Roots and Wings

July 1, 2008
Gr 6-9-Grace, 14, has grown up knowing very little about her family and the traditions of her Cambodian ancestors. Then her grandmother dies, and she and her mother go to Florida for the funeral. Grace has never been to a Buddhist temple, she has never met the people her grandmother was close to, and she has never been told why her mother and grandmother left Florida for Pennsylvania. Grace doesn't even know who her father is. Embraced by her grandmother's old friends, she begins to learn about her heritage and about her grandmother's difficult life. She also discovers secrets about her mother's past and the identity of her father. The author peppers the text with Cambodian terms but doesn't explain them. Readers may feel as lost and confused as Grace is when thrust blindly into Cambodian society. The book is beautifully written, but readers will have to sift through the unfamiliar language to get through to the story. Still, the author allows family secrets to unfold carefully and explores them with sincerity."Julianna M. Helt, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2008
When Grandma dies in Pennsylvania, 14-year-old Grace and her mom take the ashes back to the Cambodian immigrant community in St. Petersburg, Florida, for the traditional funeral. Why didher mother and grandmother leave St. Petersburg before Grace was born?Whydidnt they return before this? Grace grabs the chance to explore her roots and search for her father. The cultural detail nearly overwhelms the story (along with the funeral, theres a traditional wedding going on with multiple rehearsals and rituals). But, as in Lys first novel, Home is East (2005), the immigrant experience is part of the family drama, which includesa look at whatGrandmaescaped from in Cambodia. More than politics, thenovel is about family secrets, and Graces search for her father is, of course, the elemental search for herself. As she goes forward in the story, she discovers shame, spite, hurt, anger, and love across generationsand, finally, forgiveness and understanding.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)