Clairboyance
by Kristiana Kahakauwila
Intermediate, Middle School    Harper/HarperCollins    288 pp.
5/24    9780063045354    $19.99
e-book ed.  9780063045378    $8.99

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 Tūtū (grandmother in ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, or the Hawaiian language) has a serious asthma attack, Dad wants to move both Clara and Tūtū to Arizona, and Clara finds herself using her Clairboyance (Tūtū’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 ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, and Tūtū 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.

From the July/August 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.