I picked up this book to put in my classroom, and decided to read it myself. At first I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this book, but in the end, I loved it. Butterfly Yellow follows a teenage girl who has escaped Vietnam after the war and lands in Texas where she embarks on an adventure to find her brother. I thought that the focus of the plot would be predominantly on her quest to find her brother; however, Lai chose to focus more on what comes after. I loved the way Lai frames the story, and it adds a layer to Hang's quest to reunite herself with a brother who doesn't remember his family, country, or native language. Hang has to overcome linguistic and emotional barriers in order to accomplish her ultimate goal of righting past wrongs and reuniting what little family she has left.