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This one was a bit too high on the adventure scale for the boy, so it has gone in search of a new reader.

Picked this up at our St. Patrick's Day lunch - thank you!

A wild adventure for two young brothers: set in a place that isn't quite Hawaii.

Going out in GoryDetails's graphic novel shrinking bookbox: volcanoes headed for New England. SyFy, take note! :p

This one looks like fun! And with lava!

Later: Fun indeed, and considerably more drama than I'd expected - I was positively unnerved at times, wondering just what the author was going to do to these poor characters. And while it took me some time to get past poor Sumo's negativity, I was pleased at the way his character development went, especially in the face of some seriously traumatic events.

So. A pair of brothers, half Pacific Islander, half Norwegian (what a combo!), are sent to an island Suspiciously Similar to Hawaii, with active volcanoes and everything, to stay with an eccentric aunt - whom they'd never heard of before. Hmm...

They meet an assortment of colorful characters along the way, and at first it seems that this is going to be an amusing fish-out-of-water coming-of-age kind of story, what with poor city-boy Sumo flatly refusing to be interested in or impressed by his new surroundings. Oh, he does cheer up a bit when a moonlight search for a snack gets him to the beach, where a lovely young woman introduces him to fresh coconut and a few pointers about the local flora, fauna, and minerals.

But events take a turn when the boys are evacuated to safety from the latest eruptions, only to encounter increasing danger from the sea and the lava. And from there things get even more twisty and unnerving, making poor Sumo wonder just who he can trust - and forcing him to extend himself beyond anything he thought he was capable of.

I admit that the overall plot twists kept me thoroughly confused, but I rather enjoyed the ongoing surprises - and the way the various characters' motives and decisions were not always of the best. Quite the contrary, in fact, making for another unusual element in the story. I can see why this might be strong stuff for some kids, as there are some very nightmarish situations, but all in all I really enjoyed the book.

I took this book to the Saturday BookCrossing meetup in Brookline at around 2; hope someone enjoys it!

*** Released as part of the Children's Lit Diversity release challenge. ***

Taken to the Boston Hostel OBCZ; left behind at the second floor library.
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