The Invisible Wild

Gr 9 Up–This book combines history, magical realism, coming-of-age, and current issues into an enchanting and engrossing tale. Van De Car opens with front matter about the ancient history of Hawaii and the race of Menehune who lived there prior to the Hawaiians’ arrival. The preface compares the barrier between worlds to the surface of the ocean. Then the adventure begins. Emma, 16, is an endearing, observant, and believable teenager. She helps with the family store and her sister’s wedding preparations. She encounters a boy in the woods who appears to be talking to a log. Rather than dismiss him, Emma tries to listen and pay attention to fleeting glimpses in the corner of her eye. Soon she can also see and hear more life all around her, including the Menehune. They are about to lose their home to the latest resort development and need human allies to survive. In the effort to resolve the situation, Emma makes some good choices and some bad ones. She slowly opens up to a trusted friend, then family, then community. In the process, she learns the history of the islands and culture. Emma’s first-person narration sounds like a contemporary Hawaiian teen. The sprinkling of Hawaiian words, slang, and references are used naturally and without explanation. Readers can figure them out from context. Worldbuilding feels authentic and never patronizing. Information and discourse is woven in naturally and doesn’t distract from the story’s momentum.