[I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from the author in a social media contest. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
Leilani longs to be one of the Haileys. They are a clique of six girls named Hailey (all spelled differently). They always have themed sleepovers and fun conversations. And Leilani wants desperately to be a part of it all.
It’s not that Leilani doesn’t have friends. She has Autumn, her best friend since kindergarten. But every other week Autumn goes to her dad’s. Then Leilani is stuck at home with her mom and great-grandmother, Tutu.
Leilani is convinced that if the Haileys just knew how fun she was, they would welcome her in. And the best way to show them is to have her own awesome sleepover – with a Hawaiian theme – and invite them. On her “Do NOT Invite” list is her second cousin, Todd, who always has gas. Also on the list is her new neighbor, William, who never speaks when Leilani talks to him. And finally on the list is “Manga Girl,” a girl at school who is always drawing comics, including a mean one of Leilani.
But Leilani’s invitations go to her Do NOT Invite list instead of to the Haileys. It’s Leilani’s worst nightmare. But maybe there’s a way Leilani can redeem her plans and get in with the Haileys after all.
Review
This was delightful! I loved the rich characters in this book. I expected a typical friendship story, but this went deeper than I expected. There’s a lot of anxiety issues addressed in the story – from shyness to stage fright, to selective mutism. I loved the extra layers this added to the story.
To be honest, Leilani is probably the character I liked the least. Her obsession with the Haileys started to grate on my nerves. But the insightful kids at her sleepover called her out. It was great. And Leilani learns a lot from the sleepover experience.
The book uses the story of Stone Soup with a nice Hawaiian twist. It was a great method of introducing depth to the characters as they went around town to get their ingredients.
This book can be handed to kids who love a good friendship story as well as kids who enjoy digging into books and characters who are dealing with mental health issues like anxiety. While the mental health aspects aren’t the central focus of the book, it’s a great thread. If readers are interested in learning more about selective mutism, they might try After Zero which addresses that as a central part of the story.