Children of the River

Rating:
Summary: A Great Book
Review: Not every person in the world can say that they have gone through the crisis of moving to a new country, leaving behind their family, and trying to keep a baby no older then a few days old alive. Sundara is one who can. Children of the River is a story that looks into the lives of Cambodians trying to stay alive while a group of Communists invade and try to communize the country of Cambodia.
The setting takes place mostly in Willamette Grove, Oregon but starts out in Cambodia during the attack of the Khmer Rouge (the group of communists). The main character, Sundara, who is only thirteen at the time of the attacks, is forced to leave her family and go to America with her aunt and uncle. In America, Sundara learns and tries to adapt to the customs of the Americans but has a hard time fitting in. After being in America for a while, Sundara meets an American football player who she comes to like. She knows though that she cannot be seen with him or be with him because of the Cambodian tradition, which do not allow any relationships between any non Khmer boy and that all marriages are arranged. But, she slowly begins to give way to the customs and she finds herself and Jonathan (the white American football player) in love. Fighting traditions and family, Sundara struggles to choose between Jonathan and her Cambodian ways.
After reading this book I could not help but notice one extremely well inscribed theme: "Never judge a person by looking at them." I have never read a book that has ever used this theme so profoundly. In most ways it jumped out at me, which made me realize how the society in America is centered on this one idiom. This book challenges its readers to "see not only with their eyes but in other ways as well." An extremely well written book by Linda Crew could only deserve my utmost recommendations for a young adult audience, mainly to open their eyes to the world that we live in outside of their city and country boundaries.


Rating:
Summary: Good Book
Review: Children of the River, by Linda Crew, is an excellent book. It illustrates the numerous ways that cultural differences influence the lifestyles of many people in the U.S. It tells the story of Sundara, a young girl from Cambodia, who flees to the U.S. escaping the violence and chaos of her home country. She must leave behind her family, her brother and sister, and her childhood sweetheart, Chamroeun. In America, she meets an American boy, Jonathan, who accepts and embraces her cultural differences. Sundara must struggle with keeping true to her Cambodian way of life, and the grief of not knowing whether or not her family is still alive. It is a moving story that I enjoyed reading and definitely recommend.

Rating:
Summary: Review
Review: I don't think this is the most exciting book I've read, but it certainly wasn't bad. It was very descriptive in a lot of ways, and shared a lot of information on the traditions of Cambodia. Sundara, the main character, has developed in many ways. In the beginning of the book, she was rather clumsy, and had trouble pronouncing the t-h sound; the author emphasized that by putting not-ing in replacement for nothing in the first few chapters. Soon, it stayed nothing, though I'm not sure if it was just a mistake, or if the author done it in purpose, it's still an improvement in a way. She also loses her original thought of upholding a tradition that prohibits her from dating, or even talking to boys. I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys little bit of drama, and those who like historical fiction.

Rating:
Summary: Christina ...
Review: This book was a great book, and had realism in the conflicts. Sundara's love for Jonathan was definately not a fairy tale; because many things held her back; her family, her culture, Chameroun, and her past. Yet theyre so drawn to eachother that she develops a love for this white boy. I think its a super cute story and its one of those books that make u all fuzzy inside. I loved the character Jonathan, hes depicted as one of the cutest and sweetest guys ever.

Rating:
Summary: Help, I'm Trapped In My Life.
Review: I chose this book because it was different from the rest. If I had to tell you about it I would say. It was the best book i have ever read. It was about a girl named Sundra, fleeing to America and her life gets turned upside down when she meets a boy named Jonathan. My favorite character was Sundra because she never gave up, and kept on going places with Jonathan. My favorite part was when Sundra asked Jonatan if he likes Cathy, but he said give me a question I can answer like, Do I love you?, is the question. I cried when that happened. I think that young readers should read it.

Rating:
Summary: children of the river
Review: Children of the River was an exhilaratin book to read. Sundara, a Cambodian who escaped war in her country, is now a senior at Oregon High School. She is torn between her Aunt Soka's religous restrictions and Jonathan, an American football star that is drawn to her. I like how the author wrote this book based on historical events because you could feel the emotions that the character has and know that this actually happened to many families escaping their terrorized country. It makes me aprreciate my life more because other people has to go through what Sundara went through in other countries and have to start a new life in America. I recomend this book to those who enjoy reading about other's different ways of living.