(Image from Barnes & Noble)

When Lana Hitchcock learns her estranged father is dying, she rushes from Oahu to her hometown of Hilo on the Big Island.  Too late to make amends, she's mourning her loss at her childhood home when Pearl Harbor is attacked.  Lana is stunned by the news; even more shocking is her dad's apparent prediction of the war reaching Hawaii's shores.  According to a note he left her, Lana's father built a safe house up in the mountains near an active volcano.  When the police begin rounding up "suspicious" persons for questioning, Lana knows she must act to save her dad's beloved neighbors.  Into her car, she piles two German girls whose parents have been detained, an elderly Japanese man, his adopted teenage son, the girls' oversized dog, two nene geese, and all the food she can stack in among them.  With her heart banging in her chest, she flees to the secret house where she will hide her wards for the duration.  

Numerous surprises await the group in Volcano, including an unfinished house with a secret room, wild horses roaming the property, a nearby military camp turned into internment housing, and the handsome soldier whose attentions to Lana are dangerous for them all.  Can Lana keep the people in her care safe in spite of dwindling rations and soldiers crawling all over Volcano?  Will they be killed outright by Japanese soldiers?  Or will the lot of them be imprisoned by their own countrymen?  With danger around every corner, will Lana lose everything that's important to her?

I've read tons of World War II novels, but very few that focus on life in Hawaii after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  Sara Ackerman, who was born and raised in the islands, has written several, including her newest, Red Sky Over Hawaii.  There's a lot to love about this book, from its rich, atmospheric setting, to its dip into fascinating Hawaiian folklore, to its light sprinkling of magical realism.  The fact that it's a clean read filled with likable characters is also a plus.  However, although Ackerman's story people are mostly good and honorable, they're not super rounded or fleshed-out.  I didn't feel like I really knew Lana or her leading man, which made it difficult to detect any chemistry between the two.  Similarly, the book's plot is rather lackadaisical.  Since Lana and company are basically hiding out, hoping not to get caught, not a lot happens to them.  There is never a point in their tale when the reader really has to worry about their well-being, which makes their story a little dull.  Despite these irritants, overall I enjoyed Red Sky Over Hawaii.  I didn't love the book like I wanted to, but I did like it.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers by Sara Ackerman and Under the Blood-Red Sun by Graham Salisbury)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, and mild innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-ARC of Red Sky Over Hawaii from the generous folks at Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

If you have elementary school-aged kids, you're probably familiar with the I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis.  The author has written about the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, the sinking of the Titanic, the Hindenburg disaster, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and many other true events in fictionalized, eye witness accounts.  These short, action-packed volumes teach kids about significant historical moments while entertaining them with a tense, exciting story.  After helping with the reading program at my kids' elementary school for years, I can tell you with absolute authority—these are very popular books.  

I've read several of the books in the sereis, but it wasn't until Tarshis published the newest installment that I could finally say, "Hey, I survived that, too!"  Technically, of course, I survived the attacks on September 11, 2001, as well as the Japanese tsunami and the Joplin tornado (both of 2011), but I wasn't anywhere near where those disasters occurred when they did.  The eruption of Mout St. Helens, though, is a different story.  On May 18, 1980, I was living in a small town in Washington State that sits only about 168 miles from the volcano.  Although I was only four, I remember seeing ash on the roads after the eruption.  Not much of a survival story, I know, but the fact that I had even a smidgen of experience with the event made I Survived: The Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980 more real to me.  I also related a lot to the book's main character because, like her, I grew up in the shadow of a quiet, majestic mountain.  Gazing at Mount Hood still brings me feelings of serenity, contentment, and awe.  Lurking under its facade, however, is a volcano that scientists say could blow at any time.  As is demonstrated in Tarshis' latest (and many of her other books), growing complacent in the face of nature's vast, destructive power can be very dangerous indeed.

I Survived: The Eruption of Mount St. Helens tells the volcano's story through the eyes of 11-year-old Jessie Marlowe, who happens to be Tarshis' first female protagonist.  Naturally, she's on the scene when St. Helens blows and has to fight her way out.  Her survival story is full of danger and daring, which will appeal to readers of both genders.  Those who enjoy learning about volcanoes will also like this tale, which contains plenty of facts that are explained succinctly enough to be interesting without bogging down the book's fast-paced plot.  This novel, along with the others in the series, are perfect reads for reluctant readers as well as non-fiction lovers who yearn for "real" stories.  Kids love these books and, you know what?  I do, too.

(Readalikes:  Other books in the I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis; also the Who/What Was _______? series by various authors; and the Dear America series by various authors)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for scary situations and scenes of peril

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find