The Clay Marble by Minfong Ho

It is really a text used for the Literature curriculum of Secondary 2. It is written in a simple narrative form of short chapters, with clear sections denoting different settings and organized paragraphs. This makes it easy to understand while reading it. Students who do this book won't regret it.

It is based on the author's experiences of working with the refugees at the Thai-Cambodia border and on Cambodian history. Thus it is realistic and credible in its plot. It is a bildungsroman novella, with the protaganist narrating it from her point of view. She grows up and learns to find her own strength of character, as the narrative progresses from beginning to end. It creates a detailed awareness of the refugees and their tragic past as they struggle to build new lives, before their new lives are once again destroyed by war.