Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Young fantasy fans will lava this exciting Hawaiian quest.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
In LEI AND THE FIRE GODDESS, Anna Leilani has a plan when she arrives on the island of Hawaii for her annual trip to grandma's house: She'll skip the usual three weeks hanging out in the small town of Volcano and go do fun touristy stuff instead. She'll take a bunch of flashy pictures and send them to her cliquey middle school frenemies to show them just how cool she is. But her grandma, Tutu, won't hear of it. Anna is there to learn her family's stories and traditions so she can pass them on. That's that. Just to prove how not real the stories are, Anna storms off to her grandma's garden with her friend Kaipo and picks one of Pele's sacred flowers. That's when the ground starts shaking, lava starts flowing, and a gigantic bird appears and carries Kaipo away. Now Anna's desperate to get her friend back -- to do it, she'll have to appease a goddess who's way meaner than her frenemies back home.
Is It Any Good?
This absorbing quest tale for younger fantasy fans mixes Hawaiian culture and stories with relatable middle school friend woes. Readers are with Anna as she navigates her two worlds. In Hawaii, her grandmother wants her to learn more about her native Hawaiian heritage. But Anna's head is in Colorado, where friend troubles are stressing her out and her practical Polish mom's physicist influence has her brain stuck in science mode, unable to believe in gods and goddesses. Unfortunately, Anna takes her frustration out on the wrong sacred flower belonging to the wrong temperamental goddess, and Kaipo pays the price.
Anna slowly becomes Lei as the quest to find Kaipo unfolds, and she opens up to a new sense of self along the way. The story can slow down as Anna Lei hatches and repeats her plans to confront Pele, but sometimes it shines in those slower moments, like when she puts in a huge effort to brush up on her hula. The climatic action lacks any big surprises, but it's still exciting, as well as a reminder that if Lei can handle a fiery goddess like Pele, she'll do just fine in middle school. One unfortunate omission is that there's no glossary of Hawaiian words and phrases, which would help readers understand the story better and tends to be standard in similar books. Overall, though, this exciting story is sure to delight middle grade readers.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what role the main character's cell phone plays in Lei and the Fire Goddess. What does she want to prove with the pictures she takes on her quest? When does she decide to put the phone away? Why?
Anna arrives in Hawaii full of middle school friendship woes. Can you relate? How would you handle the problems she's having with her longtime best friend? What helps Anna feel better?
Why do you think the main character insists on being called Anna in the beginning? When does that change? Why? And why does Ilikea the bat call her kuewa ("empty" in Hawaiian) at the beginning of the story and not at the end?
What do you think is next for Lei in this series?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Friendship , School ( Middle School ) , STEM
- Character Strengths : Courage , Curiosity , Humility , Perseverance
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Penguin Workshop
- Publication date : June 6, 2023
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 304
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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