Olive's Ocean

I'm sure I was already in high school before I heard of a classmate's death. Of course, I didn't spend many years in any one school and perhaps that made a difference. Reading the papers now in the small town where I live, it seems that having a schoolmate die must be a fairly common occurrence. So it's not surprising that this event would be a catalyst for more than one children's book.
Olive's Ocean starts with the death of a child in a bicycle accident, but it is not a typical "problem novel" that would appear in a list under "Books to Give Kids Who've Lost a Classmate to Death." The death of Olive Barstow, a classmate that protagonist Martha Boyle scarcely knew, is a catalyst for her 13-year-old voyage of self-discovery.

When Olive's show more mother comes to Martha's door a month or so after the accident, she brings one of Olive's journal entries. Olive wrote that she had three wishes: to be a writer, to live by the ocean, and to make friends with Martha. "the nicest girl in my whole entire class." Martha is stunned and a bit spooked by this, for she herself has formed an ambition to be a writer and her family is just about to leave Madison, Wisconsin for their yearly vacation at her grandmother's place on Cape Cod. She feels that all this is meant somehow, and throughout the book keeps returning to thoughts of Olive.

Yet, Martha also has fun, gets to know her grandmother better, gets through an embarrassing situation with a slightly older boy, cares for her little sister, and bickers with her older brother. Some of the chapters are short and reflective, others are longer and filled with incident. The dialogue rings true whether the speaker is 82-year-old grandmother "Godbee" or 2-year-old Lucy. The book's ending is, in a way, more like the ending of a short story than that of a novel. I wish I could have a chance to discuss this with a twelve-year-old girl or two to see how they liked it and what their thoughts would be. I thought this was an excellent book and well deserving its honor. show less

I revisited this novel because it was the only novel I fully completed while in middle school (I know that is awful, but I did not like to read). Holy cow, now I know why I liked this novel so much! I mean it seems a tad intense for my 5th grade self, but I've always been an intense kind of girl… so it makes sense that I would like something so real at such a young age. This book is about a girl names Martha Boyle, who receives a journal from her deceased classmate's mother. This deceased classmate's name was Olive, and Olive wrote about Martha in her journal about how nice she seemed and how she wanted to know her better. When Martha was given this journal, she was taken back and wished she could have gotten to know Olive better. show more Every summer Martha visits her grandmother at the coast, but this summer would be different. She couldn't stop thinking of Olive, and this is where Martha starts to write a story with the main character's name being Olive. This is when Martha's coming-of-age journey starts where she is faced with her first kiss, her first love, her first betrayal, her first heartbreak. But, this is also the start of Martha discovering who she is at a young age and starts to understand life in a different way, all thanks to Olive.

Okay, first of all, I wept like a baby. I remember crying in the 5th grade when Martha got her heart broken (as if I knew what heartbreak was like). This book is so powerful, and it covers so many deep topics. Death of a classmate, being betrayed by someone you trust, being aware of death and how short life is, and regret. Though this isn't how many teens experience their "coming of age" journey, many teens can relate to the different events that happens to Martha in this book. To have a book that shows other teens they aren't alone is so powerful and it can make such a difference. I love how this whole story flowed and how Martha developed as a character. LOVE LOVE LOVE this book so much. I would give it ten stars if I could. show less

As Martha and her family prepare for their annual summer visit to New England, the mother of her deceased classmate comes to their door. Olive Barstow was killed by a car a month earlier, and the woman wants to give Martha a page from her daughter's journal. In this single entry, the 12-year-old learns more about her shy classmate than she ever knew: Olive also wanted to be a writer; she wanted to see the ocean, just as Martha soon will; and she hoped to get to know Martha Boyle as "she is the nicest person in my whole entire class." Martha cannot recall anything specific she ever did to make Olive think this, but she's both touched and awed by their commonalities. She also recognizes that if Olive can die, so can she, so can anybody, a show more realization later intensified when Martha herself nearly drowns. At the Cape, Martha is again reminded that things in her life are changing. She experiences her first kiss, her first betrayal, and the glimmer of a first real boyfriend, and her relationship with Godbee, her elderly grandmother, allows her to examine her intense feelings, aspirations, concerns, and growing awareness of self and others. show less

Martha didn't know Olive, but her classmate died in an accident and Olive's mother brought Martha a page from her daughter's journal, in which she described Martha as nice, someone she wanted for a friend, and dreamed of seeing the ocean. Martha and her family are about to go to the ocean themselves, to visit with her grandmother, Godbee, and while she's there, she thinks about who she wants to be.

This is the sort of quiet book that is very hard to pin down what it's actually about - the summer Martha's twelve has all sorts of experiences for her as she finds her place in the world. Her family is realistic, with Martha and her mother sometimes having their tiffs, Martha and Godbee sharing secrets, and toddler Lucy being, well, a show more toddler. Chapters are very short, only a couple of pages each, and keep the story moving quickly. Recommended for fans of The Penderwicks. show less

Martha is surprised when her classmate Olive's mother stops by with a page from Olive's journal where she wrote about Martha. Olive was killed by a car while riding her bicycle, and Martha thinks about the ways in which she could have been a friend to Olive as her family packs and travels from Wisconsin to Cape Cod to visit Martha's grandmother, "Godbee." Most of the story takes place at Godbee's, where Martha has her first kiss from one of the neighbor boys and is betrayed by him, and protected by one of his brothers. Throughout, Martha ponders becoming a writer. A quiet, moving story of a girl on the cusp of adolescence (pre-social media).

Quotes

The world was changing before Martha's very eyes, and she hated it. (44)

But the things show more Martha could not live without at home, she barely missed when she was at her grandmother's. (54)

She felt jealous, and then silly for feeling so, and then was baffled by how changeable and brief her feelings could be. (158)

The world can change in a minute, and at the same time remain unchanged. (165) show less

“Her life was a measly mess that could be contained in a closed fist. But her sadness could not be contained, and so she cried and cried.”

STORY:
Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes (217 pages),/b> is about a twelve-year-old, redhead girl named Martha. A girl who went to her school, Olive, gets killed by a car. To Martha’s surprise, she finds out from Olive’s journal that the girl wanted to be her friend. This news confuses Martha, and she finds her thoughts consumed with Olive. Martha spends the rest of her summer vacation at her paternal grandmother’s house, thinking about death and her family.

What I like about this book is the writing. Everything Henkes seems to write in Martha’s narrative is poetic.

I also like romance a lot, show more even if it’s just sprinkled throughout a book. Innocent preteen romances are always fun to read because they are pure and awkward. Awkward and pure. It’s before the broken marriage, the cheating scandal, or the nasty dm (direct message). Preteen romances remind people of much simpler times, and I’m no exception to that. It’s adorable that Martha’s clueless about boys.

I can’t say that there was anything I disliked about this book. If I had to be nitpicky, the book could be considered anticlimactic throughout because the story reads like a kid’s normal day.

CHARACTERS:

There’s nothing startlingly interesting about Martha. She’s just a normal kid, but I like that. Martha’s like thousands of kids anyone might know in real life, curious and thoughtful.

Godbee, the grandmother, is wise and just a little bit feisty. She reminds me of the God-like characters played by Morgan Freeman. I like the conversations Martha and Godbee have the most.

I wish I could have seen a bit more of the Manning boys, Tate in particular. Still, their presence was just enough so I did not forget about them.

OVERALL:
This was a good read, nothing too obscene (there is a minor reference to Morning Sex), and the perfect length. If you want a book for a lazy afternoon then this book is for you! show less

Olive's Ocean is the story of Martha Boyle, a twelve year-old whose reality is shaken when she is given a page torn from the diary of a recently deceased classmate, Olive Barstow, who writes of an admiration for Martha, and a secret wish to become her friend. Olive's words and the remarkable similarities between the two girls begins to haunt Martha as she embarks on summer vacation with her family. This is a transformative journey during which she experiences her first kiss, grows closer to her aging grandmother, and becomes conscious of her own mortality.

Martha's deep introspection, her irritation with her family, and her self-conscious behavior around boys accurately depict what it can be like to be twelve, sensitive, and thoughtful. show more Readers of any age can benefit from Martha's insight into her feelings about the death of a peer, and her awakening to the possibility of her own death. And fourth to seventh graders may see themselves reflected in her thoughts about herself, her family, and her interest in boys.

The biggest event in this book occurs before it begins: Olive's death. This event creates the dramatic momentum that, while it does not drive all or even most of Martha's decisions, motivates her movements and creates a new lens through which she can perceive the world and herself. It is a sensitive, deeply personal portrayal of a few weeks in a young girls life, and very appropriate for readers interested in works about self-examination. show less