Anywhere but Paradise

by Anne Bustard

Overview

Moving from Texas to Hawaii in 1960, 12-year-old Peggy Sue faces a difficult transition when she is bulled as one of the few haole (white) students in her school. This lyrical debut novel is perfect for Common Core classroom connections.

It's 1960 and Peggy Sue has just been transplanted from Texas to Hawaii for her father's new job. Her cat, Howdy, is stuck in animal quarantine, and she's baffled by Hawaiian customs and words. Worst of all, eighth-grader Kiki Kahana targets Peggy Sue because she is haole—white—warning her that unless she does what Kiki wants, she will be a victim on "kill haole day," the last day of school. Peggy Sue's home ec teacher insists that she help Kiki with her sewing project or risk failing. Life looks bleak until Peggy Sue meets Malina, whose mother gives hula lessons. But when her parents take a trip to Hilo, leaving Peggy Sue at Malina's, life takes an unexpected twist in the form of a tsunami. Peggy Sue is knocked unconscious and wakes to learn that her parents' whereabouts are unknown. Peggy Sue has to summon all her courage to have hope that they will return safely.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781606845868
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/07/2024
Series:	Fiction - Middle Grade
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	292
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	10 - 18 Years

About the Author

Buddy: The Story of Buddy Holly (S&S/Wiseman 2005) was an IRA Notable Book and a Bank Street Book of the Year. Like Peggy Sue, Anne has lived in both Texas and Hawaii. The author lives in Austin, Texas.

Editorial Reviews

03/02/2015
The early days of Hawaiian statehood set the stage for this satisfying novel about a 12-year-old girl grudgingly navigating the biggest upheaval of her life. When Peggy Sue’s ex-military father moves their family from Texas to Hawaii in 1960, she is less than thrilled. As the new “haole” (white) girl at school, she’s an instant bully magnet for an especially bitter classmate. Peggy Sue desperately misses her grandparents and best friend back home, and her beloved cat, Howdy, must be kept in “animal quarantine jail” for 120 days. A frightening tsunami that threatens the islands pushes Peggy Sue to the brink, but she sees flashes of beauty and hope in her adopted surroundings that eventually help smooth her transition. Brief chapters help readers feel that they are counting the days until Howdy’s return along with Peggy Sue, and Bustard’s (Buddy: The Story of Buddy Holly) evocative descriptions highlight both the local and universal aspects of island life. Born in Hawaii, Bustard adeptly weaves elements of Hawaiian culture, lore, and history into an emotionally rich story. Ages 10–up. Agent: Emily Mitchell, Wernick & Pratt. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"Bustard adeptly weaves elements of Hawaiian culture, lore, and history into an emotionally rich story." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2015-01-10
As far as Peggy Sue is concerned, Hawaii is no paradise. The seventh-grader is already unhappy about moving from Texas to Hawaii in 1960, halfway through the year and with her cat, Howdy, stuck in quarantine for 120 days, when an eighth-grader at her new school calls her a "stupid haole" (white), warning that the last day of school is "Kill Haole Day." Despite Peggy Sue's efforts to make peace, the bullying continues. Learning how Queen Liliuokalani was deposed and her kingdom taken over by American businessmen helps Peggy Sue understand anti-haole sentiment, but it still hurts. Despite being befriended by Malina, a classmate whose mother teaches Peggy Sue's hula class, Peggy Sue's miserable—plus Howdy's losing his fur and has stopped purring. How can she feel at home in a place where native Hawaiians are prejudiced against whites and devastating tsunamis take lives? By sewing outfits for the upcoming hula recital, she can earn airfare back to Texas. Hawaii born and raised, Bustard brings this early statehood era and its racial tensions to life effectively. However, Peggy Sue's portrayal as indifferent to race distinctions and free of racial bias herself feels anachronistic at best for a white adolescent from Texas, where, in 1960, desegregation was vigorously opposed by whites and barely touched public institutions, schools and businesses. Why is only cruel Kiki a child of her time? Despite concerns, this coming-of-age tale offers a vivid, accessible portrait of a fascinating time and place. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 9-13)

Kirkus Reviews