Healing Water: A Hawaiian Story (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5 Up—Pia, 13, lives on the islands of Hawaii in the 1860s. He has a loving family and a lifelong older friend whom he sees as fearless, giving him guidance and direction as he grows. When Pia is discovered to have leprosy, he is shipped to Molokai, a settlement set up by the government to isolate those with the disease. He is angry about losing his family and feels betrayed by Kamaka, who abandons him when he gets sick. Once at Molokai, Pia must learn to survive at a place where people are ostracized like criminals and treated harshly. Readers follow him as he chooses between anger and love, revenge and forgiveness. The richly drawn characters and descriptions of living conditions give insight into the despair of the people and the hope that comes when a priest volunteers to live and work in the colony and bring order to its residents. This book is based on accounts of Hawaiians sent to Molokai and the work of Father Damien. However, the struggle to forgive, and the hope that love brings are timeless themes that are presented in a powerful way.—Denise Moore, O'Gorman Junior High School, Sioux Falls, SD
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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 217 pages
• Publisher: Calkins Creek Books (April 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590785142
• ISBN-13: 978-1590785140
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #439,807 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, March 18, 2008

By	TeensReadToo.com "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

Things will never be the same for thirteen-year-old Pia, now that he has leprosy. He will be sent off to the island of Molokai to die with others who have the same condition, ripped from the arms of his ohana, his family. No more comfort from his mother and sister, nor from the only father figure he's ever known, Kamaka.

Since even Kamaka has shunned him, and because the island of outcasts is a place with no law, Pia quickly learns to harden his heart, and to do what he must to survive for as long as he can.

This is the story of the neglect and abandonment of people, the loss of a beloved culture, and the strength of a young boy facing extreme obstacles. But most of all, this is a story of forgiveness and hope.

Joyce Moyer Hostetter, author of Blue, tells another historical tale of an epidemic that once clutched the very souls of the inflicted and spun their lives out of control. She shows the strength and determination that can rise from those tossed into the worst imaginable conditions and she doesn't hide the ugliness that unfolds with it. It's a balanced story that explores a specific time and place with obvious accuracy and integrity, and it's woven around the personal experiences of one brave but lost boy.

Strong writing and a uniquely captivating story!

Reviewed by: Julie M. Prince

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Healing Water, March 29, 2008

By	steph - See all my reviews

I just finished reading Healing Water. This is a wonderful story of a sad time in Hawaii's history. Joyce Hostetter's talent in weaving history into a captivating account of a young man's journey is spellbinding. I could feel Pia's gut wrenching landing on Moloka'i after being separatef forever from his family (please excuse the backward `okina). I could smell the dampness of the fauna and salt air and appreciate the view from Diamond Head after Pia and Kamaka raced to the top.
Joyce's writing provides the reader with a true sense and meaning of aloha and how it can never be truly lost. Just buried for a time - as a means of survival.
Young and old alike will not only enjoy Pia's story but also learn how one man can make a difference in the lives of many.
As a middle school teacher, Healing Water will be on the top of my list for Historical Fiction. Steph

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Story of Molokai, June 2, 2008

By	Tamela Mccann "taminator1" (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Imagine being fourteen and diagnosed with a deadly disease. Now imagine being torn away from the loving arms of your family and sent alone to an unknown island to live with others who share your disease, where you must learn how to survive by whatever means necessary, knowing there is no hope that you will be able to leave. This is the setting of Healing Water, a novel based on the real leper colony of Molokai in the late 1800s.

Filled with bitter anger over the abandonment by his beloved friend Kamaka, Pia allows himself to turn to the seamier side of the island's inhabitants. How Pia struggles to make peace with himself makes this a truly gripping novel, and one I can highly recommend to readers of all ages. I am now inspired to learn more of this lonely colony and its inhabitants.

Thank you to the Historical Novel Society for an advance review copy of this terrific young adult novel.