About this item
Nanea had hoped that going back to school would make life seem normal again. But everything has changed since the war, including Miss Smith's wonderful classroom. Nanea's dear friend Donna is gone, and now there's a new girl who seems to be getting all of Miss Smith's attention. There are also worries at home as Nanea's big brother talks about joining the Army. Nanea can't bear the thought of him leaving. In the swirl of changes, Nanea turns to hula. Dancing always makes her feel better. Then, Nanea gets a big idea -- could hula help lift the spirits of the soldiers, too?
About the Author
I was born at Fort Lawton Army Hospital in Seattle and haven't moved very far from there since. An avid reader and writer, it wasn't until I heard a snippet of a story about my great-grandmother homesteading by herself in eastern Montana that I found my true calling: writing historical fiction. My great-grandmother's experiences inspired my first novel, HATTIE BIG SKY (Newbery honor award) and I haven't looked back, writing titles such as THE FRIENDSHIP DOLL, HATTIE EVER AFTER, DASH (Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Prize winner) , DUKE, LIBERTY, AUDACITY JONES TO THE RESCUE, AUDACITY JONES STEALS THE SHOW, and the forthcoming, CODE WORD COURAGE.My dear friend, Mary Nethery, and I have co-written two nonfiction picture books celebrating interspecies friendships: TWO BOBBIES: A TRUE STORY OF HURRICANE KATRINA, FRIENDSHIP AND SURVIVAL (Henry Bergh ASPCA Award winner) and NUBS: THE TRUE STORY OF A MUTT, A MARINE AND A MIRACLE (Christopher Medal Award winner) . A third collaboration is in the works!If you want to know more about what I'm up to, it's easy to subscribe to my newsletter-- just click on the "subscribe" button at my website, kirbylarson.com. Every Friday on my blog, I shine the spotlight on a fellow artist's latest book. You can check that out at kirbylarson.com/blog.
