Hawaii Travel*Smart By Greg Ambrose, John Muir Publications, 249 pages, $15.96

IF you hate it when somebody lists your favorite secret places in a book for tourists, then you should be mad at Greg Ambrose.

Ambrose, a former reporter for the Star-Bulletin, has written "Hawaii Travel*Smart," a lively new entry in the crowded waters of Hawaii tour books.

What makes this one float is that it doesn't list every tourist attraction there is in the islands, which can be overwhelming. Instead the author culls a few places and sights he's obviously enjoyed.

The book includes an essay about the value of spending time in Hawaii, a brief history of the islands and Hawaiian culture with a understanding of the Native Hawaiians' point of view.

The sections on food reflect Ambrose's passion for the cultural mix that has produced the variety and styles of cuisine here.

Chapters are devoted to Oahu, Kauai, Maui and the Big Island, each with a feature called "A Perfect Day ...," describing how the author would spend a day in a specific place. These breezy, informative pieces reveal Ambrose's accumulation of knowledge that comes only with living in Hawaii for a long time.

The information on restaurants, lodging and camping goes with the usual flow but with a sharp bend toward the out of the way, the unusual.

One of the more appealing parts of travel is meeting residents of the place you're visiting. And among the more valuable tips Ambrose provides is how tourists can make that connection.

The author, who is temporarily living in California, also holds on to his local sensibility by keeping his criticism of restaurants and exploitive tour operations gentle. But when a warning -- about ocean currents or possibly hostile humans -- is called for, he issues them sternly.

The problem with this book is that Ambrose reveals some of the lesser-known splendors of the islands that we greedily want keep to ourselves. But he is carrying the local flag in his generosity; it's local to share.