Kaya of the Ocean

Huang, Gloria. Kaya of the Ocean
January 7, 2025 by Holiday House
E ARC provided by Edelweiss

Kaya Song lives in Hawaii, but has never felt comfortable with the ocean. She has always felt like the water wanted to drown her, and she's seen a small girl in the water that no one else can see. It doesn't help that her parents, who immigrated from China and Taiwan, are very busy with their restaurant, and don't take Kaya's anxieties seriously, even though she sometimes scratches her arms raw. When her best friends Naomi and Iolana want to go surfing, she feels that she needs to tag along. There's a whole group of kids who want to go surfing at a "secret" cove, and Kaya tries her best to keep up. A boy from school, Taiyo, rides the "baby" waves with her, and she starts to have a good time... until she thinks she sees a giant tuna rise up out of the water and knock Taiyo off his board. Even though she is panicked, she helps to save him, and when she is trying to figure out how to help him, feels like she somehow forces the water out of his body without even touching him. Shaken, she tries to control water with her mind at home, but doesn't know what to make of her abilities. There's plenty else going on, and this distracts her for a while. Her Aunt Sienna and cousin Anne are visiting for Christmas from New York, but Anne has become more of a picky teenager and isn't fun to have around. Kaya tries to include her in activities with her friends, but doesn't enjoy the fact that Anne is unpleasant about Chinese food and won't respect Kaya's attempts to keep her room clean and germfree. Kaya's father does approach her about her anxiety a little-- se's also worried about the restaurant-- and shares some family history with her. This helps a little, but when she sees Anne with some of her friends at a beach party, she gets angry and accidentally causes a wave to pull Anne under. Her cousin ends up in the hospital. Aunt Sienna isn't angry, but tells Kaya that their family has always been associated with the Water Goddess; the family restaurant even goes by this name to honor a great Aunt, Shanhu, who drowned when she was young... and is the girl who Kaya sometimes sees! Her aunt is interrupted, but suggests a book that might shed some light on all of the history. Kaya finally entrusts her friends with her worries, and the three go to the library to research. Will Kaya be able to figure out her family's secret, and to finally get the help with her anxiety that she needs?

Strengths: It's interesting to see limpses of the girls in Kaya's family from different points of history; these go all the way back to 1629! My favorite was Yujin, in San Francisco in 1876. This was a good mix of friend and family problems, magic, and the ever popular topic of figuring out one's own place in the world as a tween. It's realistic that Kaya has to come home alone, and also realistic that this doesn't help her anxiety. Her aunt knows the information that Kaya needs, but doesn't quite understand at first that Kaya does need it because she is dealing with Anne, who is having friend problems of her own! The Hawaii setting will appeal to children who like to find out about life in areas of the world that might not be just like where they live; I can't imagine being able to surf anywhere near my house! The cover is bright and appealing, so readers will be eager to pick this up. 
Weaknesses: While this had some interesting, culturally related history and folklore, Kaya didn't really get to use her magic much. It was tied in to her anxiety, and felt more allegorical. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed the  mix of nascent powers and real life drama in Kelkar's The Cobra's Song or  Villanueva's  Lulu Sinagtala and the City of Noble Warriors