Growing Up with Aloha: A Nanea Classic 1 (American Girl Beforever Classic: A Nanea Classic, 1)

This is the first book of the newest American Girl, Alice Nanea Mitchell, who lives in Honolulu. Her red-headed father works as a civilian employee on Hickam Field while her native Hawaiian mom is the daughter of businesspeople who Nanea loves to help at their small store. She has an older brother David and an older sister Mary Lou, and her favorite activities are attending hula class taught by her grandmother, an accomplished hula instructor, cuddling with her little dog Mele, and playing with her best friends Lily (of Japanese descent) and Donna (together they are known as the Kittens). Nanea is desperate to show her family she is ready for more grown-up responsibilities, and also win a contest that the newspaper is sponsoring. As part of her dual campaign, early one Sunday morning Nanea wakes early to make breakfast for the family, only to be startled by airplanes flying over and the loud sounds of explosions. Pearl Harbor has been attacked by the Japanese.I liked Nanea very much. She's very much like Maryellen without the silly streak (you won't catch her painting the front door red!) and I was very much drawn to her warm multicultural family as well as her friendships. The story of what the family experiences after the Pearl Harbor attack seems very true to other things I have read: her father gone for days helping at the airfield, her brother delivering blood to hospitals, her older sister and her friends taking up knitting, and Nanea and her friends recycling bottles and collecting scrap and doing anything they can to help out, and the family's attempt to help when Lily's father is mistakenly arrested as an enemy alien. Mele is also lost after the attack, only increasing Nanea's distress. The only thing they softpedaled a little was Lily's being insulted and her family being harassed after the attack; these things are only talked about, not shown. It might have been a bit grittier to show Nanea witnessing someone calling Lily a "Jap" and telling her to get out of Hawaii, or seeing the family's store egged, but perhaps American Girl didn't want to go that far.The high water mark of the most recent American Girl series has been Melody, and Nanea doesn't quite make it, but it is still a strong entry and at least we have another non-white girl as a protagonist. AG seems to be overrun with blondes ever since Mattel took over. Again, as in the Melody book, I really missed the history feature that used to be in back of the books. While there is a Hawaiian word glossary, there are no little sidebar drawings to illustrate the Hawaiian and Japanese treats the girls like or the native food.

Shipped quickly, arrived as described!

Another good story from the American Girl series. They always bring historical events into a more real realm for children. My granddaughter has a better understanding of how the attack on Pear Harbor affected the lives of many people in many different ways.

Our youngest purchased this for her older sister last year for Christmas. She loves American girl literature so was excited to receive a new book.

I purchased this for my granddaughter who will be at visiting Hawaii this spring. She was thrilled to be giving a book about an American girl. I especially like the period in which it was written.

Great book and historically correct

Christmas gift

As promised, pleased with purchase!