A Grain of Rice

Nominated for the 2020 RED MAPLE AWARD

PUBLISHER:  TRADEWIND BOOKS                                              RELEASED: October 15, 2018

A Grain of Rice is a story of a young girl’s journey through poverty and oppression to escape her war-torn homeland of Vietnam. It is a story of courage, hope and faith, and the meaning in a grain of rice.

It is semi-autobiographical, written to honour the courage and strength of our mother.


Letters:

“I am reading your book, “A grain of rice”, and I am just blown away by your writing and what you capture in it. I am surprised that in a relatively small book, you have made it so evocative.
thank you for sharing it with the world.” — 2020 California, USA

Reviews:

“A gripping account of the refugee experience…The action never flags, and Yen’s feistiness makes her an engaging and empathetic character.” (Booklist 2018-12-18)

“Debut author Nhung Tran-Davies immerses the reader in this deeply moving fictionalized account of her family’s escape from Vietnam following the fall of Saigon.” (CM: Canadian Review of Materials 2019-01-03)

“The descriptive narrative [has] a strong sense of immediacy; the author’s portrayal of the mother’s dedication, generosity and persistence is spot on.” (The Horn Book 2019-01-03)

“While certainly a suspenseful action story, A Grain of Rice is a sobering read, which gives insight into the…struggles of refugees past and present.” (Quill & Quire—starred review 2019-01-03)

CbC Books: 13 Canadian middle-grade books to watch for this fall

Quill & Quire review: “A sobering read…”

CM Reviews: “Tran-Davies immerses the reader in this deeply moving fictionalized account of her family’s escape…”

https://www.cbc.ca/books/12-canadian-books-to-read-to-commemorate-remembrance-day-1.4895736

10 Books to Help You Understand Immigration

https://ricepapermagazine.ca/2019/11/in-conversation-with-nhung-tran-davies-and-vincent-ternida/

https://www.cbc.ca/books/11-canadian-books-for-children-and-young-adults-to-read-to-commemorate-remembrance-day-1.5352650

Social Justice and Diversity Book Bank

CCBC: March 2020 Reading List – Read Around The World