The Face in the Mirror — Maureen Wartski

ALL MAI EVER WANTED WAS TO BELONG....
As an infant, Mai was adopted straight off a boat from Hong Kong by Leo and Vivian Houston in Serena, Iowa. Now, at fifteen, she yearns to find out more about her Vietnamese roots, especially after a painful racial incident.

The answer lies with Mai's biological aunt, Lien Van Tranh, who owns a restaurant in Boston. Mai travels to New England to learn about her real past, but her visit is not quite what she expected. Her aunt is less than cordial, her cousin is a thief, and the only relief she gets is from volunteering at a downtown health clinic -- where she meets Jon, an Irish boy whose ancestors were "boat people" too.

Now Mai is more confused than ever. But the worst is yet to come. Mai is about to learn that life is more than one culture or another -- in a most dangerous way....