Captain Hawaii

Arron Pendleton, the 15-year-old narrator, may worship Indiana Jones, but he knows of adventure only through movies and books. When Arron realizes that his family vacation to Hawaii is not moving beyond reading magazines by the hotel pool, he seeks out the oddball Captain Dan, who gives ``Pirate Tours'' of Kanuai, and then happens onto a web of intrigue, violence and magic worthy of his idol. The usual elements of the boy's adventure tale are here, albeit with a few twists: an attractive, bikini-clad girl (this one is also smart and independent); an evil capitalist (here, a crazy theme-park entrepreneur); some grossness (a severed hand covered with green spiders), and a deus ex machina (however, when ``hundreds, thousands'' of monsters, or ``Menehune,'' arrive to save characters about to be tossed in a lava pit, it is undisguisedly absurd). Arkin entertains the reader with cinematic scenes (Arron and his girl roped together back to back) and snappy sitcom-ish dialogue. Ages 11-14. (Oct.)