Linda Crew, Children of the River (Laurel-Leaf Contemporary Fiction) Reviews

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Growing up an immigrant in America, I lived by Linda Crew's Children of the River. Cultural differences of minority groups often go unnoticed by the majority culture. I am a white immigrant with fluent English, although I have an accent, so I don't appear different, but I always felt out of place in school. While my experiences were not the same as the protagonist's I experienced the same emotional roller coaster and connected deeply with her.

This book can help foster empathy and also show young people from minority backgrounds (nationality, race, ethnicity, family structure etc.) that they are not alone. While we don't all face arranged marriages, we do all feel a little lost and on the outside. Maybe we're not always outsiders, but when that moment comes it can hit you like a ton of bricks.

America is a wonderful melting pot of cultures and we pride ourselves on this diversity. This book shows both that wonderful side of immigration and also the difficulties faced by immigrants.

I highly recommend this book for children 11 and up. Everyone can learn something from it. I read it first 15 years ago and my worn copy has been well-loved ever since.

The story of a teenage Cambodian refugee torn between the traditional culture in which she was raised and the prospect of romance in her new country, it highlights dislocation well.