”Listen, Slowly”

By Thanhha Lai. Ages 9 to 13.

You might say, “No, thanks” to a trip with Grandma when you could be lounging at the beach with your best friend and the boy you secretly like. But what if Mom and Dad say your grandmother needs you to go with her to find peace after nearly 40 years of sadness?

That is Mai’s situation at the beginning of the summer. Her grandmother, Ba, has received news that her husband, who disappeared during the Vietnam War, may be alive. Mai’s parents want to support Ba, even though they think it’s unlikely that her husband is alive. But no one has time to travel to Ba’s homeland in Southeast Asia. No one, except 12-year-old Mai.

It doesn’t seem to matter that Mai has never been to Vietnam and barely speaks the language of her ancestors. She will be a comfort to Ba, they say.

Mai agrees to go, but she is counting the hours she is away from her California pals. She doesn’t trust best friend Montana to hang out with Mai’s secret crush, whom she mostly refers to as “HIM.”

The smells, sounds and family customs in Vietnam are truly foreign to this American girl. The house where Mai and Ba stay has no indoor bathroom and certainly no Internet connection. The distant cousin who is Mai’s age seems strange and unfriendly.

Mai hopes the detective whom Ba hired will quickly tell them what he has uncovered so that they can go home.

As days pass, Mai realizes there will be no speedy exit. But she senses she’s becoming part of the family. Even the unfriendly cousin starts to warm up. She also begins to understand Ba and grandfather Ong’s history. With that understanding, Mai starts thinking less about heading home and more about helping Ba on her journey.