

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    • 4/5
      It's hard to pull something positive out of the tragedy of the 2004 tsunami that killed 250,000 people, but Cristina Oxtra manages to leave her characters with a sense of purpose and connection to the many other people who suffered in its aftermath. They become caretakers and fundraisers as part of trying to make sense of their own survival. She draws on her own family history of immigration from the Philippines when creating Tara and her mother's Thai back story -- grandparents who emigrated to the US, worked hard, did not pass the language down and have children who are just starting to explore their ancestors' country. Holds together well, tells a good story of identity and survival, leaves you wanting to know more -- great combination.

    Book preview

    Tara and the Towering Wave - Cristina Oxtra

    CHAPTER ONE

    Phuket International Airport

    Phuket, Thailand

    December 24, 2004

    Mom and I made our way through the busy airport in Thailand. I stayed close as we headed toward the main entrance, dragging our heavy suitcases behind us. I didn’t want to get separated in the sea of travelers. Many of them were families rushing to grab suitcases and hurrying off to wherever they had to be.

    There was so much energy and excitement around me. It seemed like people couldn’t wait for their trips or vacations to start. I wasn’t quite as thrilled about mine.

    Tara, you’re right up against me, Mom said. Be careful. You almost tripped me with your suitcase.

    Sorry, Mom, I said. I just don’t want to get lost in the crowd.

    You’ll be fine, assured Mom. I’m not going to leave you behind.

    Despite her assurances, I was nervous. I had only flown in an airplane once before, and that had been to Texas. My dad had received an award from his company, and Mom and I had attended a banquet in San Antonio to celebrate with him.

    Flying to Thailand was my first overseas trip. Mom and I had traveled more than twenty hours, flying from Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Phuket, an island off the coast of southern Thailand. We were thousands of miles away from home. This was a whole new world for me.

    Honestly, I wasn’t sure I wanted to be there. I would have rather been at home, sitting by the fireplace in our townhome, reading a book and sipping hot cocoa. Or snow tubing with my best friend, Abby. Or, better yet, with Mom and Dad, planning the dinner menu for our annual Christmas party at the big house we used to live in.

    We’ll probably never do that again, I thought. It had been two years since my parents had divorced, and we hadn’t heard from Dad since.

    A few feet from the main exit doors, we approached a man holding a sign that said Thai Orchid Resort shuttle.

    That’s our ride, Mom said.

    The man welcomed us and led us outside to the resort shuttle van. He loaded our luggage in the back.

    Please take a seat, he said. We will wait for our other guests, then head to the resort.

    How far away is the resort? I asked.

    It will take a little more than an hour to drive there, the man replied.

    I nodded and boarded the van, grabbing a seat next to the window before anyone else could take it. Mom sat next to me. The sun filtering through the window was warm and comforting, especially after coming from the snowy Minnesota winter.

    I never thought I would be spending Christmas in Thailand. When Mom first said she wanted to take a vacation, I thought she’d meant Wisconsin Dells. Maybe Disneyworld. But a few months ago, over dinner at home, Mom had waved a pair of airline tickets in front of me.

    Guess what? With all the extra hours I’ve worked at my new job, I’ve saved up enough money for us to go on a girls’ getaway! she announced. We’re going to Thailand!

    I had coughed up the spoonful of macaroni and cheese that I had just inserted into my mouth. We’re going where? You’re joking, right?

    She was not.

    This is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, Tara. We’re going to learn more about Thailand and connect with our Thai heritage, Mom said. She reached out and placed a hand on mine. We’re going to take a break and spend time together, where your grandparents came from. It’s going to be great. You’ll see.

    Mom had never been to Thailand. Neither had I. But her parents—Grandma Samorn and Grandpa Panit—were Thai. They were from Khao Lak, a beach town on the west coast of Thailand. They had been young and newly married when they immigrated to America in the mid-1960s.

    They had started out in California, then moved to Minnesota to establish a quiet life. Grandpa had worked in construction while Grandma had found work as a seamstress. They had known enough English to get by and had taught themselves more by watching TV and reading.

    I had never gotten to know my Thai grandparents. They had passed away in an accident when I was four years old. I didn’t remember much about them, other than what Mom had told me.

    I wonder what they would’ve thought about us visiting Thailand, I thought as we set out for the resort.

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