While trying to rescue her brother's soul from the spirit world, eleven-year-old Pahua discovers that she is the reincarnation of a legendary shaman warrior.--

The Hmong were driven out of Laos by the turmoil of the Vietnam War and settled in America in such large numbers that they are now the second largest Southeast Asian population in the United States. Twelve Hmong immigrants, including a female shaman, an ex-military officer, a reformed gang member, a doctor, and a woman who was snatched from her mountain village at the age of eight, deposited in Laos's French culture and finally returned to Laos years...

Astrid and Apollo each have a special, surprise birthday gift planned for the other, and Astrid thinks she has guessed what Apollo is giving her, but as she puts more clues together, she realizes she is in the middle of a birthday mystery. Includes facts about the Hmong.

Astrid and Apollo really want to win their events at the tae kwon do competition, but when things do not go according to plan, the twins discover there is more than one way to become a winner. Includes facts about the Hmong.

"Presenting a holistic perspective of the Hmong way of life, this book touches on a spectrum of the Hmong culture, including traditions, customs, values, religion, arts, politics, and ceremonial rituals. The book features and explains certain Hmong words, phrases, and proverbs in the Hmong Roman popularized alphabet and in phonetic English"--Provided by publisher.

"As a five-year-old boy, Pao Lor joined thousands of Hmong who fled for their lives through the jungles of Laos in the aftermath of war. After a difficult and perilous journey that neither of his parents survived, he reached the safety of Thailand, but the young refugee boy's challenges were only just beginning. Born in a small farming village, Pao was destined to be a Hmong clan leader, wedding negotiator, or shaman. But the course of his life changed...

After deciding to try out for the Hmong dance school, twins Astrid and Apollo learn the routine and work hard to prepare, but on the big day, Apollo faces a setback and must find a creative solution to save their audition.

Astrid is anxious about her family's camping trip because she is afraid of the dark (and bears), but her twin Apollo is looking forward to the experience; and Astrid is doing okay, despite the bugs and the dark, until she hears the scratching outside the family's tent-- but Astrid is determined not to let her father face the threat alone.

Astrid and Apollo are attending the Hmong New Year festival (which is held at a big arena in St. Paul or Minneapolis in November or December), but in the crowded arena they are soon separated from their parents and younger sister, and between rescuing a little lost boy, and getting mistaken for a pair of famous child singers, the festival turns into quite an adventure for the twins.