Night of the Howling Dogs by Graham Salisbury

Night of the Howling Dogs by Graham Salisbury is based on the true story of the Boy Scout Troop that was hammered by a 7.2 earthquake and subsequent tsunami on the island of Hawaii in 1975. In this story, Dylan's Scout troop hikes out to Halape, Hawaii to camp on a deserted but beautiful beach at the base of the volcano. Dylan is plagued the whole way by Louie, an older boy who has had it in for Dylan since they first met. Louie doesn't even seem to want to be there, and the other scouts aren't sure why Mr. Bellows, their leader, insisted upon Louie joining. They set up camp after a grueling hike, and everything seems fine, the first night, except that Dylan is awakened in the middle of the night by howling dogs - the same dogs he's sure he saw one their hike in. The next day the troop meets Masa and his friends, fishermen who have ridden their horses in and are camping nearby. They share some information about the dogs that seems like myth, but has Dylan on edge. Masa believes they are signs from the ancient Pele, that tell of something to come - possibly the volcano erupting! In the dead of night, it seems like Pele has spoken, because a massive earthquake hits, destroying everything. It knocks much of the shore of the island into the water, causing an enormous tsunami. Surprisingly, it's Dylan and Louie who have to work together to make sure everyone gets out alive.

This was an AWESOME adventure story! It had me on the edge of my seat nearly the entire time! I really liked the way the author wove the characters' back stories into the main story. It was written in such a way that I forgot it was even based on a true historical event. Then, I got to the author's note and found out that it was not only based on a true story, but the author's actually related to one of the Scouts who survived this ordeal! Probably my favorite of the Maud Hart Lovelace Nominees for the 2010-2011 school year.


For more information: 1975 earthquake/tsunami at Halape, Hawaii.

Healing Water by Joyce Moyer Hostetter

Healing Water by Joyce Moyer Hostetter is set in Hawaii during the 1860s. Pia is a thirteen year old boy who grew up in a village where everyone was family, or 'ohana. He spent most of his time with Kamaka, his twenty year old best friend, and the person Pia looked up to most in the world. Suddenly Pia's world fell apart when he was diagnosed with leprosy. He was sent to live in isolation on Moloka'i, Hawaii's leprosy settlement, with other people who had the disease. Life was miserable there. Pia felt as though Kamaka had abandoned him and he had no one to rely upon. Eventually Pia was tricked into becoming the slave of the most feared man on the settlement, Boki, who forced Pia to do all his dirty work, including stealing from the new arrivals. Pia lived this way for years, forgetting the old ways of his family and friends. Things turned upside down for Pia once more when Kamaka and his new wife arrived at the settlement. Another turn of events placed Father Damien in their settlement. Through several twists and turns, and with the help of his old friends and new, Pia was finally able to get back to his old way of thinking and realize he had 'ohana on the settlement, too.

This was a really interesting story. I didn't know much about leprosy before reading this. I also had no idea that people with the disease were treated so poorly. I really enjoyed the way the author showed how people can change based on their life circumstances. I also liked the powerful message she sent about honoring your beliefs. I really appreciated all of the author's notes and information at the end of the book about Hawaiian beliefs and the history of the leprosy settlement there. The video below shows the settlement as it is today.