Lei and the Fire Goddess

From debut author Malia Maunakea comes a sweeping fantasy about a half-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, half-Hawaiian Anna Leilani Kama'ehu thinks when she listens to her grandmother’s folktales about sacred flowers and hexes. 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 loopy cultural traditions.

So when Anna goes back to Hawai'i to visit her Tutu, she’s set on having a touristy, fun vacation. But all that changes when Anna accidentally insults Pele the Fire Goddess by destroying her lehua blossom. She quickly learns just how real these legends are when a giant hawk appears and kidnaps her best friend. In order to save her friends and family, Anna must now battle mythical creatures, team up with demi-gods and talking bats, and evade the traps Pele hurls her way.

For if Anna hopes to undo the curse, she will have to dig deep into her Hawaiian roots and learn to embrace all of who she is.