Ho'onani: Hula Warrior [Hardcover]

An empowering celebration of identity, acceptance and Hawaiian culture based on the true story of a young girl in Hawaiʻi who dreams of leading the boys-only hula troupe at her school.

Ho'onani feels in-between. She doesn't see herself as wahine (girl) OR kane (boy). She's happy to be in the middle. But not everyone sees it that way.

When Ho'onani finds out that there will be a school performance of a traditional kane hula chant, she wants to be part of it. But can a girl really lead the all-male troupe? Ho'onani has to try . . .

Based on a true story, Ho'onani: Hula Warrior is a celebration of Hawaiian culture and an empowering story of a girl who learns to lead and learns to accept who she really is--and in doing so, gains the respect of all those around her.

Ho'onani's story first appeared in the documentary A Place in the Middle by filmmakers Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson.One of the New York Public Library's Best Books for Kids 2019
One of the Ontario Library Association’s 2019 Top Ten Titles
Featured on the 2020 Rainbow Book List
Featured on the 2020 Rise: A Feminist Book Project List

PRAISE FOR Ho'onani: Hula Warrior:

“Heather Gale’s prose is buttressed by Mika Song’s lovely drawings to make this a wonderfully feel-good story about tradition and difference.” —New York Times

“[A] rousing tale of a child overcoming obstacles . . . it also deftly weaves in elements of culture and gender in simple language that kids can understand.” —Today.com