Roots and Wings

By Many Ly

Book Overview

GRACE'S GRANDMOTHER HAS died, and she and her mother must travel back to the Cambodian community to give her a proper Cambodian funeral. But Grace wants to use the trip to solve a few mysteries, like... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385735006
• ISBN13: 9780385735001
• Release Date: May 2008
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.6" x 1.0" x 5.7"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

A Heartwarming Slice of Life

Like the other readers, I knew nothing about Cambodian culture before reading this book. However, I love Asian culture, so it was the primary reason I gave it a shot. (Now I know how to politely greet someone in Khmer by saying 'chumreap suor'!) The main character, Grace, is instantly captivating. After her grandmother's death, she finds herself discovering more about her mother and her roots, as well as trying to find her father who has never been a part of her life. She is a realistic, believable character who can be empathized with by the reader, whether they have faced her struggles or not. The story itself is a straightforward slice of life/coming of age tale, but done with great detail and character development that makes it come alive. I look forward to more novels from Many Ly, and I highly recommend giving this book a chance!

Roots and Wings review

This book was really good. I got very connected to the characters and learned a lot about a culture that I did not previously know a lot about. I really thought Grace's struggles were realistic and could feel her pain throughout the story and the resoultion was very satisfying.

An excellent story of Cambodian culture

Many Ly's ROOTS AND WINGS tells of teen Grace and her mother who travel back to the Cambodian community in Florida to busy her grandmother. But Grace is also on a mission to uncover mysteries bout her family roots - and discovers more mystery and realities than she'd expected. An excellent story of Cambodian culture emerges.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

After her grandmother dies, Grace finds herself and her mom on a trip to the Cambodian community of St. Petersburg, Florida, to give her grandmother a proper funeral. But Grace plans on using her first trip to a Cambodian community for more than just a funeral. She plans on solving some mysteries, like why she's never met her father, and why her mom and grandma left St. Petersburg to begin with. Once in St. Petersburg, Grace is warmly welcomed by her mom's old friends but judged harshly by others due to a family history she had very little to do with. As her family mysteries are slowly solved, Grace finds herself falling farther away from her mother -- and all she can do is wonder how anything can ever be the same. All I can say is that ROOTS AND WINGS is amazing. I knew nothing of the Cambodian culture before I read this but I could still relate immensely to Grace and the struggles she was facing. The different reactions she faced from the members of the community, along with the different parts of her history she discovered, all worked together to create an appealing and thoughtful novel about the hardships and love of the Cambodian culture that anyone, Cambodian or not, can enjoy. Reviewed by: Harmony