Roots and Wings

The book I read was Roots and Wings by Many Ly. Many Ly is the author of 1 other book, Home is East , both involving the topic of her home country, Cambodia. Both books explain the amazing culture of Cambodia and how a modern teenager solves their problems following the Cambodian morals. This book in particular focuses on the importance of family and looking out for one another. Grace's mother is all she has, so she must attempt to keep a close connection with her.

Grace is a young teen who has only known 2 family members her whole life, her mother and grandmother. When her grandmother passes away, Grace and her mother must travel to the Cambodian community in St. Petersburg, Florida to give her a proper Cambodian funeral. Grace wants to solve a few mysteries of her own while she is there. She wants to find out who her father is, why her mother moved from Florida to Pennsylvania (where she has never seen anyone the race of her own), and what the Cambodian culture is really about. Her mother gets in touch with her old friends, which makes Grace feel at home and lost, questioning the traditions she has yet to live. It's fascinating to see the sneaky routes she takes to figure out these mysteries and how far she's willing to go to make sure she doesn't return home without information.

I have read this book approximately 4 times, and it never gets old. This is my favorite book of all time. I love it so much because I can relate to the traditions and connect it to the experiences I've had with it. There is also very much suspense that I never see coming, so I can never foreshadow. This book was written for ages 9+. There are a few words written in Cambodian that could confuse you, so if you don't like having to figure out words, this book is not for you. Overall, it is a great chapter book that I recommend to everyone. You will not regret it!

Book Review by Malaysia H.