It's hard to find a story set in Hawai'i that is realistic and does not cater to the reader's romanticized view; the difficulty is doubled when the story is historical. But this author has done her cultural and historical homework. By focusing on particulars of speech and everyday life, she creates, within the simple language of a children's chapter-book, full-blooded characters in a believable 19th-century Honolulu Chinatown neighborhood. .A Thief in Chinatown is the story of daily routines disrupted by an emergency which disfigured Ruth and the brother with whom she is constantly bickering finally work together. The timing of the unfolding adventure and the character's realizations is just right. The happy ending seems natural and plausible. In short, a lively and well-crafted story. Some added bonuses at the end of the book: instructions for playing a game mentioned in the story and background notes on pidgin English and on the origins of the Chinese in Hawai'i.