Synopses & Reviews
Review
"Shea's text successfully portrays the turmoil, excitement, and heartbreak that come with repatriating...satisfying conclusion." KIRKUS REVIEWS
Review
"deftly traces the physical and emotional journey of a 13-year-old orphan...author creates a delicate, credible balance between sorrow and joy" PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, STARRED REVIEW
Review
"Mai wrestles with peer pressure and family expectations in a story that will resonate with immigrant students and enlighten others." BOOKLIST
Review
"Shea captures the complicated emotions of a thirteen-year-old girl in the midst of enormous personal changes....multiple curricular possibilities" THE BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS
Review
"engaging...a delightful protagonist...adeptly uses...first-person narrative...important because it is the first YA novel...with a Hmong protagonist" VOYA (VOICE OF YOUTH ADVOCATES)
Review
"deftly traces the physical and emotional journey of a 13-year-old orphan...author creates a delicate, credible balance between sorrow and joy" PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, STARRED REVIEW Publishers Weekly, Starred
"Shea's text successfully portrays the turmoil, excitement, and heartbreak that come with repatriating...satisfying conclusion." KIRKUS REVIEWS Kirkus Reviews
"Mai wrestles with peer pressure and family expectations in a story that will resonate with immigrant students and enlighten others." BOOKLIST Booklist, ALA
"bittersweet story...of a family tapping roots into a new homeland...shows the emotions behind...today's diverse immigration experiences" SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL School Library Journal
"Shea captures the complicated emotions of a thirteen-year-old girl in the midst of enormous personal changes....multiple curricular possibilities" THE BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"engaging...a delightful protagonist...adeptly uses...first-person narrative...important because it is the first YA novel...with a Hmong protagonist" VOYA (VOICE OF YOUTH ADVOCATES) VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)
Synopsis
For the Hmong people living in overcrowded refugee camps in Thailand, America is a dream: the land of peace and plenty. In 1995, ten years after their arrival at the camp, thirteen-year-old Mai Yang and her grandmother are about to experience that dream. In America, they will be reunited with their only remaining relatives, Mais uncle and his family. They will discover the privileges of their new life: medical care, abundant food, and an apartment all their own. But Mai will also feel the pressures of life as a teenager. Her cousins, now known as Heather and Lisa, try to help Mai look less like a refugee, but following them means disobeying Grandma and Uncle. From showers and smoke alarms to shopping, dating, and her familys new religion, Mai finds life in America complicated and confusing. Ultimately, she will have to reconcile the old ways with the new, and decide for herself the kind of woman she wants to be. This archetypal immigrant story introduces readers to the fascinating Hmong culture and offers a unique outsiders perspective on our own.
About the Author
Pegi Deitz Shea has studied the Hmong people and written about their culture. She lives in Rockville, Connecticut. This is her first novel.