A few weeks ago I received an email from a student at my alma mater expressing an interest in what we do here at HBB. As part of her English project she wanted to learn a bit about blogging, and in addition to the paper she wrote for class, wanted to do a review for a local book. Alex and I were happy to accommodate her and even decided that it might be a good idea to open up the blog to reader reviews. If you’ve read a local book and would like to share your thoughts, please feel free to write a short review and send it to us! Or if you’ve written a short article about a past or upcoming literary event and want the world to know how awesome it is/was, then feel free to submit that as well. Please see our Article/Review Submission Guidelines for more info!

Without further ado, here’s our very first reader review!

Guest Book Review: Mililani Mauka
by Kellyann Barsatan
(Kellyann is a sophomore at Moanalua High School. She loves to read and hopes to get into publishing in the future.)

courtesy of Mutual Publishing

Everyone knows Mililani Mauka is one of the most sophisticated places to live in Hawaii but behind all the color-plastered doors, there’s a story. John Krill, a middle-aged man, died a death that shattered the life of his wife and kids. People who knew John thought he was lucky to have married his high school sweetheart, Kai. Getting pregnant and married at such a young age was just the start of their journey downhill.

Mililani Mauka by Chris McKinney (Mutual Publishing, 2009) is a local story about how one person in a family can affect everyone else and how this is an on-going effect.  One thing happens and it sends off a ripple within each of the character’s lives. This book tells a story from many perspectives and leaves you hanging onto a rope as you grab another person’s story.  Mililani Mauka is perfect if you want to read a short soap opera story.  It’s a mini-drama great for those times where you sit on your porch from dawn to the afternoon to relax.

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Thanks to Kellyann for her interest in Hawaii Book Blog (we hope you got an awesome grade on your project!) and for her review.  We hope to feature more reader reviews on HBB in the future and always welcome ideas on new content.