Who is moni in children of the river

She's very timid, avoiding conflict at all costs. This tendency handicaps her relationships, but she does make a strong impression on her boyfriend. He was Sundara's friend when she was a girl in Cambodia. Before she's sent to her uncle's house, she says goodbye to him as he joins the war. Later, in America, Sundara learns that he has been killed. It's a tough blow for her.

Sundara's aunt is the glue of the family. She oversees the household, the children, and often their finances. She is the one to get a job working for the farmer, for which she recruits Sundara to help. Afraid of allowing Sundara to suffer embarrassment or heartbreak because of cultural differences, she forbids her from dating Jonathan. She soon realizes that she cannot prevent young love, however. He's a rather flat character, mostly concerning himself with work.

He decides to move the family to America when the war starts becoming nasty in Cambodia. She's a feisty old lady. Steemed in rich cultural tradition, Grandma is extremely superstitious.

She leads all the women of the family to pray for Sundara's release from Soka's dead baby. She's Sundara's teacher in high school. She's not exactly empathetic when it comes to culture shock. Although she appreciates where Sundara is coming from literally , she is insensitive. Sep 07, Raphael rated it liked it.

Children of the river by linda crew is a book That takes place in the 70s about a Cmbodian refuge girl fleeing from the kamer roge to america. Her name is Sundara and she left both her parents behind and leving with her aunt uncle and cousins to get on a crowdwed cargo boat, filled with hundereds of other refugies.

With hardly anny food or water on the crowded boat sundaras aunt Soka asks her to take care of her baby on the boat. Unable to find anny food for the baby sundara is forced to throgh Children of the river by linda crew is a book That takes place in the 70s about a Cmbodian refuge girl fleeing from the kamer roge to america.

Unable to find anny food for the baby sundara is forced to throgh the dead babys body oveboard. Now in America Sundara is haunted by her dead cousuns ghost along with the aditional guilt from her aunt.

She also likes an american boy named jonathin who acording to cambodian tradition and her aunt is completely forbiden as a matter of fact even talking to him is forbidin.

Eventualy Soka forgives Sundara for her chileds death. After this the haunting memories go away for Sundara. After Soka heres that Jonathins dad is a docktor volinter in cambodia and that Jonathin wants to fallow in his footsteps Soka decides to give him a chance.

I can conect this book with myself because my mom told me about when she imigrated to America and about how she experinced culture shock. She wasn't fleeing from the kamer roge and she didn't have to through her dead body of the side of a ship. At least i hope not.

I dont even think she came here on a boat. I gave this book three stars. This is because although it teached me alot about cambodian tradition and about imigration I didnt find it all that interesting.

It would have been beter if there was a twist at the end of the book. I recomend this book to annybody who is interested in real world events or has imigrated. Sep 09, Jamie rated it it was amazing Shelves: summer-reading-books Children of the river by Linda Crew is another book with an immigration theme. The main character Sundara leaves Cambodia with her aunts family to escape the communist Khmer Rouge army and heads to the U.

She is only thirteen and she leaves behind family including her parents, her brother, sister, and a boy she has cared about since she was young. She constantly struggles to fit in at her high school in Oregon, but at the same time, she struggles to keep some of her Cambodian traditions that Children of the river by Linda Crew is another book with an immigration theme. She constantly struggles to fit in at her high school in Oregon, but at the same time, she struggles to keep some of her Cambodian traditions that would make her parents happy.

Sundara soon meets Jonathan, the star of the football team. The two have a relationship but Sundara's aunt, Soka wants it to end. She tries to be a good Cambodian girl and not date, as it is tradition to have family arrange marriage in Cambodia. But the two become closer. Sundara does hold on to a few traditions like speaking Khmer and French as well as respecting her elders. Ultimately she convinces her parents to look beyond the boundaries of culture.

I definitely see a text to world connection with this story. The main theme is how immigrants struggle to adjust when entering this country. I believe this book showed this struggle accurately as Sundara had to balance between wanting to fit in as well as keep some Cambodian traditions. I would rate this book a 5 because I really enjoyed it and I thought it was very realistic as it was difficult for Sundara to please herself and her parents.

At times she even appealed to feel guilty about not being what her family would consider a "good Cambodian girl". I would recommend this book to anyone who can relate to the struggles of adjusting to a new culture. Feb 07, Kristine Kouba rated it really liked it. Plot summary: The main character's family has fled from Cambodia to the United States. They wanted to escape the war, killings, and horror taking place in their country.

This story shows how the Sundara, the main character adjusts to life in America Main Characters: Sundara - long black hair, shy, teenager, learned French first, now is trying to learn English. Longing to know if her parents are still alive, feels guilty about the death of Soka's child. Tries not to fall for Johnathan, but being with him feels comforting and good to her.

Admires Johnathon's father, she wants to become a doctor Johnathan - star football player, has the cheerleader girlfriend, parents are wealthy. Becomes interested in Sundara because of a project. Doesn't seem to understand the rules of Sundara's aunt and uncle. Thinks Sundara is beautiful and enjoys spending time with her Key issues: war, family values, falling in love, Cambodia Other interesting information: passages from text: "Changing schools was nothing compared to changing countries" p.

Shame" p. No she mustn't think of it. She was not allowed to love Johathan McKinnon. Still, whatever happened, it was a wonderful feeling, knowing her loved her" p. May 31, Sovotchka rated it liked it Shelves: read-notmine-c , g-ya , region-asia , region-america , country-cambodia.

A young Cambodian girl, she is staying with her aunt and uncle when the Khmer Rouge sweep to power and she has to flee to America. Sundara has to find a way to live in a new culture, and deal with meeting an American boy she likes but that her family disapproves of, without having any news about her loved ones back in Cambodia.

Story-wise this book is very interesting, and you do learn a lot about immigrant life in the USA in the s. I also "Children of the River" tells the story of Sundara. I also quite like the ending, as it feels very appropriate and is not as corny as I had feared it would be. There is one unfortunate thing though. The author is not a very good writer. Whether it's the characters that aren't all that likeable and remain flat for the most part , or the decision to have Sundara speak very simple English in dialogue and have endless poetic and philosophical thoughts in her head, or the fact that vital parts of the story are skipped or skimmed over, this is not a well-written book.

Therefore I would not recommend it, even though I've learned a lot. I'm actually a bit sad, because this could have been done way better, and had the potential to become really great. Mar 05, 06sydneyj rated it liked it Shelves: book-reports. How would you like to be whisked away one night without your parents or knowing where your going?

Then come to find out your going to a totally different country and all your friends and family are being killed by the second. She is now a Junior in High school 4 years later and nothing has changed, things are still just as hard. If trying to find new friends and fitting into a new cu How would you like to be whisked away one night without your parents or knowing where your going?

If trying to find new friends and fitting into a new culture isn't hard enough, how about never finding your parents and having the love of your life and future husband killed? Things would be hard ecspecially if you fell in love with a forbidden American boy. This is somewhat how Sandaras life is, but because of the trick ending no one knows what happens to her. I liked this book even though it was very informational and wasn't much of a story. The best part for me was the romance so I would probably reccomend it to young adults or grownups.

I learned alot about Cambodia and the Pol Pot era and feel very bad for all the families that suffered through that. I gave this book 3 stars, good job Linda!

Apr 24, Cloe Stocking added it. Childeren of the River by Linda Crew is about a cambodian family comeing to America because they are running from the Khmer Rouge after teh Vietnam War.

The main girl, Sundara, is trying to fit in in a new school adn enviroment. She falls in love with the football star Jonathan, but it is against her culture to date. Through the book she is hiding their love from her Aunt. They are discovered and she is not alowed to see him any more. She loves him so much through that she tries convincing her A Childeren of the River by Linda Crew is about a cambodian family comeing to America because they are running from the Khmer Rouge after teh Vietnam War.

I thought that the book was pretty well written. The author is a cultural outsider, but she was still able to show the American Dream very well by showing them looking for a better life. It was very authentic and felt real while you were reading it. Aug 11, Angela Blount rated it really liked it Shelves: ya. Culturally rich and poignantly memorable.

A young refugee of Cambodia's horrific civil war struggles to assimilate into American culture, and even more courageously, into life at a public high school. A haunting trauma from her past catches up to her, demanding to be faced even as she is otherwise overwhelmed with the possibility of experiencing first love.

This story clung to me for years after I read it, and proved to be a tremendous insight when I encountered a number of Somalian refugee stude Culturally rich and poignantly memorable. This story clung to me for years after I read it, and proved to be a tremendous insight when I encountered a number of Somalian refugee students in the middle of my high school career.

While the cultures bare little resemblance, the difficulties of immigration, culture shock, post-traumatic stress, and language barriers all bare the same echo. I don't know if I would have been able to be as empathetic toward their situation if I hadn't previously been introduced to this book. Mar 09, 05gmiyster rated it it was ok.

Pages This book is about a girl named Sundara and she lives in a place called Panom Phen. And she has to leave to Oregon because her town is being attaked by Nazis. So she moved there and she has to make new girl freinds but not boy ones though because she cant hang with boys unless the parents approve because their parents have to make a arranged marriages and thats the only boy they can hang out with.

Because thats her religon so then she meets this boy named Johnathan and falls in love but Pages This book is about a girl named Sundara and she lives in a place called Panom Phen. Because thats her religon so then she meets this boy named Johnathan and falls in love but she cant talk to him. Because her parent don't want her talking to a American boy. Because it could be bad luck. So then she finds out that the person she is supposed to marry got killed in the war so she is so sad.

But then she falls in love with Johnathan again. And they get married and live happaly ever after. Jan 18, E rated it really liked it. A nice blend of some challenging EQ issues for young adults. Also, a soft introduction to some very heavy geopolitical issues as well. For better or worse, introducing genocide as a side story is a murky thing, but prime for rich character development.

I was in 8th grade and had to look up the Cambodian genocid A nice blend of some challenging EQ issues for young adults. I think having read this book when I was in 8th grade as well as other books on genocide, I was better equipped to have those difficult conversations as a teenager and to bridge cultural divides during high school and later in life. This is a universal immigrant teenager problem. I saw it a lot with Mexican-American students I coached as an adult.

Your adult self will appreciate it. Applications to real life? By the time I was in high school though, I was really sensing a west-side story vibe between some slavic students and my American friends and tried to play peacemaker. Who planted that seed? Linda Crew et al.? This book was an important read in that it opened doors to understanding complex cultural identities for immigrant teenagers. For the former, my friends from Serbia and Albania had fast cars and crazy parties but deep down were mentally still processing shit from their homeland like their Aunt finding their baby was boiled in a pot by soldier during the genocide—horrors that fortunately only come out after the party has gone home and your friend has had too much vodka.

Did we just become best friend? In hindsight, I was ridiculed by my more popular peers during senior year, just like the characters in this book those dicks! Naturally, he was secretly dating a Polish-immigrant-non-muslim student instead, using me as a red herring, but I digress.

All that ridicule my senior year and you know what? Just like Jonathan. I tried to correct them once. Maybe jerks should just appreciate nerds win sometimes? They are both insta-beautiful not that it matters, but they are. Do I like them? Why do I feel this way? Why is my family so weird? Hope that helps any parents or teachers on here. Dec 31, Katie rated it it was ok. I swear I only read this because I found it on my bookshelf after the move and had nothing else.

The Cambodian inmigrant falling in love with the high school football star was entertaining, but seriously Published in , it takes place in Cambodia. The story opens with Sundara Sovann, a twelve-year-old girl growing up in the capital, Phnom Penh. There, she befriends a charming and intelligent boy called Chamroeun. Sundara leaves the capital to live with her aunt and uncle. From there, she leaves Cambodia altogether, fleeing with Soka, her aunt, Naro, her uncle, and her grandmother.

Soka gives birth to a baby right before they have to flee the country. The baby is severely malnourished.