by Kirby Larson
First published 2017
Nanea returns to school expecting normalcy after the war began. Instead, she finds Miss Smith's classroom transformed. Her close friend Donna has disappeared, replaced by a newcomer who captures all of Miss Smith's focus. At home, her older brother discusses enlisting in the Army. The possibility of his departure terrifies Nanea. Surrounded by upheaval, she seeks solace in hula dancing. The traditional movements calm her spirit when nothing else can. As she practices, an inspiration strikes. If hula soothes her troubled heart, perhaps it could do the same for wounded soldiers. Nanea begins to wonder whether her dancing might offer healing to those fighting far from home.
Genres: family-life, american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Home Front
Period: World War II
184 pages · Paperback · American Girl