The Last Princess

The Last Princess: The Story of Princess Ka'iulani of Hawaii 

Author: Fay Stanley

Illustrator: Diane Stanley 

Grade Level: 4-6

Genre: Biography 

Awards: none

Summary: Ka'iulani was born and raised in Hawaii and was the next in line to the throne.  In order to rule Hawaii well, Ka'iulani traveled the world and studied at the top schools and colleges.  When she heard news of her beloved home being threatened by foreign Americans, she rose to action.  She talked with the President of the United States and told him how her people were being mistreated by Americans.  The President assured her he would have someone look into the situation happening.  Soon after her conversation, Ka'iulani returned home to help her fellow Hawaiians.  The monarchy line of Hawaii was soon ended as the Hawaiians signed over their rights and became part of the United States.  So saddened by this, Ka'iulani rode out in the rain on her horse, got sick, and died days later. 

Evaluation: This was a very good book.  The story of Ka'iulani was told and depicted well.  I think students would enjoy reading this book during independent reading time.  It is a short read, but accurately tells the life story of Ka'iulani along with the history of Hawaii.  This is a book I plan to have on my classroom shelf.

The readability is between fourth and sixth grade.  The reason I went up on the grade level is because there are Hawaiian names and terms mentioned throughout the story.  The book does have the term definitions in the back of the book which is very helpful.

You could use this book when doing a persuasive writing assignment.  Students can pretend to be Ka'iulani and write a letter she may have written during that time defending her homeland.  You can also use this activity to teach how to write in a letter format.