A Touch of Blue

by Tory Christie

A girl, a dare, and a mysterious creature
Cecilia Blue LaRue is the only girl in her class, the only girl in her family of boys, and mad at her only friend. But then Honey Brooks moves into the neighborhood, and a rare blue lynx is spotted in the woods.
Celie sees adventure. Honey sees colors.
With a dare on the line, Celie and Honey focus on clues to finding the wildcat. The trouble is, finding the lynx among the hues and shadows of the forest is just as tricky as figuring out friendship-and knowing which secrets to tell, and which secrets to keep.
A vivid tale of friendship, told through the lens of 1970s film photography

208 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2023

About the author

Tory Christie is a real scientist by day and secretly writes children’s books at night. When it is light outside, she studies rocks and water. After dark, she writes silly science stories that kids and grownups can laugh about. Check out her latest series, Curious McCarthy, and explore science with Curious and her zany family. Tory Christie grew up in a large family, but her family was nothing like the McCarthys ― honestly. The McCarthys are completely fiction ― really. Tory Christie lives in Fargo, North Dakota with her medium-sized family.

Reviews

[Debbie Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s so much I liked about this book. Tory Christie has woven the simplicity of tramping through the woods, an adventurous quest, interpersonal conflicts, and the facing of one’s fears and doubts into A Touch of Blue. There’s fun and humor, but there are some difficult secrets that must come to light so healing can begin for some characters.

Celie is looking for a big summer adventure before her 11th birthday when her “days of fun and youth” will be over. To make things worse, Celie’s best friend, Junior, is acting weird and hanging out with the meanest kid in school.

Then Celie meets Honey Brooks who just moved in and a friendship begins. This friendship changes the way Celie sees the people and world around her. Their summer adventure begins as a search to photograph a rare lynx in the forest but it ends up finding true friendship and courage to do the right thing.

Loved the language, the small-town cast of characters, and the quest to be the first to find the elusive blue lynx!

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I teach primarily 10- & 11-year-olds and I know they will love A Touch of Blue! My students love a good mystery and I’m sure this book will not disappoint. Woven throughout the story are lessons of friendship, compassion, and determination. This book will make a great classroom or family read aloud as there are lots of opportunities for thoughtful discussion. I imagine there’ll be plenty of protesting from my class when I set the book aside leave them in suspense.

I love that Tory Christie delivers this heartwarming story of friendship within the context of the outdoors where Celie and Honey explore and observe their world through photography and color. And being a historical fiction novel, the story is allowed to unfold simply so the focus remains on the characters and the messages they deliver. This book is a must read for intermediate grade readers and their families!

[Beth Nieman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about Celie, a lively, funny girl making her own way amidst a family of brothers and some annoying boys at school. Her outgoing, curious personality shines through her interior monologue as she encounters Honey, a new girl in town who needs a supportive friend. I love the 1970s vibe and the authentic upper Midwest setting (yay, tater tot hotdish!). Setting the book in this time and place grounds it in outdoor landscapes such as Wampus Woods and other gathering places. The lack of social media and other technology in this setting emphasizes face-to-face interactions. I liked the way the author resolved all the story threads, especially for Honey, a sweet character in her own right. I recommend this middle-grade book, especially for readers who enjoy realistic fiction about girls. (Note: I received a review copy of this book prior to publication.)

[Linda Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tory Christie's, A Touch of Blue, is set in 1970, but has all the warmth, depth, and drama that will appeal to children (and adults) of any era. The voice draws you in from the first, as the main character, Celie, is observant, candid and often funny as she describes life in a small town near a deep woods, and all the people who inhabit it. Including an ex-best friend, a bully, a lynx, a curmudgeon turned ally, and a new girl who has a heart-breaking secret, which is revealed to Celie each time she visits the new girl's house. This coming-of-age tale will tug at your heart, surprise and delight with its focus on photography, the great outdoors, friendship, loyalty and being brave and true, especially when the stakes are high. I recommend this highly.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are things I liked about this novel—namely that it features likable characters and it teaches good lessons about how to be a true friend—but for the most part, I found it dull. If it had been longer, I likely wouldn't have finished it. Since it was short, I plugged on. The problem for me, I think, was that Celie's story goal lacked oomph. I really didn't care if she won her bet with Junior or not. It just didn't seem very important. I did care about Honey and her situation, but that was only a subplot. For me, the novel's point and plotting both seemed uneven, giving the story a kind of here, there, and everywhere feel that made it drag. Christie's prose also seemed choppy, which didn't help. All in all, then, A TOUCH OF BLUE was only an average read (or less) for me.

[S.E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story sucked me into Celie's world from the first page because all her emotions felt true for a ten-year-old girl trying to navigate changes in her friendships and family. The small town and Wild Wampus woods draw the reader into a vivid summer adventure spent hunting for a photograph of the elusive blue lynx. But it's not the lynx that truly matters, but the journey that Celie goes on as she makes friends with new girl in town, Honey Brooks, and makes peace with the grief in her own heart. Celie also learns that sometimes the best moments can't be captured in a photograph, but felt and lived in the moment.

[Nancy Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed descriptions of all the various personalities portrayed in the book, “A Touch Of Blue” - Older women, preteen acquaintances, parents, grumpy older man, mischievous boys and potential new good friends.

These descriptions not only helped my imagination conjure up a vision of what these people looked like, but because of their antics in the book content, it gave me a real feel for who these characters really are. Basically it took me right back to when I was in fourth grade!

This is a book well worth reading and a delightful way to pass an afternoon!

[Elizabeth Raum · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic middle-grade novel! A Touch of Blue is set in the North woods in 1970. The characters leap off the page, each one unique and intriguing. I was with them as they hiked through Wampus Woods in search of an elusive Canadian lynx and met various adults who provided support in unique and unexpected ways. Every character has secrets, slowly revealed over the course of the novel, making this a story filled with mystery, as well as adventure. It will give young readers much to think about as they delve deeper into the story.

[Susan Phelan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The voice in A Touch of Blue was really interesting to listen to and the lead character and her friend made for a great pair. Watching their friendship grow and for Celie’s eyes to open to other ways of looking at things was great. And the conclusion surprised and tickled me. Middle grad kids should really enjoy this adventure. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Talitha Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful book, combining useful information on nature and photography with a compelling story about a girl looking to find out just where she fits. Some difficult topics, such as child abuse/neglect and bullying, are alluded to, but they are handled skillfully and sensitively to teach a lesson without overburdening or frightening young readers. I can highly recommend this book.

[Danielle Teigen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a charming, beautiful story! I loved the friendship between Celie and Honey, and the cast of secondary characters were just as lovely. I read this with my son, and we both thought it was well-paced with a few unexpected surprises thrown in at just the right moment. This was a fantastic book for us to read together and gave us a lot to talk about as we read it.

[Emily Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! Such a great story, and I love that I don't have to worry about what content my kids might find within it. I found myself drawn in to the main character and her struggles.

[Susan Reimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful story of friendship and adventure that is sure to become a new children’s classic. It has everything: relatable characters to cheer for, secrets, family drama and high stakes, heart-in-your-throat moments. I can’t recommend it highly enough!

[Amy Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished A Touch of Blue by Tory Christie. It’s a middle grades coming of age book set in the early seventies. I previewed it but would totally let my 11 year old read it. There were some sad moments but nothing inappropriate.

[Deirdre Prischmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enchanting Adventure!

This fast paced, enchanting outdoor adventure features a cast of memorable characters and authentic 1970s details. The antics of Celie and her new friend Honey as they search for a rare lynx will keep young readers riveted -- and reading.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Touch of Blue is the story of Celie and her plans for a grand summer adventure before her 11th birthday. Loved the Midwest/up north/small town setting and the 1970's time period; really made for some interesting characters for the book! I enjoyed the photography references and Celie's blossoming interest in it. I also loved how Celie's friend Honey loved crayons and was obsessed with colors. However, I felt the story lines were a little fragmented and did not flow as well together as I would have liked. Celie has some "growing pains" with lots of brothers, changing friendships at school and no girls her age in her class, but it often felt like she was just complaining about these issues instead of seeing a good character arc/development throughout the book as a result of those issues. While all the story lines resolved at the end, the "how" of how those story lines resolved/the characters got to those places felt incomplete to me; they may have gotten to point B but I exactly how that happened/they made the inferences they finally did was not as well defined as I would have liked. Overall, an interesting read, but not my favorite title from this publisher.
The book does deal with some heavier topics, mostly alluded to and handled appropriately for this age group, but there are mentions of child abuse, bullying, alcohol abuse, death of family members, as well as of ghosts and spirits. This would probably be best for the older or more mature middle school reader.
I received and advance copy of this book from Chicken Scratch Books, however this review was voluntary and based on my personal view.