An Expanse of Blue

Via distinctive and emotionally resonant verse, Adams crafts an evocative story about identity, devotion, and belonging. Seventeen-year-old Aouli Elizabeth Smith dreads attending Catholic Mass with her intimidating father, passive mother, and dismissive older sister. Relief comes in the form of her great-aunt’s home, a hub for the Hawaiian community in Hawk Valley, Wash., where her father occasionally softens. There, Aouli meets peer Nalu, also Hawaiian, who helps her feel accepted into and connected with her heritage (“It feels so good to be the same as him”). Tension mounts as Aouli wrestles with the aftermath of her father’s extramarital affair, her own persistent feelings of invisibility, and a complicated romantic entanglement involving her sister’s crush. She begins to rebel against her father’s rigid expectations, including mandatory church and youth group attendance, but as she forges her own path, she jeopardizes her deepening relationship with Nalu, whom she bonded with through these spaces. When a rumor spread by her best friend threatens this relationship further, Aouli must decide if she’s brave enough to chart her own path. Measured and profound language—arranged in short lines, cascading stanzas, and block formations that reflect emotional shifts—conveys Aouli’s internal growth and cultural awakening with aching assuredness. A glossary and author’s note conclude. Ages 13–up. Agent: Sara Crowe, Sara Crowe Literary. (May)