Calvin and his family live on the beach in Hawaii. In this book, Calvin has some trouble with his new teacher who runs the class like the Army. Calvin also has to give up his room and move into a storage room so that some girl from California can move in with his family. Life is not easy for Ca...
Though not my type of fiction in general, I can see how this is HUGELY popular with reluctant readers and especially with boys of all ages. Calvin is just always into trouble, but even when you KNOW he shouldn't be doing something, you can't help but route for him and hope it all turns out okay....
Eddy Okana lies about his age and joins the Army in his hometown of Honolulu only weeks before the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor. Suddenly Americans see him as the enemy—even the U.S. Army doubts the loyalty of Japanese American soldiers.Then the Army sends Eddy and a small band of Japanese American...
Something about this book has always intrigued me. After I read it, I knew why. This book has every element my middle school kids look for in a book. Baseball, gangs, bullies, strained family relationships, puppies, and misunderstood adolescents are the markers that will make the book familiar. ...
House of the Red Fish by Graham SalisburyWritten by Adrian Keller-MillerHouse of the Red Fish, the sequel to Under the Blood Red Sun, continues the story of Tomi Nakaji’s struggles after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Tomi’s family immigrated to the United States from Japan, and now that Pearl Har...
Lord of the Deep is thrilling family entertainment, especially on audio during a cross-country road trip. Thirteen year old Mikey is given the chance to work with his step-Dad on his charter fishing boat, and is determined to prove he is as hard a worker as a man. He has the opportunity to show...
Blue Skin of the Sea Reviewed by: Devin Boxey(Posted to Good Reads)tI have to admit, Graham Salsbury is one of my favorite authors, but I was pretty disappointed when Blue Skin of the Sea turned out to be a downer. Honestly, the only point I got from the book was to tell the story about a youn...
In this rich collection, Salisbury’s love for Hawaii and its encircling sea shines through every story. Readers will share the rush a boy feels when he leaps off a cliff into a ravine or feasts his eyes on a beautiful woman. They’ll find stories that show what it takes to survive prep school, or ...
DYLAN'S SCOUT TROOP goes camping in Halape, a remote spot below the volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii. The only thing wrong with the weekend on a beautiful, peaceful beach is Louie, a tough older boy. Louie and Dylan just can't get along. That night an earthquake rocks the camp, and then a wav...
Clarence yelped as we fell into the car and slammed the doors shut. “S’what I call rain!” Stella’s wet hair stuck to her head. She grabbed the towel and tried to dry it, then rubbed Darci’s head. The rain thundered down on the roof of the car. “I love it!” I shook the rain off my head, flinging d...
Clarence was teaching Stella how to park in the parking lot. We wanted a good seat so we scrambled up to sit on the cinder-block wall. “They’ll be here any minute,” I said. Foodland’s parking lot was about half full. There were lots of spaces Stella could pull into, and some were the kind you had...
Nakashima’s house and seventeen Diet Coke cans at Willy’s. Now we had so many we had to get a couple more grocery bags. We went out to the patio and sat at a table with a shady umbrella in the middle. The grass in Willy’s backyard was freshly mowed. It smelled good. ...
The faint smell of gas from the lawn mower crept in under the door. Or maybe it was from Mom’s car, which was only a few feet away on the other side of the wall. I lay on my stomach, thinking. Outside, inches from my face, small moths fluttered against the window screen. The light in my room drew...
Mom put her hand on my shoulder. “A very bad smell drifted through my bedroom window all night long. Can you boys find out where it’s coming from and remove it?” “Sure, Mom.” I grabbed the shovel from the garage in case we had to bury something. Then I got an idea. “Hey, Mom, I bet Streak can fin...
Purdy about the trip. “Wow,” he said. “Even if you don’t catch any fish you’re never going to forget being out on that boat.” He grinned. “I caught a marlin two years ago. This was along the Kona coast, right where you’re going. Hit the line at twelve-fourteen in the afternoon. Boom! Hoo-ie, that...