Touch Blue

Quite short and quick, but it’s satisfying, there’s depth.

The premise is unique and loosely based on a real life scenario, where, to maintain their population enough to keep their school open, residents of an island bring foster children into their homes. I thought this walked the line pretty well of acknowledging that it’s an iffy reason to take up fostering but at the same time throughout the story you see that Aaron, as well as a little girl placed in another family, are genuinely welcomed, cared for, and included in their respective new homes.

Eleven year old Tess is such a likable main character, you grimace along with her whenever she comes in contact with the local bully, you’re hopeful that a new friendship might bloom show more between Tess and another girl, and even when you see Tess is maybe not making the wisest choices in order to ingratiate herself with her new foster brother, you know this kid’s heart is totally in the right place.

This story is told from Tess’s point of view, still through her eyes and through her efforts to get to know Aaron, you do get a really solid, and emotionally engaging glimpse of what Aaron’s been through in the foster system as well as his longing for his mom and the comfort he finds in music.

While the focus is on Tess’s new family dynamics, in the background of that there are picturesque descriptions (without going overboard) authentically capturing community, childhood, and summer, on an island. show less

A little too simple for adult me, but young me would have read this several times, so rounded up to four stars. She would have loved learning about lobster fishing, and a town even smaller than ours (I graduated HS w/ 87 other kids), and why some kids are in the foster care system even though they're not orphans, and more.

I am dissatisfied though with how the author explored the character of Eben, the bully. I mean, I'm glad they didn't magically find a way into his heart to convert him to being a friend, like too many MG stories, but I felt things were just left ominously dangling. A sequel would be good.

Oh, and I'm glad there was no hint of anyone having a crush on anyone else. It's another trope that's all too common in 'tween show more novels. But Lord made the girl 11 and the new boy 13, which is believable as just a bit too young for that to be an issue, even though the kids are old enough to be smart & perceptive.

11-12 is a watershed year for a lot of kids as they are mature enough to naturally notice that other people have their own dreams, fears, etc.... until then, they generally have to be guided to be empathetic. ... Hm... I guess maybe that's one of the reasons I read so much about kids this age; it's fascinating to watch them develop that awareness and start to become more wise.

(Would that more adults would do something good with their capability to consider other people's points of view ....)

Anyway, I'm not sure the book is worth all this rumination and writing, but it's a fun, quick, and thought-provoking read, so if your library has it, and especially if you liked [b:Rules|222458|Rules|Cynthia Lord|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1680456241l/222458._SX50_.jpg|1139031] but want something maybe a bit lighter, give it a go. I will look for more by the author. show less

Tess believes in luck. By the good-luck items she carries in her pockets and the little rituals she observes every day, she lets the universe know what she wants. All of Tess's luck, however, may not be enough to keep her life from changing for the worse. The state of Maine has declared that the little island community where Tess lives is not large enough to support a school. Tess's family depends on the school, not only for Tess and her little sister Libby's education, but because teaching there is her mother's job, as well. The islanders have come up with a plan to keep the school open: several families, including Tess's, will take in foster children. Tess is excited to meet her new foster-brother Aaron, but she's not prepared for the show more sullen, lonely boy who arrives in her family, convinced that he will be there for only a short time before moving on again. In reaching out to Aaron, Tess comes up with a plan to help him settle in to his new life on the island -- but will all of her luck be enough to help Aaron finally feel at home?

This middle-grade novel is sweet, funny, and touching. Like several other recent books, it references well-known children's literature titles, including Anne of Green Gables, Bud, Not Buddy, and The Great Gilly Hopkins. The homage to these other titles may spark ideas for further reading in some children, but others may find the allusions to other works irritating. Despite its short length and relatively easy vocabulary, this is a book for young readers who are enthusiastic about books and reading. For those readers, it is an excellent choice. show less

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.

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 show more 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/2010/06/48hbc-touch-blue.html show less

The premise is intriguing: a small island community in Maine needs more kids in order to keep their school open, so several families take on foster children. The story is told by 11-year-old Tess, an island girl who's positively bursting to make her new big brother, Aaron, feel at home. Aaron, on the other hand, is less than thrilled to be shipped off to another foster family.

Tess, like many a seafaring-type, is a big believer in luck. Each chapter begins with one of her superstitions (the title refers to one in particular, "Touch blue and your wish will come true"). It felt to me like the author trying to give her narrator a lovable quirk.

This being a story about a foster child, obviously we're looking at themes of belonging and show more acceptance. I don't think Cynthia Lord breaks any new ground, but the writing is nice and brisk. However, the story employed a one-dimensional bully-villain to add drama, which always bugs me.

Themes of luck and belonging come together in the end when Tess and Aaron both have to learn (I'm paraphrasing the words of the father character here) not to try and control everything, but let life happen like it's supposed to. Not a bad lesson.

This is a relatively short book (190 pages) and it feels a little shallow for its brevity, but I think it's still a good read. I would've especially liked to have listened to it being read by a real Mainer with a cool Maine accent. show less

I was impressed with this book. An issue that's often left unheard in children's literature: both sides of the story. I love how the author brings about to the conclusion of the story by allowing people to be human. The characters were allowed to be a little bit selfish, allowed to be fragile, and allowed to be giving. Her ending was actually a new beginning. It was a great story of adoption fostering the whole welfare system from a different point of view. In most young adult literature today the welfare system is portrayed as evil or just plain inept and uncaring. The author was able to bring about closure for some subjects and left an opening for others that's the way life truly is and that's the way children see things as never show more finished. show less