On this episode we chat with author Malia Maunakea about her latest middle grade novel, Lei and the Invisible Island, which concludes her MG duology following the summer adventures of Lei, a Native Hawaiian girl from Colorado, who rediscovers her roots as she deals with the antics of spirits and gods drawn from Hawaiian folklore while visiting her grandmother in Hawaii for the summer. Malia shares with us her journey as an author, the inspirations for her series, as well as her thoughts on Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander representation in literature.

Follow Malia on Instagram at @maliamaunakea and check out her novel Lei and the Invisible Island, available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors

On this episode, we discuss out May 2024 Book Club pick, Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee, a YA noir mystery about two Chinese American sisters who investigate the murder of their friend, an up and coming Hollywood starlet, in 1930’s Los Angeles. Listen in as we dive into this novel which blends of the gritty themes of noir fiction with the light-hearted tones of a cozy mystery, with a splash of Asian American coming-of-age for good measure.

Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors

On our mid-month check in for May 2024, we recap the latest Asian American publishing announcements, as well as catch up on some book awards news and hot topics on Booktok. We also share some of the live audio that we captured from attendees at the 2024 Long Beach Festival of AAPI Books!

Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:

• Immortal the Blood by Molly X. Chang
• Maggie and the Story Shadows by Annabelle Oh
• Big Jobs for Little Babies Series by Katrina Moore; illust. by Benson Shum
• Ex Marks the Spot by Gloria Chao
• Hairy Man Suit by Haleh Massey
• Gwei, the Hungry Ghost by Emeline Lee; illust. by Basia Tran
• In the Country I Love by Alaa Al-Barkawi
• Ai & Aiko and the Little Curve by Peter Draw
• Binna’s Dalgona by Sojung Kim-McCarthy
•  As Long as You Loathe Me by Swati Hegde
• The Vastness of Us written by Terisa Siagatonu; illust. by Lucyola Langi
• Sparkles for Sunny: A Lunar New Year Story by Sylvia Chen; illust. by Thai My Phuong
• Ramadan on Rahma Road: Celebrating Food, Family, and Friendship by Razeena Omar Gutta & Faaiza Osman; illust. by Atieh Sohrabi

News stories covered on this episode:

• Barnes & Noble Children’s & YA Book Awards

Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors