Listen, Slowly Audiobook

Quotes

• “Heart-stopping passages further shift Mai’s position from outsider to insider, to, finally, truly bicultural, just as Listen, Slowly invites readers to see Vietnam from the inside out.”

  — New York Times Book Review

• “This valentine of a novel may jumpstart questions in young readers about the people and places of their families’ past.”

  — Washington Post

• “As she did in her National Book Award-winning Inside Out & Back Again, Lai offers a memorable heroine and cultural journey.”

  — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

• “Mai’s character growth is slow and believable, coming in small increments and occasionally backsliding. The sights, smells, and tastes of Vietnam’s cities and villages come alive on the page, without overwhelming a story filled with a summers-worth of touching and hilarious moments, grand adventure, and lazy afternoons. With a contemporary time setting, this compelling novel shows the lingering effects of war through generations and how the secrets our parents keep can shape us.”

  — School Library Journal (starred review)

• “Lai does a superb job of creating a memorable setting and populating it with fully developed, complex characters…A superb, sometimes humorous, always thought-provoking coming-of-age story.”

  — Booklist (starred review)

• “The village experience and Mia and her grandmother’s travels in the city offer Lai a way to introduce readers to various aspects of Vietnamese culture with both wry wit and genuine enthusiasm.”

  — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

• “Newbery Honor author Lại delivers a funny, realistic tale of family and friendship and culture clashes. A touching tale of preteen angst and translation troubles.”

  — Kirkus Reviews

• “A look at culture and family is expertly narrated by Lulu Lam…Lam convincingly portrays Mai’s selfishness and spoiled personality and slowly changes the tone of her narration as Mai changes throughout the novel. The audio suggests the Vietnamese language with accents and nuances in pronunciation, making for a rich experience for the listener.”

  — AudioFile