The Blue Bottle

by Emilie-Noelle Provost

Set in Rocky Harbor, a fictional fishing village on Massachusetts' Cape Ann, The Blue Bottle tells the story of 13-year-old Charlotte Hale, the granddaughter of an aging lobsterman, who has been sent to stay for the summer with her grandparents after a less-than-successful school year. On the bus ride there, Charlotte meets an eccentric retired teacher who tells her the story of the blue bottle, a local legend that leads her on a high-stakes quest for an ancient glass bottle, reputed to hold within it all the power of the oceans.

138 pages, Paperback

First published October 4, 2012

About the author

Emilie-Noelle Provost lives in a northeastern Massachusetts mill town—the same one Jack Kerouac was from—with her husband, daughter, and three crazy rescue cats. She is an avid hiker and a member of the AMC's 4000-Footer Club who can often be found on a trail in New Hampshire's White Mountains. She's also a big fan of European crime dramas, and is always on the lookout for new series to watch.

Some of her favorite books (in no particular order) include "Peace Like a River" by Leif Enger; "Townie" by Andre Dubus III; "The Girl Who was Saturday Night" by Heather O'Neill; "Enon" by Paul Harding; Thomas Hardy's "Tess of the d'Urbervilles;" and Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities."

Reviews

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

My book blurb: The Blue Bottle is a book I would have loved to have curled up with as a young reader during summer vacation. It is an absorbing, imaginative novel that captures the historical essence of small-town coastal New England. Well-plotted with surprising touches of engaging magical realism, The Blue Bottle will appeal to both children and their parents.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a delightful fantasy! A story for any age., it reminds me of the adventures I read as a kid. Such lush description, it was like reading with all five senses.