About this item
From debut author Malia Maunakea comes a sweeping fantasy about a part-Hawaiian girl who must save her best friend and her island from an angry fire goddess.Curses aren't real.At least, that's what twelve-year-old, part-Hawaiian Anna Leilani Kamaʻehu thinks when she listens to her grandmother's folktales about sacred flowers and family guardians. Anna's friends back home in Colorado don't believe in legends, either. They're more interested in science and sports - real, tangible things that stand in total contrast to Anna's family's embarrassing stories.So when Anna goes back to Hawaiʻi to visit her Tūtū, she has no interest in becoming the heir to her family's history; she's set on having a touristy, fun vacation. But when Anna accidentally insults Pele the fire goddess by destroying her lehua blossom, a giant hawk swoops in and kidnaps her best friend, and she quickly learns just how real these moʻolelo are.
About the Author
Malia Maunakea is a Knaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) writer who grew up in the rainforest of the Big Island before moving to a valley in O?ahu in seventh grade to attend a school founded by a Hawaiian princess (Imua, Kamehameha!) . Though she relocated to Colorado for college, Hawai?i has remained in her heart. Now, instead of tromping through the rainforest, she roams the Rocky Mountains with her husband, two children, and rescue mutt, Peggy. Growing up with ADHD meant school could be tough, but Hawaiian legends managed to captivate Malia's imagination and stuck. Her ever-whirring brain is excited to spin new tales for the next generation, especially when she can weave in a whisper of island lore.
