[.ca] The Clay Marble (ISBN 0374412294)

book review:The Clay Marble:
The book I recently read was The Clay Marble. This book is about a 9-year-old girl named Dara who experiences a war in Cambodia. At their first stop, she meets a 13-year-old girl named Nea and her little 9-year-old sister named Jantu who becomes her best friend. Throughout this war, Dara can't find her mother and her family but soon finds them. This story is very emotional because it talks about people getting killed and loosing each other. As well, it's an amazing and great story. This is one of the best books I have ever read because it includes historical facts and is detailed, sad and a perfect mood that I enjoy. The mood is very sad and emotional. It is also happy at some points. Also Mingfong Ho expresses the characteristics of the characters very well. The plot isvery detailed and has many different moods to it like having comical but also depressing times. Some of the funny parts are when Dara and Jantu first meet and they fight in a joking way by making fun of each other. Another part is when Dara tries to steel the chicken from the cafeteria. A depressing part is when Dara can't find her mother and the happy part is she's trying to find her and finally does. Another part is when Jantu gets shot and dies because Dara's brother, Sarun, by accidentally shoots her. I highly recommend this book because I thought that the book explains the problem well and had a wonderful plot line. The theme really stood out well and expressed the writer's feelings.

Thumbs Up to Minfong Ho!:
I seem to think that this book is very good,and it teaches a very good story...a girl who's family has been broken up and meets up with another family who is broken up also.While theyre brother and sister keep getting closer so they decide if they get married they can be one whole family yet once again!

The Clay Marble:
In the book The Clay Marble by Mingfong Ho, Dara, the main character, faces some extreme problems such as the bombing in Cambodia, which causes another problem inside herself: fear. The constant bombing causes her family to move excessively, and in one place, they met up with a family consisting of a grandfather, two daughters, and an infant son. More bombing and moving occurs, causing Dara to get lost from her group. Dara now has to find her way back to her family without getting hurt. I really enjoyed this book because of the captivating plot line and the characters. The plot line was very intriguing because there are many moods to it. Sometimes it is emotional like when one of the daughters is dying, sometimes it is funny like when Dara and Jantu are insulting each other in a joking way. I could relate to these feelings, but there were also awkward times when I couldn't, like when Jantu died. This interesting plot line brought me into the book. I also enjoyed the characters. These characters were full of wit, emotion, and cleverness. I especially liked Chnay, the bully in their village. I also enjoyed watching him experience a rite of passage throughout the book. He went from being a destructive, vile person, to being a helpful, caring one. Although I really liked this novel, I also thought the plot went a wee bit too fast. With all the war going on during it, I thought it was inappropriate to put more and more fighting when I felt this story was supposed to be about how Dara survives without her family. This also gave me the feeling that the author focused more on fighting than on Dara, which I thought was unsuitable. Though the plot line was a bit fast, I highly recommend this book. I think that this book really teaches you in the subject of Cambodian history while giving you enjoyment.

Clay Marble Review:
The Clay Marble, by Minfong Ho is a book about a girl named Dara who goes across the Cambodian border to seek refuge with her family in a refugee camp. As she is traveling, she gets separated from her family and has to go back and find them. She goes through many challenges to be safe with her family and loses many friends and family members along the way. Through Dara's actions, she shows how strong she is. This was a very inspirational book that I liked very much. I liked this book because the main character was expressed as such a strong girl. She was very inspirational when she went on to try to find her family. After all that she had been through, she stayed strong and kept going on. Also, the plot line keeps you reading. It is a roller coaster story because sometimes it is emotional and sweet like Jantu making her a clay marble, then disaster strikes such as baby stepping on a land mine. This is a book that I could never put down just because the plot was so intriguing. The last reason that I liked the book so much is because I usually would not read a historical novel, but the way that this novel was written, it did not bore me. It said the historical facts, yet kept me interested in the book. For instance, it told about Cambodian life in a way of adding tragedy and joy to it instead of just boring facts. It is very tragic when Jantu dies, yet joyous when Dara finds her family. The only thing that I did not like was that it was a bit slow in the beginning when they were traveling. The book rolled along and got more and more interesting, so the slow part in the beginning was made up for in the end. This is a very captivating novel that I would recommend to everyone.

Clay Marble Review:
The Clay Marble, by Minfong Ho is a book about a girl named Dara who goes across the Cambodian border to seek refuge with her family in a refugee camp. As she is traveling, she gets separated from her family and has to go back and find them. She goes through many challenges to be safe with her family and loses many friends and family members along the way. Through Dara's actions, she shows how strong she is. This was a very inspirational book that I liked very much. I liked this book because the main character was expressed as such a strong girl. She was very inspirational when she went on to try to find her family. After all that she had been through, she stayed strong and kept going on. Also, the plot line keeps you reading. It is a roller coaster story because sometimes it is emotional and sweet like Jantu making her a clay marble, then disaster strikes such as baby stepping on a land mine. This is a book that I could never put down just because the plot was so intriguing. The last reason that I liked the book so much is because I usually would not read a historical novel, but the way that this novel was written, it did not bore me. It said the historical facts, yet kept me interested in the book. For instance, it told about Cambodian life in a way of adding tragedy and joy to it instead of just boring facts. It is very tragic when Jantu dies, yet joyous when Dara finds her family. The only thing that I did not like was that it was a bit slow in the beginning when they were traveling. The book rolled along and got more and more interesting, so the slow part in the beginning was made up for in the end. This is a very captivating novel that I would recommend to everyone.