Written by Kristiana Kahakauwila
Clara and her best friend Leo have been on the outs since the beginning of the school year. She feels like she doesn’t have any friends left at school and wants to move from Hawaii to the mainland to live with her dad in Arizona. Her mom is stationed in Alaska and Clara has been living with her grandmother. Clara starts to become friendly with the new girl Pua, but still feels like she doesn’t belong at school. Clara makes a wish to know what boys are thinking, and then is bombarded by their thoughts. She hopes that she can use this new gift to improve things. Can she, or will she keep making a bigger mess of everything?
This is a really sweet middle grade novel about friendships and family that managed to feel fresh to me even though it includes many of the typical themes of contemporary middle grade fiction, like bullying and struggles with identity. The unique setting and Clara’s unconventional family structure added zest, and I love a strong, sassy grandma character. Tūtū was fantastic.
Clairboyance is a book that I’ve been excited to read as there are not a lot of middle grade books that take place in Hawaii from Native Hawaiian authors. While Clairboyance is not groundbreaking, it was overall a very fun and heartwarming read. Easy on the ears and easy on the heart. I will recommend this to students in fourth grade on up.
Reviewed by Kristen Hunt, Librarian, Whittier Elementary School
Review shared in September 2024
Rating: ★★★★✩ (4 stars)
Interest Level: Grades 4-7
Clairboyance
Written by Kristiana Kahakauwila
Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
273 pages
Release Date: May 14, 2024
ISBN: 9780063045354
A review copy was provided by the publisher.
