Du Nguyen is finally home. Except he’s never even met his family. And home is an ocean away from everything he’s ever known. Du’s mother, father, brother, and two sisters immigrated to California when he was just a baby. Du and his grandmother had to stay behind in the Philippines.
But now, 10 years later, Du has finally joined his family. And the trouble begins.
What’s so great about this place, anyway? Du wonders. Kids at school call him Doo-doo, and it’s hard to muster a good comeback when he can’t think of the right words in English.
Only his grandmother understands who Du really is. “You are a dragon,” she says. But for Du to feel like a dragon, he must untangle the trouble he finds himself in and call upon the strength he knows he’s always carried inside.

• May 2013 Indie Next List
• April 2013 Indie Next List
• March 2013 Indie Next List