In Kaya of the Ocean by Gloria L. Huang, Kaya Song is living the dream, at least on paper. She’s thirteen, crushing it at school, has a seriously amazing friend group, and lives in one of the most beautiful places in the world – Hawaii. Sounds perfect, right? Well, kinda. Kaya appreciates all the good in her life, but when you have anxiety, everything feels a little daunting, even when things are going great.
From the unexpected waves of panic that crash down on her to the uncertainty it all brings (not to mention that strange things always seem to happen to her when she’s near the sea), things aren’t as breezy for her as they should be. It feels like everyone else is totally cool and handling it all, while she’s overwhelmed and feeling alone in her struggles.
Kaya has always had a strong connection to the ocean. Ever since she was a little girl, it’s like the sea calls to her, drawing her towards it, and she’s had a few scary encounters that make her fearful of what might happen if she gets too close. It’s not exactly easy to avoid water when you live near the beach, so Kaya prefers to escape into her books.
Turns out, Kaya’s family has been keeping life-altering secrets. Her connection to the ocean is more than a coincidence, it’s been deeply woven into her family for generations. She’s descended from Mazu, an ancient Chinese water goddess! After a few incidents where she unintentionally puts her friends in danger, Kaya realizes her abilities might relate to her emotions and discovers she can control the water in both good ways – and bad. She’ll need to dig deep into her family lineage and learn to control her intense emotions and anxiety before her powers put the people she cares about at risk.
Anxious thirteen-year-old Kaya has always been afraid of everything—but when she learns she is the descendant of a Chinese water goddess, she’ll have to master herself to master her powers!
On the surface, thirteen-year-old Kaya leads a charmed life. She lives in beautiful, beachy Lihiwai. She has ride-or-die best friends. She’s ultrasmart and killing it at school. She even works with a super-cute boy at her parents’ restaurant.
But she also has anxiety—serious anxiety, the kind that makes you scratch and pick—and she’s always had bad luck around the ocean. It’s hard to enjoy Hawaiian beaches when you’ve almost drowned more than once.
But as stranger and stranger things happen to Kaya around the sea, she realizes that—wanted or not—she has a special connection to it. Waves rise when she’s angry. Surf smooths when she’s calm. Fish come when she calls them. And when she learns the truth about her family and her divine ancestor, Mazu, she knows that she will need to connect with her most difficult emotions ASAP—or her potent powers may become dangerous to the people she loves.
Kaya of the Ocean is an exciting, fresh, and beautiful middle-grade fantasy about embracing who you really are. This heartfelt adventure of sun, surf, and sand touches on mental health, the immigrant experience, and the complexities of growing up.
Kaya of the Ocean
AUTHOR: Gloria L. Huang
PUBLISHER: Holiday House
DATE: January 7, 2025
Kaya of the Ocean is a heartfelt story about growing up with a splash of Chinese mythology that adds a touch of magic to this extremely relatable read. Plus, the sunny setting makes it a perfect escape from the winter weather that’s sure to warm the chill in your heart! (It also fits a few of our YAYOMG! Reading Challenge prompts!)
Since Kaya learns so many lessons relating to her anxiety, we asked her to share some sage wisdom with our readers. Written by author Gloria L. Huang, Kaya’s advice is useful for anyone dealing with anxiety – even if you’re not descended from a goddess!
Kaya’s Advice for Dealing with Anxiety (Especially When You Might Also Secretly be Descended From a Goddess):
KAYA: Okay. So first of all, I have to address the mythological goddess in the room, because I know you’re wondering, “Hey Kaya, what if I’m not descended from a goddess?” Well, as Naomi (one of my two besties) said: “I mean, we’re all goddesses, aren’t we?”
(Sure, some of us are literally descended from a Chinese water goddess, but that doesn’t mean we don’t all have an inner goddess we need to embrace! Right?)
The thing is—and this is really important—even those of us actually descended from a goddess (ahem) can still struggle. A lot. For me, my struggle was always with my anxiety. It was like this creature that nestled in my mind and wouldn’t leave, and sometimes it would stay calm and not bother me, but sometimes it would go completely wild. Those times were so rough! Sometimes, I felt like I couldn’t breathe, or I would scratch myself compulsively, or I’d just be trapped prisoner by my own panicked thoughts. Things only got worse when my power over water (that I didn’t even know I had) started showing up at the worst times and totally messed up my life. Believe me, being related to a Chinese water goddess was not on my top ten explanations for what was happening, but it ended up teaching me so much about my anxiety. And myself.
This is all to say: I’ve learned some ways to cope, and I’d love to share them with all of you, my fellow goddesses! So here they are, my top tips for dealing with anxiety:
Don’t Feel Ashamed:
Honestly, this was a tough one for me to learn, but it’s so important. For so long, I’ve worried there’s something wrong with me—why can’t I control my brain and my body? Why do I scratch until there are marks my friends can actually see? Why can’t I stay calm and breathe normally, instead of panicking?
Also, sometimes other people don’t really help. Like my cousin Anne—when she first visited, she was dealing with some stuff, and she kind of took it out on me by making me feel worse about my anxiety. I felt so embarrassed.
It took a long time for me to realize there’s nothing to be ashamed of—everyone struggles with something, and it’s just part of the messy, imperfect experience of being human. (Or part-goddess. You know what I mean.) Plus, the whole “feeling ashamed” thing just made my anxiety worse. So try not to feel ashamed, okay?
Don’t Try to Hide It (or Avoid Talking About It):
This is kind of related to the previous tip, but there’s an extra step. If you feel embarrassed or ashamed about your anxiety, you’re probably going to try to hide it or avoid mentioning it. I mean, that’s definitely what I did—wearing long-sleeved shirts and my hair down to hide my scratches so no one would notice, and changing the subject any time Iolana or Naomi asked about it. It didn’t help to push my anxiety down in my mind, though—it would just come back stronger. (Not to mention that it made my water powers way, way more uncontrollable. OMG, don’t even get me started about the time I accidentally nearly drowned my friend and sort-of crush Taiyo. And then, um, my cousin Anne. I told you things got messy.)
Which brings me to the next tip:
Lean on Your Family and Friends:
If you’re like me, you’re not only stressed out about what other people think of you—you also don’t want to worry people or be a burden. Except when people love you, they want to be there for you! They want to help, even if it’s just listening and letting you talk it out. Think about it—if your family or friends were suffering, wouldn’t you want to be there for them? It’s the same the other way around too.
Us goddesses sometimes try to be so strong on our own, but the secret is—we’re strongest together.
Ooh, this is the perfect introduction for the next tip:
Know You’re Not Alone:
I don’t just mean, in the world. That too, though! Remember there are people who love and care about you, so even if you feel completely alone, you’re not.
I also mean: you’re not alone in struggling with something. Like I said, everyone has something! Maybe it’s anxiety like me, maybe it’s something else. For example, my cousin Anne seemed so cool and confident, but it turned out she was dealing with her own issues. And don’t even get me started on my ancestors in my goddess lineage—I mean, some of them had major problems.
So try to remember that even though you might feel totally alone, or that you’re the only one going through what you’re going through, there are others fighting, too! And so many people trying to help all of us.
Goddessing can feel lonely, but it doesn’t have to!
Accept All Parts of Yourself:
Ooh, this is a big one, and my favorite. It’s a huge part of how I learned to not only cope with my anxiety, but also control my water goddess powers.
Like I said, I used to think of my anxiety (and my powers) as flaws or imperfections. Things that were wrong with me. It took a long time (and also some really good talks with my Aunt Sienna) to realize that everything that makes me who I am—Kaya Song, friend to Iolana and Naomi and Taiyo, cousin to Anne, and descendant of Mazu the water goddess—is an important part of the complicated, rich puzzle that is me. That it’s important to embrace who I am, all parts of myself, even the messy parts.
It’s like my dad always says: quexian mei. Uh—sorry, I should probably translate that! It’s a Chinese saying that says things are more beautiful when they’re imperfect or broken. It used to make me roll my eyes a little, but honestly, I kind of love it because it’s so true. Take goddesses, for example: when she was human, Mazu lived near the water but couldn’t even swim until she was nearly an adult, but then she became a literal water goddess. She didn’t let her imperfection stop her from becoming who she was meant to be—instead, it became part of her journey. Part of everything she was.
We’re goddesses, you guys, whether literally descended or not. Embrace all parts of who you are, even those parts you might not like as much. You never know—it might help you unlock your own powers!
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