School Library Journal: '.this bittersweet story balances social and intellectual pursuits against the strained relations of a family tapping roots into a new homeland.

Librarians with Hmong patrons should purchase multiple copies, although the book is good enough to be enjoyed by any middle school student.' Michael Levy Mai is a delightful protagonist and Shea adeptly uses her first person narration to fully engage the reader in Mai's struggle. VOYA : '.There have been many young adult novels about East and Southeast Asians adjusting to life in the West in recent years, but few as engaging as this one. '.Is it possible, or even desirable, to remain a 'good Hmong' in a country where the values so often conflict with the ones Mai has always known? Through a range of characters, Shea shows that this question has different answers and she manages to lend a measure of dignity to each one, whether the choice is to stick with tradition, abandon it altogether or, as Mai does, position oneself somewhere in between.' Christine Hepperman Minneapolis Star Tribune: with cover photo. Besides learning much about the Hmong culture, readers gain an opportunity to observe American society from a different vantage point as Mai Yang is inundated with sometimes disturbing, sometimes remarkable images of contemporary culture.'

While eloquently expressing how the threads tying Mai Yang to her heritage become entangled with new values, the author creates a delicate, credible balance between sorrow and joy, and builds dramatic tension as Mai Yang struggles to become American without losing her Hmong identify. 'First time novelist Shea deftly traces the physical and emotional journey of a 13-year-old orphan from Laos, who is assimilated into American Society. *Publishers Weekly, 9/22/03, Starred Review with Cover Photo.

Tangled Threads by Pegi Deitz Shea