It’s 1960,
and Peggy Sue’s move from Texas to Hawaii
sounds like a dream—palm trees, blue skies, big waves. But
her cat has to be put into quarantine like he’s a criminal. Then
her first day of school is shocking. Kiki, an older student, warns
Peggy Sue that the last day of school is “kill haole day.” And
because Peggy Sue is a haole—an outsider—her only hope
of surviving is to help Kiki with her school project.
Things get better when she meets Malina and starts hula
lessons. But it takes a tsunami, a missing dog, and an
intervention from the vision of Pele herself to help Peggy Sue
understand that even though her new home isn’t perfect,
she’d rather be in Hawaii with her family and new friends than
anywhere else.
“Written in lyrical prose that echoes the songs of the
Hawaiian Islands themselves, Anne Bustard’s debut novel
is a love letter to anyone who has ever felt out of place,
homesick, or just plain scared.”
—Kathi Appelt, author of the National Book Award finalist
and Newbery Honor Medal winner
The Underneath
