Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Reading ListLike this list

25 items

• No Country for Eight-spot Butterflies

  a Lyric Essay

  Aguon, Julian,

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  Indigenous activist and lawyer Aguon writes a collection of essays and prose about his native Guam. For those interested in an incisive, searing, and hopeful look at the turmoil brought about by climate change.

• Sakamoto's Swim Club

  How a Teacher Led An Unlikely Team to Victory

  Abery, Julie,

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  The true story of science teacher Soichi Sakamoto, who formed a champion swim club consisting of the Hawaiian and Japanese children of impoverished sugarcane workers in the 1930s.

• The Properties of Perpetual Light

  Aguon, Julian,

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  Aguon presents stories from his childhood in the villages of Guam. His work describes the beauty of his island, the magic of Micronesia, and the wisdom of his favorite books and elders.

• Aloha Everything

  George, Kaylin Melia,

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  A vibrant picture book about a young girl who learns to dance hula. A storytelling dance that carries the history and folklore of the Hawaiian people. Ano comes to understand the true meaning of aloha.

• Kuleana

  a Story of Family, Land, and Legacy in Old Hawai'i

  Goo, Sara Kehaulani,

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  Sara Goo returns to her family’s 90-acre land in Maui when rising taxes threaten its future. As she uncovers her family’s history, she explores identity, loss, and Native Hawaiians’ fight to protect their land.

• A Child's Introduction to Asian American and Pacific Islander History

  the Heroes, the Stories, and the Cultures That Helped to Build America

  Hirahara, Naomi, 1962-

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  Celebrate the diversity, history, and rich cultures of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and teach kids about the people, experiences, and events that have shaped AAPI history.

• Kahoʻolawe

  the True Story of An Island and Her People

  Hurley, Kamalani, 1955-

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  Discover the story of the smallest Hawaiian island, a place sacred to Native Hawaiians, from its formation long ago to its present-day restoration as a protected site.

• Clairboyance

  Kahakauwila, Kristiana,

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  Hawaiian-born Clara is frustrated her best friend Leo doesn't talk to her anymore. Her grandmother suggests she make a wish on the family 'umeke to hear boys inner voices. She decides to use the power for good, but that's harder then it sounds.

• Every Drop Is a Man's Nightmare

  Stories

  Kakimoto, Megan Kamalei,

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  In this powerful debut, Native Hawaiian and Japanese women face love, loss, and family history.

• A Map to the Sun

  Leong, Sloane,

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  A character-driven graphic novel about five players in a struggling girls' basketball team.

• Bitter Over Sweet

  Llanes Brownlee, Melissa, 1974-

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  This powerful collection of connected stories about Native Hawaiian women. Brownlee reveals the hard truths hidden behind the shine of tourism, while also showing strength, culture, and hope.

• Dragonfruit

  Lucier, Makiia,

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  A romantic fantasy where seadragon eggs can undo a person's "greatest sorrow." Two teens set out to find one, and discover there are many who seek it's power.

• Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls

  a Memoir

  Madden, T Kira,

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  A memoir about coming of age as a queer, biracial teenager within the fierce contradictions of Boca Raton, Florida.

• Mophead

  How Your Difference Makes a Difference

  Marsh, Selina Tusitala,

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  A moving graphic memoir of growing up Pasifika in New Zealand. At school, Selina is teased for her big, frizzy hair. Kids call her 'mophead.' She decides to let her hair out, to embrace her difference!

• Lei and the Fire Goddess

  Maunakea, Malia,

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  When 12-year-old Anna visits Hawaiʻi, she doesn’t believe her grandmother’s legends are real. But after she angers the fire goddess Pele, her friend is kidnapped. To save them, Anna must face myths and embrace her roots.

• Tala Learns to Siva

  Netane, Kealani,

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  Tala dreams of dancing the Samoan siva like her Aunty Sina. But when she performs at Grandma’s birthday, she freezes. With her family’s love, Tala learns to find her own rhythm and dance from the heart.

• From Unincorporated Territory [Åmot]

  Santos Perez, Craig,

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  The author shows how different types of storytelling, primarily poetry, can be a form of healing from the many ills visited on the indigenous Chamoru people from Guåhan (Guam).

• Dawn Raid

  Smith, Pauline Vaeluaga,

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  Through the diary entries of 13-year-old Sofia Savea, Smith explores an era of New Zealand history little known to many readers outside Oceania: the 1970s movement for Pacific Islanders' rights.

• Sweat and Salt Water

  Selected Works

  Teaiwa, Teresia,

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  A collection that includes fifteen of Teaiwa's most influential pieces and four poems organized into three categories: Pacific Studies, Militarism and Gender, and Native Reflections.

• Rangikura

  Poems

  Tibble, Tayi, 1995-

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  Maori poet Tibble meditates on the turbulence of youth and the spiritual guidance of her ancestors in her sagacious and humorously outspoken second collection.