What are the motifs in Child of the Owl: Golden Mountain Chronicles: 1965 by Laurence Yep?

Coming of age is a recurring idea in the story. At the opening of the novel, Casey is a somewhat troubled twelve-year-old who gets into a lot of mischief. She is generally considered to be a trouble maker. Casey's spirit is symbolized in flowers Barney shows her on her birthday. Casey wants to pull them off the tree to take home, but he stops her saying, "Let them grow. They'll know when it's time to let go" (Page 66). Then he picks up a blossom that has already fallen to the ground and is covered in dirt. He cleans it up and notes that the flower is in "near perfect condition.". This symbolizes Casey's coming-of-age because even though she was a rough and tumble girl in the beginning of the novel, symbolically covered in dirt, her maturity has proven that she is still a beautiful girl.