Genre

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Tangled Threads: A Hmong Girl’s Story

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, Mai’s 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 family’s 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 outsider’s perspective on our own.

This book has been included in WOW’s Language and Learning: Children’s and Young Adult Fiction Booklist. For our current list, visit our Booklist page under Resources in the green navigation bar.

Alive In The Killing Fields: Surviving the Khmer Rouge Genocide

Alive in the Killing Fields is the real-life memoir of Nawuth Keat, a man who survived the horrors of war-torn Cambodia. He has now broken a longtime silence in the hope that telling the truth about what happened to his people and his country will spare future generations from similar tragedy. In this memoir, a young Nawuth defies the odds and survives the invasion of his homeland by the Khmer Rouge. Under the brutal reign of the dictator Pol Pot, he loses his parents, young sister and other members of his family. After his hometown of Salatrave was overrun, Nawuth and his remaining relatives are eventually captured and enslaved by Khmer Rouge fighters. They endure physical abuse, hunger and inhumane living conditions. But through it all, their sense of family holds them together, giving them the strength to persevere through a time when any assertion of identity is punishable by death. Nawuth’s story of survival and escape from the Killing Fields of Cambodia is also a message of hope; an inspiration to children whose worlds have been darkened by hardship and separation from loved ones. This story provides a timeless lesson in the value of human dignity and freedom for readers of all ages.

Dragon

Long, the dragon-style warrior, saw his temple burned, his brothers killed, and his novice siblings fleeing to the four winds. But that was many months ago. Now the five young warriors have reunited with Ying, the redeemed renegade who put all of these events in motion, and ShaoShu, the mousy street thief, to prevent the wily mantis Tonglong from taking over China. Time is short and distances are great, and the future of China lies in the hands of five young monks.

Vermonia #2: Call of the Winged Panther

The epic quest to save Vermonia continues! Four friends set out to find their true warrior spirits in a graphic tale featuring fabulous manga artwork.Doug, Jim, and Naomi continue their quest to save their friend Mel and the world of Vermonia from the clutches of evil General Uro. After defeating Sassella, the Stone Monster who turns everything she touches to stone, the three friends, along with the help of Rainbow and Fly, journey to the Telaam village. Meanwhile, Jim must answer the call of his spirit guide and protector, Suiran, the Winged Panther, by defeating the sea monster Ickhaby. Once released from his spell, Suiran grants Jim his protection and his powers of flight through the gift of a charmed bracelet. The friends reunite in the village of the Telaam, where the Seer Hanata, keeper of the Vermonia tarot cards, divines the future fate of the four young warriors from Blue Star and predicts a difficult yet promising path to rescuing Mel and returning Vermonia to the peaceful rule of Queen Frasinella.

How Many Baby Pandas?

Baby pandas abound as readers learn how they live and grow.Science expert Sandra Markle bumps up the cuteness factor in this adorable photo essay featuring the eight panda pairs that were born during a baby boom at China’s Wolong Giant Panda Breeding and Research Center in 2005. Basic counting skills combine with panda facts to introduce readers to numbers and these cuddly cubs, from the moment they were born to the time they started climbing trees.

Mongolia: Vanishing Cultures

Two nomadic Mongolian children listen to stories of the past from their father and yearn for their own horses, creatures essential to their way of life.