HOME TO HAWAII

by Hope Campbell ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 24, 1966

Seventeen year old Kim Harper combines the right amount of sophistication and insecurity to appeal to girls, and her special family problem is sensibly handled although somewhat diminished by the fulsome, Chamber of Commerce style descriptions of Hawaii, her early but never-forgotten home. Inadvertently Kim discovered that Malia--her Chinese-Hawaiian childhood friend--was really her half-sister and, appalled by her parents' secretiveness and apparent callousness, she walked out of their New York apartment to return to Hawaii and Malia. While enjoying the lush scenery and a budding romance, Kim does come to understand the many factors which forced her parents (for Malia's sake not their own) to leave the girl behind. It's a tidy but responsible introduction to some aspects of the problem of inter-marriage which is seldom mentioned in juvenile books. The MacKenzies, the large hyperactive family with whom Kim stays in Hawaii, provide some welcome intervals of comic relief for readers as well as for her. Harder to like is Jerry Stevens, the young man who comes to Kim's rescue, but whose conversation consists almost entirely of a stream of Hawaii-ana. This isn't as strong as Liza (1965) but wahines may still find this their dish of poi.

Pub Date: Feb. 24, 1966

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Norton

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1966

Categories: FICTION