About the AuthorĬamron Wrightwas born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. It will not cost you any extra, and I will be grateful for your support. This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn some money if you click on one and make a purchase.

Lessons of literacy, poverty, and life in other cultures are all important topics that this book would encourage discussing. Those portions of the story, though, make this book a better choice for middle school and older readers, as it may be difficult for younger readers to take in.īecause of the subject matter, this would be a good book for reading as a class or reading aloud and discussing with your middle schoolers. He also does well at weaving in the history of Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge without making it too heavy handed. It is an unpredictable story, with many twists and turns, and a most satisfying ending.Īuthor Camron Wright does an excellent job of gradually bringing his characters to life. I’m not sure why, but I’m glad I stuck with it. I had not read the original version of this book before receiving this advance copy, so I have no pre-conceived biases and no comparison to the original. The Rent Collector, based on a true story, is about the power of literacy, the influence of the past, and finding hope, resiliency, and empowerment in the face of seemingly endless hardship. With the help of her supportive husband, Ki Lim, and a helpful and humorous boy, Lucky Fat, Sang Ly embarks on a life-changing journey to give her young son, Nisay, a better life and future. It could lead to a future with possibilities and hope. But the rent collector has a secret and a tragic past, one that will not be easy for Sang Ly to navigate.

Being able to read could transform Sang Ly’s world beyond the dump. Sang Ly offers her the book if she is allowed to keep her family at the dump.Īn unlikely friendship develops between the two women, and Sang Ly learns that Sopeap knows how to read–something Sang Ly has always wanted to learn.

When Sopeap sees the book lying on Sang Ly’s cardboard bed, her mood changes. Little does she know that a discarded children’s book found among the mounds of trash would save her. When Sang Ly is unable to pay her rent for the month, she fears her family will have to leave the dump and their shanty home–a place where her only possessions can be carried in two hands. Sopeap is a grumpy old woman who is willing to evict any tenant who can’t pay their rent on time. She needs enough good days to pay the rent collector, Sopeap. On a good day, she can earn enough to buy food for her family. She is grateful she can help support her family by sifting through the trash for recyclables and things which can be repaired and sold. Sang Ly lives with her husband and son at Stung Meachey, Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s city dump.

The rent collector author