Tiến reads fairy tales aloud to his Vietnamese-immigrant mother to help her with English. Tiến's mother has been saving money for a trip home to Vietnam to see her own mother. When her mother dies, Tiến's mom finally makes the journey back to Vietnam. Three interconnected strands in this moving graphic novel-Tiến's contemporary life, his mother's trip home and the memories it inspires, and the fairy tales themselves-are delineated by storytelling in three separate color schemes (black on red, black on golden yellow, black on blue). Tiến is in secretly love with his friend Julian, facing homophobia from his Catholic school teachers, and thinking about how to come out to his parents (there isn't a Vietnamese word for "gay"). His mother, who left Vietnam as a refugee, is burdened by both guilt and sadness-at leaving her mother behind, at not making it back before she died. The three fairy tales-The Little Mermaid and German and Vietnamese variants of Cinderella-connect thematically to both Tiến's and his mother's struggles. The overlapping elements from the fairy tales, Tiến's life, and his mom's story make for a rich and rewarding reading experience in this work illuminating how the immigrant experience impacts generations. The fairy tales also prove to be a bridge across generations, one that connects Tiến and his mom as he seeks a way to come out. The author/artist caps this exceptional work with extensive end notes providing insight into his creative process and considerations. (Age 11 and older)