How did Kien's life change after he arrived in the United States in the novel, A Long Way from Home?

When Kien, Mai, and Loc arrive in America, Kien's parental role is taken over by adults—who, for the best of reasons, free him to be a normal teen-ager: school rather than a job; friends his own age rather than just the company of younger siblings; responsibility to the family rather than only himself. But, as, in Vietnam, Kien hates school, finds many of his peers viciously intolerant, and resents having to be accountable to new parents—he who knows firsthand what "parenting" means!