Sharks In The Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn

When a young Hawaiian boy is gently guided back to the boat he fell from in the jaws of a shark unharmed, his family and the others who witness the event know that he has been blessed by the gods. Soon, people are coming from all over for Noa to bless them or heal them. It is exhausting for Noa but the money helps his family make it from week to week. Fast forward and Noa and his sister and brother are all going to school on the mainland where their lives will take a much different course than their parents back on the island. This story of a family falling apart and then coming back together through a tragedy. The old ways and old gods struggle against the lure of the mainland and its promise of prosperity. The old legends and beliefs of the Hawaiians have been expertly meshed with the real-life powerlessness the three siblings face. Anyone with a love of Hawaii and its people but also enjoy family-centered stories will want to read this powerful debut.