Official Review: Kidnapping in Kaua'i by Ava Easter

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Official Review: Kidnapping in Kaua'i by Ava Easter

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[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Kidnapping in Kaua'i" by Ava Easter.]
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An island adventure awaits you with this book. Ava Easter takes the youthfulness of her characters, places them on a Hawaiian island and adds in local legends for a fun and exciting adventure/who-dun-it.

The story opens with Lani returning to her home to find that her aunt has disappeared. The six other members of the family are away for the weekend, her aunt’s car is in the driveway, and Lani is desperate to find her aunt. The story then goes backwards a month to relate the events that have led up to the kidnapping. We find out that Lani is a couple of days away from the beginning of her freshman year in high school. Lani lives with her grandmother Tutu after being left with her at a young age by her parents who have never been heard from again as far as she knows. She spends much of her time with Pano who was abandoned on Tutu’s doorstep as an infant and the two have been raised together. Lani’s aunt also lives in the home with her four children, two sets of twins – one girls, and one boys.

In the days before the start of school Lani goes to see a psychic in an attempt to find out about her parents but instead is told there is danger in her future. Not too long after this Lani and Pano are out exploring and Lani falls through a hole and finds herself in a field of trees that she’s never seen before. The trees all have exquisite fruit on them and Lani stuffs her pockets full of the deliciousness.

Another part of the story is Lani’s aunt and her devotion to the organic, non-GMO food movement. To this end she has her own farm and is very involved with a local co-op group that frequently protests against the large chemical and seed companies that use the island to test out their seeds and pesticides. Lani knows that the fruit she has found comes from a company field so she keeps it a secret from her family.

Lani’s first days of school bring new activities and new friends including the hunky Chad whose family has recently relocated to the island from Australia. Strange things start to happen after Lani eats the fruit, she starts to have severe and sudden headaches and hallucinations.

The final thread in this book is the legend of the Menehunes, a tribe of little people who according to legend were the original inhabitants of the island and some believe to be still active on the island though they stay hidden. Lani begins to see these people in her hallucinations and they send her on a quest. If you want to know what else happens you will have to read the book for yourself.

What I loved about this book is the characters and the way the author brought them to life. The story also keeps you involved without being too overwhelming. There is an obvious message here about eating non-GMO food but it doesn’t feel preachy. The book is really about the adventure. I also liked the way she related the legend of the Menehunes. I am not at all familiar with the island but the author’s descriptions really made me feel like I was there.

This book would probably be classified as young adult and the main characters are all teenagers. I think this book would be appropriate for middle schoolers on up as there is no bad language and only a little kissing among the adults. This book was really a fun read not just for teenagers but for adults too. I’m giving this book a 4 out of 4 stars because it made me smile and feel good but had some suspense and intrigue too. There is a bit of a cliffhanger at the end and I will be looking for the next book in this series.

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