The Invisible Wild

On the Big Island of Hawaii in the rainforest town of Volcano, everyone knows everyone, and teenage Emma Arruda is embroiled in preparations for her older sister’s wedding a month away. While running errands in her mother’s car, Emma almost hits a teenager from the nearby city of Hilo; she later finds him disheveled, speaking strangely, and sleeping outdoors. She soon realizes that the stranger, whom she dubs Hilo, can see menehune, woodland spirit creatures that Emma remembers from her childhood. Hilo reawakens Emma’s buried ability to communicate with the menehune, who inform her that Hilo’s been bewitched for desecrating an ‘ō‘hi‘a tree and must make amends by protecting the forest, acres of which have been sold for a tourist development in Volcano. Helping Hilo complete his mission becomes even more complicated when Emma learns that his father is one of the workers destroying the forests. Van De Car (My Wheel of the Year) intersperses Hawaiian folktales, climate change issues, facts about lava and rainforest habitats, and other informative details throughout this emotion-driven novel. Sensorial prose additionally highlights the protagonist’s struggles navigating Hilo’s high-stakes mission alongside personal challenges relating to cultural identity. Ages 13–up. Agent: Sara Crowe, Sara Crowe Literary. (May)