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INTERMEDIATE FICTION
Kahakauwila, Kristiana

Clairboyance

288 pp. | HarperCollins/Harper | May, 2024 | Trade ISBN 9780063045354 $19.99 | Ebook ISBN 9780063045378 $8.99
(2) 4-6 In this novel set in O'ahu, Hawai'i, Clara is having a rough start to sixth grade and wishes she could move to Arizona to live with her dad. Her best friend, Leo, has not spoken to her since the beginning of the school year, and Clara, confused and hurt, wishes she knew why. One night, she asks the 'umeke, a wooden bowl that her family has passed down for generations, "What are boys thinking?" The next day, Clara can hear the thoughts of all the boys around her. Clara tries to use her new abilities in helpful ways but ends up causing more trouble. When her Tutu (grandmother in 'olelo Hawai'i, or the Hawaiian language) has a serious asthma attack, Dad wants to move both Clara and Tutu to Arizona, and Clara finds herself using her Clairboyance (Tutu's name for the ability) to convince her dad to move back to Hawai'i instead. Kahakauwila's middle-grade debut introduces readers to the history, culture, and language of Hawai'i. Characters smoothly switch among English, Creole English, and 'olelo Hawai'i, and Tutu teaches Clara how to care for the land (flora and fauna are vividly described) and the ancestors. Readers are reminded of the importance of family, history, and culture in the context of an entertaining tween narrative. A welcome addition to Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander literature for young people-.
Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

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