Honey Girl

The year is 1972. Fifteen-year-old Haunani Nani Grace Nuuhiwa is transplanted from her home in Hawaii to Santa Monica, California after her father's fatal heart attack. Now the proverbial fish-out-of-water, Nani struggles to adjust to her new life with her alcoholic white (haole) mother and the lineup of mean girls who rule State Beach. Following The Rules--an unspoken list of dos and don'ts--Nani makes contact with Rox, the leader of the lineup. Through a harrowing series of initiations, Nani not only gets accepted into the lineup, she gains the attention of surf god, Nigel McBride. But maintaining stardom is harder than achieving it. Nani is keeping several secrets that, if revealed, could ruin everything she's worked so hard to achieve. Secret #1: She's stolen her dad's ashes and hidden them from her mom. Secret #2: In order to get in with Rox and her crew, she spied on them and now knows far more than they could ever let her get away with. And most deadly of all, Secret #3: She likes girls, and may very well be in love with Rox. Aimed at readers 12 and up, both boys and girls, Honey girlis an edgy coming-of-age story about gender roles and identity, set against a backdrop of beach music, surf culture, and controversies of homosexuality, racism, and Vietnam. The writing is gritty and heartfelt--Nani's experiences with bullying, competing for popularity, and her budding sexuality will make it relatable to other teen leaders. Nani is a strong female character who learns to fight stereotypical gender norms and understand what is really important in life, a great role model for teenagers.