Malia Maunakea is a Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) writer who grew up on Hawaiʻi Island and Oʻahu before relocating to the continent for college. She writes both middle-grade fiction and nonfiction and is the author of the Lei and the Legends series and Backpacking with Children. Malia grew up in the rainforest of Hawaiʻi Island before moving to a valley in Oʻahu in seventh grade to attend a school founded by a Hawaiian princess. Though she relocated to Colorado for college, Hawaiʻi has remained in her heart. To reconnect with her roots, Malia enrolled in an online Hawaiian Studies degree program and graduated in 2024. Growing up with ADHD kept her constantly jumping from idea to idea, but Hawaiian legends captured Malia’s imagination and stuck. Her ever-whirring brain is excited to spin new tales for the next generation, especially when she can weave in a whisper of island lore. Malia is online at maliamaunakea DOT com and AT MaliaMaunakea on Instagram.
