Touch Blue by Cynthia Lord
reviewed by
Anne Strang
I love reading and reviewing kids' books, and this story is a great example of why. This tale, set on an island in Maine, captures so much in only 186 pages. Eleven-year-old Tess Brooks and her family love their island home, but face having to move away because there are too few children on the island to keep their small school open. To boost the numbers, families on the island offer to host foster children. Tess has great hopes for the foster child who will join her family, and when Aaron, a surly, red-headed 13-year-old, shows up she tries to hide her disappointment. She was hoping for a new best friend and instead this new boy is disrupting her life!
This story spoke to me because the feelings of Aaron are explained so well - his wariness, his sense of "being different," and his certainty that this home will be like all the rest: temporary. It is also a great story about life on an island, and the lobster-fishing business that is so much a part of the community. This book will make you want to take a trip to Maine!
Anne Strang
I love reading and reviewing kids' books, and this story is a great example of why. This tale, set on an island in Maine, captures so much in only 186 pages. Eleven-year-old Tess Brooks and her family love their island home, but face having to move away because there are too few children on the island to keep their small school open. To boost the numbers, families on the island offer to host foster children. Tess has great hopes for the foster child who will join her family, and when Aaron, a surly, red-headed 13-year-old, shows up she tries to hide her disappointment. She was hoping for a new best friend and instead this new boy is disrupting her life!
This story spoke to me because the feelings of Aaron are explained so well - his wariness, his sense of "being different," and his certainty that this home will be like all the rest: temporary. It is also a great story about life on an island, and the lobster-fishing business that is so much a part of the community. This book will make you want to take a trip to Maine!
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