Txt2kill

Samantha, a Maui High student, grows increasingly troubled by a series of rogue text messages appearing on her phone with no name or number. Somehow, she is getting texts meant for others, and she can't reply. Eventually these cryptic messages lead Sam and her best friend, Lei, to the conclusion that North Korean terrorists are planning to detonate a dirty nuclear bomb in one of Maui's luxury hotels on Easter Sunday. Because of phone pranks Sam and Lei have pulled in the past--and the sketchy information they have about the plot--the girls are reluctant to contact the Maui police. With only six days to decipher the messages and stop the killing of thousands, Sam and Lei enlist the help of two boys from school--physics whiz kid Gi, and football hero, Jason. The four crusading teens are also dealing with distracting personal issues. Sam grapples with the specter of her father's previous addiction, while Lei has to make some difficult decisions about meeting with her biological mother, a woman who abandoned her at birth. Gi's favorite uncle and mentor suffers from advanced stages of Multiple Sclerosis, and Jason, a leader on the football field, has been following some peers in a perilous direction. This unlikely group join forces in an attempt to save their island home and thousands of its inhabitants.

Vicki Draeger lives on an eighteen-acre farm in beautiful Upcounty Maui with her husband John where she writes novels that incorporate the Hawaiian culture. Her most recent works include a non-fiction series, and a YA novel entitled, "My Science Teacher is a Zombie." Along with co-author, Gail Bellamy, Vicki has written "The Vegetable Storybook for Readers and Eaters." The book, targets children ages 3-8, and aims to encourage them to eat more vegetables. It achieved the food industry's prestigious Gourmand World Cookbook Award--Best in the U.S. in Illustrations category, and received a favorable national review by Food Management Magazine. Vicki and Gail also co-authored "Angel Blood on Vampire Island." Vicki holds a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction, and is the author of "Kids, Quarks and Quanta" with a foreword written by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Dr. Leon Lederman. Based on the popularity of the curriculum book, she was a finalist for the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship for the U.S. Department of Energy. She currently works as Director of Development at Keiki O Ka Aina (Children of the Land) Family Learning Centers serving more than 2000 families in Hawaii. She has written twelve children's books, funded by the U.S. Department of Education.