cover image Green Mango Magic

Green Mango Magic

Sylvie Hossack. HarperCollins Publishers, $14 (116pp) ISBN 978-0-380-97613-3

Hossack (The Flying Chickens of Paradise Lane) sets her modest novel in a remote valley in Hawaii, where Maile lives with her grandmother. Maile's mother, a hula dancer in a hotel, died while trying to warn others about an impending tidal wave; her father, now remarried, left for the mainland two years ago to find a better job; and her older brother has left home to join the army. Angry with Papa for abandoning her and afraid that he will not return, Maile refuses to read his letters. Her only companions are her grandmother, a boy named Charlie, and Ratman, whose job is to trap rats and test them for disease for a public health study, until a girl her age arrives on the island to visit her uncle. Maile becomes friends with Brooke, a cheerful and stalwart Pollyanna-like character recovering from chemotherapy, and Brooke eventually convinces Maile to open Papa's letters. Throughout, Maile and Charlie introduce Brooke to native Hawaiian traditions, words and foods. Though the author has an obvious affection for Hawaii, her efforts to teach readers about its customs often result in belabored scenarios filled with strained dialogue. Despite the interesting premise and exotic backdrop, there's little magic here. Ages 8-12. (Nov.)