Makena’s Shadow

Description

Everything in Gabriel Kane Foster’s life is shady: his family’s move from California to Hawaii immediately after his sister Makena dies, his parents’ strange relationship with the relatives, and the fact that his deranged Mother is constantly carrying his sister around in a bottle. And then there are the secrets. So many family secrets. Can Gabe stay strong while adjusting to his new life without Makena? “Makena’s Shadow” is a Young Adult novel that takes place in Pupukea on the famed North Shore of O’ahu. It is a coming of age story written from the point of view of a thirteen (and-a-half) year-old boy who, born and raised in the mainland, is forced to immerse himself in the culture of his ancestors. Without his older sister beside him, or his grieving parents to guide him, he finds himself lost, angry, and alone in a world that doesn’t make sense. When Gabe’s cousins challenge him he takes them on and discovers the depth and beauty of his heritage, the calm that the ocean brings, and the excitement of the sport of outrigger canoe paddling.