Listen, Slowly in Mock Newbery 2026

Dec 17, 2014 Kris Springer rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2016-newbery-reads

I loved this one. The narrator's voice is believably tween, so when she complains about going to Vietnam for the summer, the reader understands and sympathizes, and when she (Mai) begins to learn more of the language and enjoy her trip, it feels right. Mai goes to Vietnam with her father and grandmother because her grandmother is trying to put her deceased husband's spirit to rest. He had been a prisoner of war and his body never found, so Mai's grandmother needs Mai to help take care of her as ...more

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Jan 30, 2015 alisonwonderland (Alison) rated it liked it

Shelves: middle-grade, audiobook, asia-asian-american, 2015-publication-date

I have mixed feelings about this one. I really enjoyed Lai's Inside Out & Back Again when I read it a couple years ago, so I was excited to find that Listen, Slowly was available on the Overdrive app for me to listen to during my commute.

Right away, though, I had a problem with the protagonist, a whiny twelve-year-old California girl named Mai; she just rubbed me the wrong way. Yes, she showed some growth through the course of the book - and I'm sure that part of the point of the story is t ...more

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Feb 09, 2017 Leslie rated it really liked it

Shelves: middlegrade, audio, bipoc-diversity, global

3 1/2 stars.
I loved the premise--Mai (Mia) accompanying her Ba to Vietnam to uncover the truth about what happened to her grandfather during the war. This mystery gets a little slow in the middle and Mia's self-absorbed California girl attitude gets a little annoying, however the exciting adventure of living in a new country help pick it up. Lulu Lam's audio reading was excellent, helping me to understand the nuances of the Vietnamese language that is a central part of the story. ...more

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Oct 16, 2014 Tamsyn rated it really liked it

Shelves: children-s, realisticfiction, travel-multicultural, fms, youngadult, mock-newbery

I enjoyed this story of an American-Vietnamese girl from southern CA going to Viet Nam for the first time, however unwillingly. The voice of Mai was very authentic for a tween, and the pulls of both cultures are reflected in her. I enjoyed experiencing Viet Nam through her eyes, especially since I visited some of the locations of this story just last summer -- it is still vivid and accurately portrayed here. I'm a big fan of the beautiful writing of this author! ...more

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Mar 12, 2015 carissa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: juvenile-fiction, juvenile-fiction-realistic

Recommended Ages: grades 5 and up

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Feb 26, 2015 Bekah rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, tween-falls-under-children-and-ya, audio-books, contemporary, asian

Listen to this book unless you are fluent in Vietnamese! It was so fun to hear the language pronounced correctly! After reading this I want to learn more about Vietnam and how to cook Vietnamese food. :) Also, don't worry- if the main character drives you a bit nuts at the beginning (very self-centered)- she gets better. ...more

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Jul 07, 2015 Shari (Shira) rated it really liked it

Shelves: childrensbooks

Second generation, 12 year old, Vietnamese-American girl spends the summer in Viet Nam with her grandmother. This book is on a Mock Newbery list. I think it is a contender.

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