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Touch Blue
Touch Blue and your wish will come true.
"Why take chances?" says eleven-year-old Tess Brooks. "Especially when it's so easy to let the universe know what you want by touching blue or turning around three times or crossing your fingers."
But Tess is coming to know that it's not always that simple.
The state of Maine plans to shut down her island's schoolhouse, which would force Tess's family to move to the mainland--and Tess to leave the only home she has ever known. Fortunately, the islanders have a plan increase the numbers of students by having several families take in foster children. So now Tess and her family are taking a chance on Aaron, a thirteen-year-old trumpet player who has been bounced from home to home. And Tess needs a plan of her own--and all the luck she can muster. Will Tess's wish come true or will her luck run out?
Newbery Honor author Cynthia Lord offers a warm-hearted, humorous, and thoughtful look at what it means to belong--and how lucky we feel when we do. Touch Blue, sure as certain, will touch your heart.
Honors for Touch
2011 Lupine Award, Maine Library Association.
2011 Maine Literary Award, Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance.
2010 Best Books For Children, Christian Science Monitor.
Best Children's Books of 2010, Book Page.
Best Children's Books of the Year (2011), Bank Street College (starred for outstanding merit)Editor's Pick, Adoptive Families magazine.
Nominated
Pennsylvania Young Readers Choice Award
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award (Vermont)
Rhode Island Children's Book Award Rhode Island Teen Book Award
Indian Paintbrush Award (Wyoming)
North Carolina Children's Book Award
The Charlotte Award (New York)
Louisiana Young Readers Choice Award
Horn Toad Tales, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, Texas
"Why take chances?" says eleven-year-old Tess Brooks. "Especially when it's so easy to let the universe know what you want by touching blue or turning around three times or crossing your fingers."
But Tess is coming to know that it's not always that simple.
The state of Maine plans to shut down her island's schoolhouse, which would force Tess's family to move to the mainland--and Tess to leave the only home she has ever known. Fortunately, the islanders have a plan increase the numbers of students by having several families take in foster children. So now Tess and her family are taking a chance on Aaron, a thirteen-year-old trumpet player who has been bounced from home to home. And Tess needs a plan of her own--and all the luck she can muster. Will Tess's wish come true or will her luck run out?
Newbery Honor author Cynthia Lord offers a warm-hearted, humorous, and thoughtful look at what it means to belong--and how lucky we feel when we do. Touch Blue, sure as certain, will touch your heart.
Honors for Touch
2011 Lupine Award, Maine Library Association.
2011 Maine Literary Award, Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance.
2010 Best Books For Children, Christian Science Monitor.
Best Children's Books of 2010, Book Page.
Best Children's Books of the Year (2011), Bank Street College (starred for outstanding merit)Editor's Pick, Adoptive Families magazine.
Nominated
Pennsylvania Young Readers Choice Award
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award (Vermont)
Rhode Island Children's Book Award Rhode Island Teen Book Award
Indian Paintbrush Award (Wyoming)
North Carolina Children's Book Award
The Charlotte Award (New York)
Louisiana Young Readers Choice Award
Horn Toad Tales, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, Texas
186 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2010
118 people are currently reading
4048 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 624 reviews
October 6, 2021
TOUCH BLUE
Cynthia Lord
It's the Gloster Fisherman!
The setting of the book is Maine, a state I have never been to but would love to go for sure. I always try to find books in that setting as I have a romantic picture of the state in mind. A tranquil, slower pace of life and more wildlife. So I am not sure why I was rather resistive to starting this book, but once I was beyond the first few pages I was completely enamored with it.
The story is about an Island town that is losing population and the state has threatened to close the school. Should that happen, 11-year-old Tess and her family will have to move to the mainland. Tess is afraid of losing all that she knows and so when the town decides to up the school population by providing foster care for children, several families become foster parents. This seems to be a great idea and a win-win. Tess and her family are excited to gain a new member and Tess and sister Libby looks forward to a new sibling. Aaron, a 13-year-old boy who is a talented musician arrives but misses his mother who is unable to take care of him. There is the island bully, the nosy old lady, and the rest of the family to fill out the characters.
This is a sweet and thoughtful presentation of the issues in being placed in foster care and I felt that it was totally age-appropriate for 9 to 12-year-olds in middle school. The family in the book owns a lobster fishing business and so much of the story takes place fishing, which is a large part of Tess's life. I enjoyed the story, for sure. and think most would.
4 stars
Happy Reading!
Cynthia Lord
It's the Gloster Fisherman!
The setting of the book is Maine, a state I have never been to but would love to go for sure. I always try to find books in that setting as I have a romantic picture of the state in mind. A tranquil, slower pace of life and more wildlife. So I am not sure why I was rather resistive to starting this book, but once I was beyond the first few pages I was completely enamored with it.
The story is about an Island town that is losing population and the state has threatened to close the school. Should that happen, 11-year-old Tess and her family will have to move to the mainland. Tess is afraid of losing all that she knows and so when the town decides to up the school population by providing foster care for children, several families become foster parents. This seems to be a great idea and a win-win. Tess and her family are excited to gain a new member and Tess and sister Libby looks forward to a new sibling. Aaron, a 13-year-old boy who is a talented musician arrives but misses his mother who is unable to take care of him. There is the island bully, the nosy old lady, and the rest of the family to fill out the characters.
This is a sweet and thoughtful presentation of the issues in being placed in foster care and I felt that it was totally age-appropriate for 9 to 12-year-olds in middle school. The family in the book owns a lobster fishing business and so much of the story takes place fishing, which is a large part of Tess's life. I enjoyed the story, for sure. and think most would.
4 stars
Happy Reading!
January 27, 2011
Tess's island town takes in foster children in order to keep their local school open. I didn't like this book. Her first book, Rules, worked because it had a foundation of authenticity to it that was totally lacking in this one, except for maybe three pages near the end. There are wonderful stories to be written about children in foster care, but they're grittier than this one, and more complicated. Not necessarily sadder, but harder. The present tense seemed forced and the luck theme seemed gimmicky. Two stars for adults, and I think still two stars for kids.
February 14, 2012
“Touch blue and your wish will come true.”
Tess Brooks believes in luck. She stands on the pier waiting for her new foster brother, Aaron, to step off the ferry at Bethsaida island thinking about luck. Luck that Aaron will like her family. Luck that school won’t be closed. But then she spots Aaron and his red hair that shines out of the crowd like a beacon. Her heart sags; everyone knows it’s unlucky to ride a boat with a red-head.
This is the setup for the story where Aaron has to learn to live with his third foster family. He distrusts them when he hears that the islanders have taken on several foster kids to increase their numbers which will save the island’s school from closing. Eben, the bully, blurts out this truth to Aaron in a malicious and mean-spirited way. When Aaron threatens to run away and find his birth Mom, Tess concocts a plan to get her to the island to hear Aaron play his trumpet in a talent show.
The writing in this novel is beautiful and succinct, drawing the senses into what it smells and feels like living in a fishing village on an island. The author does a marvelous job creating the setting.
The color blue symbolizes luck and freedom. Tess discovers that it isn’t luck but letting others choose their destiny and giving them the freedom to do so is what matters. Aaron has no freedom and has been manipulated by the state and foster families since he was a young boy. No one seems to be working in his best interests and he is like the blue lobster that Tess has caught that swims in circles in the bucket searching for a way out that doesn’t exist. His life has been a series of unlucky circumstances. He has to learn how to find happiness within. Just like Tess does. Tess figures this out at the climax when she tells Aaron to be happy and to stay on the island only because he wants to and not to save the school. She also learns that even though she is disappointed with her best friend, Amy, who has not written much since moving off the island to the mainland, it doesn’t mean that Tess can’t write to her.
This story is rich and multi-layered. The use of music ties in with the theme as well as references to the main characters in The Great Gilly Hopkins and Anne of Green Gables. A fantastic book! Based on a true story, you can follow the links on the discussion guide.
Tess Brooks believes in luck. She stands on the pier waiting for her new foster brother, Aaron, to step off the ferry at Bethsaida island thinking about luck. Luck that Aaron will like her family. Luck that school won’t be closed. But then she spots Aaron and his red hair that shines out of the crowd like a beacon. Her heart sags; everyone knows it’s unlucky to ride a boat with a red-head.
This is the setup for the story where Aaron has to learn to live with his third foster family. He distrusts them when he hears that the islanders have taken on several foster kids to increase their numbers which will save the island’s school from closing. Eben, the bully, blurts out this truth to Aaron in a malicious and mean-spirited way. When Aaron threatens to run away and find his birth Mom, Tess concocts a plan to get her to the island to hear Aaron play his trumpet in a talent show.
The writing in this novel is beautiful and succinct, drawing the senses into what it smells and feels like living in a fishing village on an island. The author does a marvelous job creating the setting.
The color blue symbolizes luck and freedom. Tess discovers that it isn’t luck but letting others choose their destiny and giving them the freedom to do so is what matters. Aaron has no freedom and has been manipulated by the state and foster families since he was a young boy. No one seems to be working in his best interests and he is like the blue lobster that Tess has caught that swims in circles in the bucket searching for a way out that doesn’t exist. His life has been a series of unlucky circumstances. He has to learn how to find happiness within. Just like Tess does. Tess figures this out at the climax when she tells Aaron to be happy and to stay on the island only because he wants to and not to save the school. She also learns that even though she is disappointed with her best friend, Amy, who has not written much since moving off the island to the mainland, it doesn’t mean that Tess can’t write to her.
This story is rich and multi-layered. The use of music ties in with the theme as well as references to the main characters in The Great Gilly Hopkins and Anne of Green Gables. A fantastic book! Based on a true story, you can follow the links on the discussion guide.
December 4, 2010
A very sweet, touching story. It's age-appropriate (9 to 12, I should think), but it truly shows the anguish and loss foster children go through as a regular part of their lives. Tess sounds like a very recognizable, real eleven-year-old girl, and the author integrated the rural island setting very well into the story. The ending was great, too -- it was conclusive and hopeful, not all neatly-wrapped-up-live-happily-ever-after, but more like how real life would be. I think 9-to-12s, particularly foster children or children from families who take in foster children, will really enjoy this book and benefit from it.
If you liked this book, you might also like Priscilla Cummings's Red Kayak, Gary Schmidt's Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy or Ann E. Burg's All the Broken Pieces.
If you liked this book, you might also like Priscilla Cummings's Red Kayak, Gary Schmidt's Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy or Ann E. Burg's All the Broken Pieces.
November 29, 2020
I'm giving this 3 becasue it was short and sweet, and because younger kids will probably enjoy it if they like realistic fiction. I want to rate it 2 stars for the very fact that the plot kind of offended me. A bunch of families on a small island take in foster kids to keep their school open (they need more bodies to justify their school once another family moves away.) Taking in foster children is admirable and important, but the way this was presented felt too gimmicky. Aaron's storyline was good, but Tess and her sister were often annoying.
February 10, 2011
cute...but better (and funnier) when I read it the first time, when it was called surviving the applewhites ;)
February 8, 2017
A wonderful book
November 25, 2020
This book is sweet, but surprisingly slow-paced for a children's book. Not a lot happens, and I was surprised when I got to the end because it felt like the story never really got started.
Too much of the book takes place in boats placing lobster traps, which is not super interesting. Another large portion of the book consists of written descriptions of music, which also is not super interesting. Then the final chapter is suddenly upon us,
That aside, it wasn't an unpleasant read. The writing style is readable and engaging. I appreciated the detail that fleshed out the island community. It felt like a real place, with enough information about other community members that the world felt populated and real, but not so much that it cluttered the main story. I'm also always a sucker for Monopoly references. Overall, a solidly passable slice of life.
Too much of the book takes place in boats placing lobster traps, which is not super interesting. Another large portion of the book consists of written descriptions of music, which also is not super interesting. Then the final chapter is suddenly upon us,
That aside, it wasn't an unpleasant read. The writing style is readable and engaging. I appreciated the detail that fleshed out the island community. It felt like a real place, with enough information about other community members that the world felt populated and real, but not so much that it cluttered the main story. I'm also always a sucker for Monopoly references. Overall, a solidly passable slice of life.
September 30, 2010
TOUCH BLUE was one of those books that I read quickly because I loved it so much...and then slowly toward the end, because even though I was desperate to find out how these characters' stories played out, I was so, so sad to leave them behind on the last page. I shouldn't have worried, though - the characters in TOUCH BLUE are the kind that stay with you long after you finish reading.
There's hopeful Tess, who waits on the shore for the ferry boat bringing her father with the new foster kid who's coming to stay with them. He needs a home, but the people of Tess's Maine island community need something from him, too -- a filled seat in a school house. The local island school is in danger of closing because of low enrollment, so the community decides to take in foster children, in part, to keep it open.
While Tess has high hopes for Aaron (she wants him to be like foster kids she's read about in books, like Anne of Green Gables), the reality is more complicated than that, and the amazing characters in this novel face challenge after challenge -- some relating to their futures, and some to their histories.
This is a beautiful book - you'll smell the salt of the Maine ocean and hear the dice land on the Monopoly board. And you'll laugh. And probably cry, too. Maybe even at the same time.
(And for my students reading this review, Cindy signed a copy of TOUCH BLUE to the Global Citizens at her book launch in Vermont the other night. I'll have it available for sign-out in the classroom library this week!)
There's hopeful Tess, who waits on the shore for the ferry boat bringing her father with the new foster kid who's coming to stay with them. He needs a home, but the people of Tess's Maine island community need something from him, too -- a filled seat in a school house. The local island school is in danger of closing because of low enrollment, so the community decides to take in foster children, in part, to keep it open.
While Tess has high hopes for Aaron (she wants him to be like foster kids she's read about in books, like Anne of Green Gables), the reality is more complicated than that, and the amazing characters in this novel face challenge after challenge -- some relating to their futures, and some to their histories.
This is a beautiful book - you'll smell the salt of the Maine ocean and hear the dice land on the Monopoly board. And you'll laugh. And probably cry, too. Maybe even at the same time.
(And for my students reading this review, Cindy signed a copy of TOUCH BLUE to the Global Citizens at her book launch in Vermont the other night. I'll have it available for sign-out in the classroom library this week!)
March 24, 2014
Touch Blue and your wish will come true. This is the story of a girl from a small island in Maine. Small enough that the state is planning on shutting down the island's school. So the families on the island get together and make a plan to foster children in order to get the school's numbers up.
Tess (11) and her family foster a 13-year-old boy named Aaron. Aaron has a hard time with island life, and Tess keeps wishing on her lucky objects hoping things will change. When Tess learns she has to make her own luck, and learns she has to accept Aaron and all his troubles, things might just get better.
The characterization was good, pacing was good, and my children really enjoyed this story. I recommend it highly for kids aged 7 to 12.
Tess (11) and her family foster a 13-year-old boy named Aaron. Aaron has a hard time with island life, and Tess keeps wishing on her lucky objects hoping things will change. When Tess learns she has to make her own luck, and learns she has to accept Aaron and all his troubles, things might just get better.
The characterization was good, pacing was good, and my children really enjoyed this story. I recommend it highly for kids aged 7 to 12.
November 28, 2016
Touch Blue was a reread for me and I did not like it the second time around. I read it in 6th or 7th grade and loved it, but this year it was one of my least favorite books. It is a good book, like I said I liked it in 6th or 7th grade, but it's not for me anymore.
July 20, 2010
One Sentence Review: A sweet if ultimately somewhat forgettable little tale that touches on some might big issues without quite giving them enough room to breathe.
June 24, 2017
The four stars is my 10yo's rating. I bought for him because he was foster adopt--although he came to us at 11months old and we were his only placement--so a very different foster story. He liked the lobstering and seeing Aaron deal with his feelings about his mom.
For me it was more of a 3 star, maybe two at the start (couldn't get into it) but I loved things toward the end--particularly when Tess realizes her happiness can't be wrapped up in one thing and it's not her job to control everything.
For me it was more of a 3 star, maybe two at the start (couldn't get into it) but I loved things toward the end--particularly when Tess realizes her happiness can't be wrapped up in one thing and it's not her job to control everything.
February 7, 2025
This was exceedingly well written! It felt very realistic regarding both biological and "found" family relationships. These characters felt real and very human. Quite poignant, yet informative. We humans are definitely complex creatures!
March 18, 2017
Great companion book for "One for the Murphy's." I really enjoyed this book especially the analogy between Aaron (the orphan) and the blue lobster. Aaron is worried if the blue lobster will be okay since it wasn't released where it "belongs" and Tess says, "Well, he's blue! That's gonna stick out no matter what...and lobsters are like people: Some take to strangers okay, and others come at each other with their claws wide open. But he's in a good place, and it can be a home for him, if he'll let it be."
July 15, 2010
Tess firmly believes in luck and does all sorts of things to try and capture some of it. But wishes and luck are difficult things to grab ahold of as Tess quickly discovers. On her island home, the number of children have fallen below the threshold to have a school. If nothing is done, Tess and her family will have to leave the island and Tess will be unable to become a fisherman the way she wants to. So the islanders decide to take in foster children to both increase the number of children on the island and to help other people. Tess has been envisioning an orphan like Anne of Green Gables, who loves to read, loves the island and loves their family. But real life is more complicated. Her family ends up fostering Aaron, a boy haunted by his past and the loss of his mother, a boy who is silent and distant, moody and who plays the trumpet with amazing skill. Where is the luck in that?
Lord’s writing is effortless and enjoyable. While this book feels like a light summer read, it offers many insights into family, loss, luck and bravery. Lord has again tackled a difficult subject with such a brilliant approach that readers will be happily afloat in her hands before realizing that the book has a lot more depth than they may have expected.
Lord also excels at characters. Here Tess is the main protagonist, a girl who holds onto her haven of a community and clings to all the luck she can. She is a complex character written with restraint and understanding. Her delightful mix of bravery, self-assurance, and doubt is masterfully presented. Another great characterization is Aaron who reveals himself to the reader slowly, just as he does to Tess and her family. He is a foil to many characterizations of foster children, yet at the same time he has a darkness and need to him that speaks volumes.
You are guaranteed to have luck if you pick up this title, even more if you share it with another. Appropriate for ages 9-12.
Lord’s writing is effortless and enjoyable. While this book feels like a light summer read, it offers many insights into family, loss, luck and bravery. Lord has again tackled a difficult subject with such a brilliant approach that readers will be happily afloat in her hands before realizing that the book has a lot more depth than they may have expected.
Lord also excels at characters. Here Tess is the main protagonist, a girl who holds onto her haven of a community and clings to all the luck she can. She is a complex character written with restraint and understanding. Her delightful mix of bravery, self-assurance, and doubt is masterfully presented. Another great characterization is Aaron who reveals himself to the reader slowly, just as he does to Tess and her family. He is a foil to many characterizations of foster children, yet at the same time he has a darkness and need to him that speaks volumes.
You are guaranteed to have luck if you pick up this title, even more if you share it with another. Appropriate for ages 9-12.
March 29, 2015
The main characters in touch blue are Tess, Libby, and Aaron. Aaron is the foster child that Libby and Tess' family adopted. His mom was told she could not raise him and his grandmother started to take care of him, unfortunately she died a few years after she took him in. So he went to a foster home and lived there until he was 13. The reason he was adopted along with a lot of other foster children was because the mayor of Maine threatened to shut down the island school because there were not enough kids attending. The priest on the island went to all the families and said they should adopt one child and if every family took at least one in they would most likely have enough kids to keep the school open. Tess and Libby are very eager to meet Aaron, but when they try a bit too hard to get to know him he gets shy and doesn't really talk to them, so their parents tell Libby and Tess to let him settle in for a while.
I think my favorite part of the book is when Libby and Tess are on the beach and they find the blue sea glass. In the book there is a really good saying I like: Touch blue and your wish will come true. I like this saying because blue is my favorite color and the color is just really uplifting and beautiful to me because it is the color of the vast oceans and sky and if you find something blue I believe your wish will come true. The book was just a really good book and it could be inspirational to a real foster child that doesn't know where they really belong, but then find a good loving home.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes books with a conflict dealing with authority, fighting for what you believe. I think anyone would like this book I definitely did. It's a really inspirational book and I think anyone would enjoy it! I give it 5 stars out of 5!
I think my favorite part of the book is when Libby and Tess are on the beach and they find the blue sea glass. In the book there is a really good saying I like: Touch blue and your wish will come true. I like this saying because blue is my favorite color and the color is just really uplifting and beautiful to me because it is the color of the vast oceans and sky and if you find something blue I believe your wish will come true. The book was just a really good book and it could be inspirational to a real foster child that doesn't know where they really belong, but then find a good loving home.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes books with a conflict dealing with authority, fighting for what you believe. I think anyone would like this book I definitely did. It's a really inspirational book and I think anyone would enjoy it! I give it 5 stars out of 5!
April 24, 2017
This is a heartwarming tale about growing up on an island and the complications of bringing a foster child into your home. The narrative is fairly short but emotionally powerful, combining superstitions and lucky charms about life on the ocean along with the everyday ups and downs of family life.
This book was selected by our girls' book club and we all enjoyed the discussion. I appreciated that the author did not shy away from the fact that Aaron's mother is an alcoholic and she didn't suddenly 'get better' in order to bring him home.
I also appreciated that Jacob and Kate (the parents in the story) experienced several stages with Aaron, including an initial honeymoon followed by a testing stage where he showed a little more anger and emotion to see how they would react and whether they would 'keep' him.
Overall, I thought this was a well-written story and I really liked the ending. I will certainly look for more books by Cynthia Lord at our local library.
interesting quotes:
"When Mom says something 'would be nice,' it sounds like you have a choice, but really you don't." (p. 130)
"Sometimes you have to stop trying to control everything and let life happen the way it's supposed to, Tess. Even if it's not exactly the way you wanted." (p. 173)
"Stay because you want to be here. Stay because we would miss you. And stay because you can belong in more than one place, and one of your places is with us. (p. 179)
This book was selected by our girls' book club and we all enjoyed the discussion. I appreciated that the author did not shy away from the fact that Aaron's mother is an alcoholic and she didn't suddenly 'get better' in order to bring him home.
I also appreciated that Jacob and Kate (the parents in the story) experienced several stages with Aaron, including an initial honeymoon followed by a testing stage where he showed a little more anger and emotion to see how they would react and whether they would 'keep' him.
Overall, I thought this was a well-written story and I really liked the ending. I will certainly look for more books by Cynthia Lord at our local library.
interesting quotes:
"When Mom says something 'would be nice,' it sounds like you have a choice, but really you don't." (p. 130)
"Sometimes you have to stop trying to control everything and let life happen the way it's supposed to, Tess. Even if it's not exactly the way you wanted." (p. 173)
"Stay because you want to be here. Stay because we would miss you. And stay because you can belong in more than one place, and one of your places is with us. (p. 179)
October 25, 2017
TOUCH BLUE is a book that’s about a foster kid coming to a house on a island. I like this book because I can feel how Aaron(foster kid) is ignoring the kids, and he’s doing it on purpose. I like how Tess is really trying to welcome Aaron. I hate that the writer didn’t add something more extreme when Aaron met his mother. Or when Tess wanted to help Aaron by sending a lot of emails to Aaron’s Mother. I can feel that Aaron cares about Tess(main character) and Libby(main character’s sister), but he just doesn’t show. I know that Aaron is starting to enjoy his life at Tess’ house.
September 13, 2011
I am currently reading the book Touch Blue, and all i can say is WOW! It is a really touching book about a foster child that a girl and her family take in. You can really see the struggles of someone who is a little "different" because his parents couldn't help support him so they thought that he would have a better life as a foster child, which is better than living with a drug addict mom and a drunken dad. Nobody really ever realizes how hard it can be if your not "normal", but what is normal? Normal could be ANYTHING there is a wide spread of opportunities for this foster child, but he can't completely grasp that thought because people are just rude and mean to him. He believes that he can't do something that he would like to do, instead of trying to accomplish his goals he believes that he has to use his fists instead of his words. I think that these foster children have A LOT of courage to go into a new home with people they didn't even know, even if they didn't have a choice, because most don't, i probably would stay inside and not want to do anything fun, so i'm saying that this foster child has had hard life and his new family is helping pick up the pieces.
June 10, 2010
Eleven-year-old Tess knows what she wants. She wants to stay on her tiny island home forever and she wants to be a fisherman when she grows up. She wants this plan to work because she can't even think about moving to the mainland and starting all over. The plan? To save their tiny island school from being shut down, island families have agreed to take in foster children. Which is how Aaron comes to live with them. Tess is hoping that Aaron will be like Anne from Anne of Green Gables - a feisty friend ready to explore all the island has to offer. But Aaron's not what Tess expected at all.
This is a gem of a book. The quirky island characters. The details about Maine lobster fishing. Tess's supportive parents. Tess's effervescent personality. In fact, I dare you not to fall in love with this book. Even the cover is perfect - so bright and eye-catching while really fitting with the events in the story. I might be hearing Newbery bells...
http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/2010/...
This is a gem of a book. The quirky island characters. The details about Maine lobster fishing. Tess's supportive parents. Tess's effervescent personality. In fact, I dare you not to fall in love with this book. Even the cover is perfect - so bright and eye-catching while really fitting with the events in the story. I might be hearing Newbery bells...
http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/2010/...
June 29, 2012
11 year old Tess loves living on a small island in Maine with her fisherman father, school teacher mother and little sister - but the state is threatening to close the island's school house due to declining enrollment. Tess' family may have to make some very hard choices soon.
The islanders come up with a plan to increase enrollment by taking in foster children. This too requires some hard choices.
The story really resonated with me; partly because I read it while in Maine, and partly because one of my very favorite books from when I was in 4th or 5th grade had a similar theme.
I would highly recommend it for 4-6 grade readers who like realistic stories about kids working through the challenges of bullying, fitting in and acceptance
The islanders come up with a plan to increase enrollment by taking in foster children. This too requires some hard choices.
The story really resonated with me; partly because I read it while in Maine, and partly because one of my very favorite books from when I was in 4th or 5th grade had a similar theme.
I would highly recommend it for 4-6 grade readers who like realistic stories about kids working through the challenges of bullying, fitting in and acceptance
April 28, 2011
Touch Blue
I hope this becomes a popular book. I loved it. The sentiments expressed by the narrator, 11 year old Tess Brooks, are important and are expressed well. She wants Aaron, her foster brother, to feel at home with her family in Maine. Tess devises an unusual method of helping Aaron overcome anger and grief. But Tess also grows and learns that there are worse things to lose than your school and home. This is a Vermont DCF Book Award nominee for 2011-2012.
I hope this becomes a popular book. I loved it. The sentiments expressed by the narrator, 11 year old Tess Brooks, are important and are expressed well. She wants Aaron, her foster brother, to feel at home with her family in Maine. Tess devises an unusual method of helping Aaron overcome anger and grief. But Tess also grows and learns that there are worse things to lose than your school and home. This is a Vermont DCF Book Award nominee for 2011-2012.
November 14, 2011
Mixed feelings - very sweet, but too much like Rules to be quite as good, and a bit too perfect. Parents who have abandoned you don't miraculously turn up and behave as they should. My message (when I pay attention, there is usually one) was from Tess' father: "I don't know. We don't get to decide. But we'll all go on whatever comes. Sometimes you have to stop trying to control everything and let life happen the way its supposed to...even if its not exactly the way you wanted." If Tess can learn that at 12, I suppose I can learn it at my age.
March 5, 2013
A Quickie Review
When a Maine island's school is threatened to be shut down by the state's government, the residents of the isle adopt kids in an attempt to save their schoolhouse. Narrated by 11-year-old Tess, the story is as innocent as a Disney Channel Original Movie, and even portrays hymns, a preacher, and Christian faith in a positive light. However, some discussion of "wishing" superstition is odd, given the rest of the book. It's nothing special, but Touch Blue was a mildly enjoyable read nonetheless.
Score: 2.5/5
When a Maine island's school is threatened to be shut down by the state's government, the residents of the isle adopt kids in an attempt to save their schoolhouse. Narrated by 11-year-old Tess, the story is as innocent as a Disney Channel Original Movie, and even portrays hymns, a preacher, and Christian faith in a positive light. However, some discussion of "wishing" superstition is odd, given the rest of the book. It's nothing special, but Touch Blue was a mildly enjoyable read nonetheless.
Score: 2.5/5
July 27, 2011
When I think of a book that involves a foster family I think Bud, Not Buddy. What I loved about Touch Blue was that it was told not from the point of view of the orphan, but the point of view of a young girl whose family is taking in a foster child. Reading a story from that angle felt fresh and extremely engaging. Throw in a small island town taking in foster children to keep their one-room schoolhouse open and you got yourself an excellent middle grade novel.
May 13, 2015
This book has 186 pages. I think the main character Tess is like me because she also has a little sister who sometimes annoys her but still loves her. This book reminds me of another book I read that takes on a foster child and the foster child does not like it there in the start but ends up liking them in the end. I gave this book five stars because its one of the best books i ever read. I think the ending of this book is the best part.
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July 10, 2010Heartwarming, sweet, and evocative, TOUCH BLUE is the story of Tess and her family, who live on an island off the coast of Maine and become one of five families to take in a foster child in hopes of keeping their island schoolhouse open. Complex emotions, authentic voice, and characters that leap off the page.
September 4, 2012
I never really fell in love with any of the characters in this book. Aaron didn't seem all that believable to me as a 13 year old boy. Tess's family is great, but maybe just a bit too great.
It was an interesting premise, but it didn't pull me around emotionally like I expected after reading the jacket flap...
It was an interesting premise, but it didn't pull me around emotionally like I expected after reading the jacket flap...
January 28, 2011
I enjoyed this new addition to the foster child genre. A beautiful Maine Island setting, folks intent on saving their school, and a strong family willing to open their home to another child make this a wonderful book.
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