Listen, Slowly

Twelve-year-old Mai can't wait to take a break from being perfect. But all straight A's and countless extracurricular activities have gotten her is an unwanted trip to a foreign country she's never been to--over eight thousand miles from home. Mai's parents are making her spend her vacation in Vietnam so she can learn more about her roots and help her grandmother learn what really happened to her grand-father during the Vietnam War. Since Mai barely knows the language or customs, she is desperately counting down the days until she can go back home. But as time goes on, Mai begins to grow closer to her family and develops an understanding of a culture and an entire world that she never really knew about. In this sharply funny and poignant story, Mai realizes that home is not found on a map but is instead made up of the people she calls family.