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Bluish
In this powerful novel researched in NYC schools, Newbery Medalist Virginia Hamilton documents the struggle young people face as they simultaneously assert their independence and yearn for guidance.
Friendship isn't always easy. Natalie is different from the other girls in Dreenie's fifth-grade class. She comes to school in a wheelchair, always wearing a knitted hat. The kids call her "Bluish" because her skin is tinted blue from chemotherapy. Dreenie is fascinated by Bluish -- and a little scared of her, too. She watches Bluish and writes her observations in her journal. Slowly, the two girls become good friends. But Dreenie still struggles with Bluish's illness. Bluish is weak and frail, but she also wants to be independent and respected. How do you act around a girl like that?
Friendship isn't always easy. Natalie is different from the other girls in Dreenie's fifth-grade class. She comes to school in a wheelchair, always wearing a knitted hat. The kids call her "Bluish" because her skin is tinted blue from chemotherapy. Dreenie is fascinated by Bluish -- and a little scared of her, too. She watches Bluish and writes her observations in her journal. Slowly, the two girls become good friends. But Dreenie still struggles with Bluish's illness. Bluish is weak and frail, but she also wants to be independent and respected. How do you act around a girl like that?
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
25 people are currently reading
362 people want to read
About the author
Virginia Hamilton
137 books270 followersVirginia Esther Hamilton was the author of forty-one works of fiction and nonfiction. She was the first Black writer awarded the Newbery Medal and the first children's writer to be named a MacArthur Fellow (the "Genius" grant). She also received the National Book Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Medal.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
August 19, 2025
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I found this book slightly confusing at first. It started with a journal by Dreenie, who's writing about Bluish. Bluish has leukemia and she is called that because of her pale blue color from chemotherapy (her real name is Natalie).
The kids in the 5th grade class don't know how to act around Bluish because she is so different from the rest of them. She gets sick sometimes and she has to be in a wheelchair all the time. Everyone in their class reacts differently, some of them feel sorry for her, some are mean, and most of them are confused or worry that they'll catch what Bluish has.
Dreenie eventually gets to know Bluish and they become very close friends. She learns to understand her better, and Bluish makes hats for all the kids in their class. Everyone loves them and makes Bluish feel accepted in spite of her illness.
I loved this book because I thought it was super sweet and now I understand more about what people with leukemia or people having chemotherapy are going through. I would definitely recommend this!
I found this book slightly confusing at first. It started with a journal by Dreenie, who's writing about Bluish. Bluish has leukemia and she is called that because of her pale blue color from chemotherapy (her real name is Natalie).
The kids in the 5th grade class don't know how to act around Bluish because she is so different from the rest of them. She gets sick sometimes and she has to be in a wheelchair all the time. Everyone in their class reacts differently, some of them feel sorry for her, some are mean, and most of them are confused or worry that they'll catch what Bluish has.
Dreenie eventually gets to know Bluish and they become very close friends. She learns to understand her better, and Bluish makes hats for all the kids in their class. Everyone loves them and makes Bluish feel accepted in spite of her illness.
I loved this book because I thought it was super sweet and now I understand more about what people with leukemia or people having chemotherapy are going through. I would definitely recommend this!
November 30, 2014
I recently found a review of this book that I had written in third or fourth grade. Up until then, I had no idea I had read the book. It's easy to forget if you're not keeping track of them, and I was a vivacious reader back then, as I am now. Unfortunately, the review was more of a summary. It had no rating of the book. I'm rating it 3.5 stars because that's about average, and I wouldn't want to give the book a false rating.
Here's the review (no edits):
I read a book called "Bluish." by Virginia Hamilton. It is a novel. This book is about a girl named Dreenie, and she is trying to become friends with Bluish. Bluish is really sick. Bluish has Leukemia, which is a kind of cancer. This makes it hard for Dreenie to become friends with her. But in the end, Dreenie and Natalie (Bluish's real name,), become GFFs, or Good Friends Forever.
End Review.
I don't know if I invented Good Friends Forever or if that's actually in the book--it sounds like the sort of thing I would've made up. :)
Here's the review (no edits):
I read a book called "Bluish." by Virginia Hamilton. It is a novel. This book is about a girl named Dreenie, and she is trying to become friends with Bluish. Bluish is really sick. Bluish has Leukemia, which is a kind of cancer. This makes it hard for Dreenie to become friends with her. But in the end, Dreenie and Natalie (Bluish's real name,), become GFFs, or Good Friends Forever.
End Review.
I don't know if I invented Good Friends Forever or if that's actually in the book--it sounds like the sort of thing I would've made up. :)
August 27, 2020
I love Virginia Hamilton's books!
October 9, 2011
I found this book a little difficult to follow because the timeline skips around a bit and the kids have nicknames and there's a lot going on around the periphery of the story. I feel like it would have helped if there'd been a short prologue introducing us to the characters, setting and some of the story.
It's a great, but very incomplete, peek into the life of a few girls in 5th grade. A couple of them are sisters who are new transfers into the school mid-year, one who is a friend of theirs and another who is a classmate who is very different from them and that the speaker wants to know more about and hopefully befriend.
The story does a good job of showing some of the stress that children face today on many levels. It also does a good job of showing how the positive outreaching actions of one child in a classroom towards someone different can transform the entire classroom's attitude. And, it also pointed out how the behavior of the "outcast" child can help the transformation.
I'm curious to see how my 6th Grader likes this book and what sorts of discussions and activities they engage in with it.
It's a great, but very incomplete, peek into the life of a few girls in 5th grade. A couple of them are sisters who are new transfers into the school mid-year, one who is a friend of theirs and another who is a classmate who is very different from them and that the speaker wants to know more about and hopefully befriend.
The story does a good job of showing some of the stress that children face today on many levels. It also does a good job of showing how the positive outreaching actions of one child in a classroom towards someone different can transform the entire classroom's attitude. And, it also pointed out how the behavior of the "outcast" child can help the transformation.
I'm curious to see how my 6th Grader likes this book and what sorts of discussions and activities they engage in with it.
March 23, 2009
I would actually give this book three and a half stars. Virginia Hamilton, in this very short novel, creates an amazingly complex world (including uncommonly textrous histories for each character, especially for a book of this brevity,) and lets the reader get to know them well enough to deeply feel of their heartache, loneliness, illness, and happiness, too. While dealing with the sober concept of cancer, the book touches lightly, eliciting emotional response while never seeming overly somber or dark. This is the best Virginia Hamilton book I have read, and that is saying quite a bit when it comes to this nearly-legendary writer.
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March 28, 2009Bluish is a girl who is recovering from leukemia. She is so pale that she looks almost blue. Dreenie is fascinated and pulled to her. She and her friend Tuli slowly befriend this new girl who seems so strange. The growing reltionships among the three girls are touchingly detailed as they develop a new and rewarding closeness.
August 22, 2015
Delightful and educational. This would be a great read aloud book for elementary children but an enlightening read for all ages. I am a retired school teacher and now I fill in all the books I did not have time to read. Try children's books because they will capture your attention.
April 5, 2024
Beautiful story.
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November 23, 2014Dreenie is a new kid in school, starting fifth grade. She is lonely until she meets a new friend Tuli. She is also curious about another girl in class, Natalie, who is in a wheelchair. Natalie always wears a knitted hat and her skin has a blue tint. Dreenie starts keeping a secret journal about her interactions with the girl. She finds out that Natalie has leukemia. Natalie is frail, but she desires to be independent. Dreenie and Tuli befriend Natalie while working on a project together. The story portrays the growing friendship of these three girls who come from different backgrounds. At one point, Natalie knits matching hats for the whole class. They all begin to see her as a person and not the blue looking girl in the wheel chair. Dreenie gives her journal as a gift to Natalie. In the end, we do not know whether Natalie will conquer her illness, but we are left with an impression that the friendships between the girls had a healing effect on all.
This book belongs in contemporary realistic fiction because it deals with real issues relevant to our tie and society we live in: cancer, acceptance of differences, overcoming loneliness etc. It realistically portrays modern school atmosphere and peer interactions.
Lexile level for this book is 460 and grade level equivalent is 5.5. I would recommend it for grades 4-5. Concepts that can be taught are character development (evolution of relationships between the girls), character analysis (compare and contrast the three friends), narrative structure (journal entries are interwoven with the narrative), writing process and techniques (journal writing). Students can write their own journals observing someone from their environment (and even give it as a gift to that person, like Dreenie does.)
The themes that the book explores are friendship, illness, acceptance, multiculturalism. Students can discuss bullying and discrimination (friends call Natalie Blewish to denote her African American and Jewish descent). They can also reflect on the way Dreenie’s understanding of Natalie’s circumstances changes. At first, she thinks Natalie is a lucky girl because she gets to bring her puppy to school, but then she finds out she is not that lucky because she is ill. Students can discuss how we can have wrong impressions about people based on the way they look.
It would be helpful for students to create graphic organizers and map out main events and characters. The narrative might be difficult for some because of the switch in perspective from 1st person narrative (Dreenie’s journal entries) to Hamilton’s omniscient 3rd person narrator. Students can study the two types of narration and the pros and cons of using each in their writing.
This book belongs in contemporary realistic fiction because it deals with real issues relevant to our tie and society we live in: cancer, acceptance of differences, overcoming loneliness etc. It realistically portrays modern school atmosphere and peer interactions.
Lexile level for this book is 460 and grade level equivalent is 5.5. I would recommend it for grades 4-5. Concepts that can be taught are character development (evolution of relationships between the girls), character analysis (compare and contrast the three friends), narrative structure (journal entries are interwoven with the narrative), writing process and techniques (journal writing). Students can write their own journals observing someone from their environment (and even give it as a gift to that person, like Dreenie does.)
The themes that the book explores are friendship, illness, acceptance, multiculturalism. Students can discuss bullying and discrimination (friends call Natalie Blewish to denote her African American and Jewish descent). They can also reflect on the way Dreenie’s understanding of Natalie’s circumstances changes. At first, she thinks Natalie is a lucky girl because she gets to bring her puppy to school, but then she finds out she is not that lucky because she is ill. Students can discuss how we can have wrong impressions about people based on the way they look.
It would be helpful for students to create graphic organizers and map out main events and characters. The narrative might be difficult for some because of the switch in perspective from 1st person narrative (Dreenie’s journal entries) to Hamilton’s omniscient 3rd person narrator. Students can study the two types of narration and the pros and cons of using each in their writing.
February 21, 2017
This is a nice read alike for Wonder, Fish in a Tree, and other books about differences and special needs.
August 13, 2012
This is the story of overcoming differences and true friendship. The main character, Dreenie, is drawn to Natalie (aka. Bluish). At first it is because she gets to bring a puppy to school. Then Dreenie begins to keep a secret journal completely about her interactions with Bluish. It is heart warming to how Dreenie goes from simply being fascinated with Bluish to developing a deep friendship. Dreenie even promote change in her classmates feelings and ideas about Bluish. They all begin to see Bluish as a person and not the blue looking girl in the wheel chair. At the end Dreenie does the most selfless thing by giving Bluish her journal. I really like this book. It made me sad at times to think about a young child having to deal with leukemia while trying to have a normal life. Dreenie and Natalie are both strong girls and very much alike. It's easy for me to see how such a strong friendship developed.
May 31, 2009
This book is about a young girl named Natalie who can’t walk, she uses a wheelchair to do her walking. Natalie is in fifth grade. She comes to school in a wheelchair, wearing s knitted hat, and is the only one allowed to bring her puppy to school. Everyone in her class calls Natalie ‘’bluish’’ because of her pale skin and tinted blue. Dreenie a girl Natalie’s school is fascinated by Bluish, and a little scared of her as well. Dreenie always watches bluish draw in her little notepad. As times progress’s the two girls become friends. Dreenie still struggles with bluish’s illness. Bluish is weak and frail but also wants to be independent and respected.
I wouldnt really recommend this book to anyone, i didnt like it as much. It was kind of boring in my opinion.
if i were to rate this book out of ten, i would give it a four, i didnt really find anything special about it.
I wouldnt really recommend this book to anyone, i didnt like it as much. It was kind of boring in my opinion.
if i were to rate this book out of ten, i would give it a four, i didnt really find anything special about it.
February 8, 2016
There simply aren't enough childrens novels that revolve around a diverse cast of characters. I'm not placing blame on this issue, but books like Bluish need to be placed in the hands of more children in more classrooms. Much like Jacqueline Woodson, Virginia Hamilton (Cousins) embraces racial discussions even in novels where race isn't even a running theme. Hamilton is able to casually write about race in the innocent way that children generally approach it.
In terms of the actual plot, I would've liked to be able to chew on a little more than 127 pages, but Hamilton knows what she's doing. As a challenging book for 5th grade/6th grade students, Hamilton keeps the pages short so as not to overwhelm young readers.
I'll be handing Bluish to students who need something quick, but challenging.
In terms of the actual plot, I would've liked to be able to chew on a little more than 127 pages, but Hamilton knows what she's doing. As a challenging book for 5th grade/6th grade students, Hamilton keeps the pages short so as not to overwhelm young readers.
I'll be handing Bluish to students who need something quick, but challenging.
March 4, 2013
What I thought of this book called Bluish by Virginia Hamilton, is that it was quite good, but I found it hard to follow due to random journal entries, but overall I would give it 4 stars.
In this book Dreenie becomes friends With Tuli (In the journal entries she calls here Tulifoolie). Then they both are chosen into a project with Bluish (The one with ALL cancer she is keeping the journal about). The project helps them become better friends, while they become real friends when Bluish (Her real name is Neatille) make Dreenie and Tuli hats, then she makes hats for the whole class. But will Dreenie's wish come true? To get a puppy like Bluish has for christmas? You'll never know until you read the book.
In this book Dreenie becomes friends With Tuli (In the journal entries she calls here Tulifoolie). Then they both are chosen into a project with Bluish (The one with ALL cancer she is keeping the journal about). The project helps them become better friends, while they become real friends when Bluish (Her real name is Neatille) make Dreenie and Tuli hats, then she makes hats for the whole class. But will Dreenie's wish come true? To get a puppy like Bluish has for christmas? You'll never know until you read the book.
July 27, 2013
I was surprised at what an impact this short little book could have. It's amazing how fleshed out the characters are too. I loved reading about these four girls and how they develope a friendship in spite of their differences. I think Tuli is my favorite, she's so unpredictable and funny. The interactions between the characters, especially the dialogue, was very believable. I liked the message of don't be afraid of those who are different and also, how one person's kindness can influence the whole class. I guess my only complaint is that it's too short. Hamilton could've easily made it twice as long without losing her audience. I give it 3.5 stars.
September 23, 2013
Hamilton chooses an oddly affected style of writing, one that leaves the first quarter of the book as (almost) a cipher. Eventually she moves into telling the story she has set to tell, and bits of personality occasional narrator Dreenie established early on come into play and help establish some degree of emotional depth. I'm curious if the target audience would find the early chapters as frustrating or if that is a more effective means of writing for and to them. The finished product is admirable and covers a lot of ground in limited text.
November 15, 2013
Eh. Hamilton jumps around with narration and plot. She left out details and repeated other ones. Every now and again there's a snippet of something interesting only to never heard anything about it again. I'd say the book needed to be longer, fleshed out as they say, but I was bored at the current length.
Tuli was annoying and compliment needy. Natalie (Bluish--a horrible nickname) mostly gets facial expressions as personality, and, you know, I'm done being hard on things today.
Not my jam.
Tuli was annoying and compliment needy. Natalie (Bluish--a horrible nickname) mostly gets facial expressions as personality, and, you know, I'm done being hard on things today.
Not my jam.
September 24, 2021
Wasn’t loving this at first, but then out of nowhere it cast its spell over me. I can see why this book is part of the curriculum in NYC schools. It teaches about different cultures and religion. It explains the hardship of childhood cancer and the peers who have to watch. Very important themes throughout this book.
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January 21, 2010
This one of my favorite books because this book is baisclly about friendship and how her and her friends are like the girl bluish is called bluish because she has cancer and you can see her skull and her classmates call her that and her mother dont like them calling her that because her mother think they are trying to be mean.And at the end of the book her and her friends wear matching hats (shown on the cover of the book).
June 27, 2009
I picked this one to read because it was on a recommended bibliography about bullying. Honestly, it was just okay for me. An average read - nothing to make it stand out for me. I don't think this is appropriate for middle school level as it reads much younger. I would probably recommend it for 3rd or 4th grade.
June 9, 2013
I really really dislike this book. All kids are mean to this girl because she has CANCER, and is all alone. They think cancer is contagious (these are fifth graders) and never get near or talk to her. The main character acts like she is best friends with Natalie (the cancer-infected girl), though she still calls her Bluish with all the other kids because her skin has a bluish tint after chemo.
April 20, 2008
This is written from the point of view of one of the three main characters. It is about learning to see people for what they are, not what they look like. The girls in this story learn to deal with a friend who has a serious illness.
April 4, 2012
Written from two point of views throughout the book, a narrator and a character. What it is like for a young girl when a student in her class is sick. Teaches a person that regardless of a persons situation not to treat them differently.
May 14, 2013
A young girl journals about a girl the color of moonlight who sits in a wheelchair and brings a dog to school.
Bluish's mom is sensitive about her interethnic marriage.
I did not care for the ending. It seemed offhand.
Bluish's mom is sensitive about her interethnic marriage.
I did not care for the ending. It seemed offhand.
December 3, 2013
I really enjoyed the characters and the story here. I appreciated the complexity of these relationships even as I was reminded of what it was to be in grade school. My only critique is that I wanted more.
March 15, 2015
This book reminded me of "Wonder" but from the view point of a classmate. It is a bit funny and very well written. I think it is a great read for all kids but especially the ones who have a kid at their school who is different due to a disability or illness.
November 18, 2007
Three friends, one of whom has leukemia.
December 18, 2008
Dreenie has opposing feelings about the girl with luekemia and the blue color from school. In the end, she is in remission from lukemia. okay. didn’t get into it
February 19, 2009
A cute book, but not of the caliber you're used to from Virginia Hamilton.
April 20, 2009
this was a ok book. it was sad.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews