Touch Blue

1. Bibliography

Lord, Cynthia. TOUCH BLUE. 2010. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN: 9780545035316

2. Review

I loved TOUCH BLUE by Cynthia Lord. It is on the 4th grade summer reading list at my school and I will be highly recommending it to the students when they return.

The main character, Tess, is an eleven-year-old who lives on a small island off the coast of Maine. She is always carrying around her lucky charms and has lots of maritime superstitions, which helps since her father runs a lobster boat. However, Tess’ luck may soon run out when the state threatens to shut the school she attends and where her mother teaches. To save the school, several islanders decide to become foster families and increase the number of children living on the island. Aaron, a musically talented thirteen-year old comes to live with Tess' family. Although Tess is at first excited at the prospect of having a new family member, she eventually has her doubts as to whether Aaron will ever feel he belongs.

Written in a first-person narrative, Cynthia Lord does a wonderful job capturing the anxieties and concerns of eleven-year-old Tess. Through her characters, Lord demonstrates how patience, kindness, and sometimes a little luck can lead to happy endings.

3. Awards Won and Excerpts

• Booklist (August 2010): “The tight-knit community and lobster-catching details make for a warm, colorful environment. This is a feel-good story about letting go of your expectations and accepting the good things already in front of you.”

• Horn Book (starred) (November/December 2010): “This second novel from the author of the Newbery Honor book Rules features a thoughtful first-person narration by Tess that gives readers a real feeling for island life, with vivid descriptions of the sights and sounds and smells of the place Tess loves and desperately doesn't want to leave. Her sense of humor keeps things light…”

• School Library Journal (September 1, 2010): “Each chapter opens with a different saying that is used in the context of the story, which keeps readers guessing about its significance. They will feel an enormous amount of hope as they read Tess and Aaron's story. It delivers the message that everything happens for a reason, and that sometimes all you need to do is believe.”

4. Connections

• Recommended for readers ages 9 and up.

• Cynthia Lord also authored the Newbery Honor book RULES.

• Other children’s books that take place on islands off the coast of Maine include:
  -KEEP THE LIGHTS BURNING, ABBIE by Peter Roop (nonfiction; reading level 2.0)
  -ONE MORNING IN MAINE by Robert McCloskey (picture book; reading level 3.8)
  -SEAL ISLAND SEVEN by Susan Bartlett Weber (fiction; reading level 4.1)
  -THE SEA CHEST by Toni Buzzeo (picture book; reading level 5.2)
  -TIME OF WONDER by Robert McCloskey (picture book; reading level: 4.8)

• Other children’s books about foster family care include:
  -BUD, NOT BUDDY by Christopher Paul Curtis (fiction; reading level 5.5)
  -THE GREAT GILLY HOPKINS by Katherine Paterson (fiction; reading level 5.0)
  -PICTURES OF HOLLIS WOODS by Patricia Reilly Giff (fiction; reading level 6.4)
  -THE PINBALLS by Betsy Byars (fiction; reading level 4.9)
  -WHAT I CALL LIFE by Jill Wolfson (fiction; reading level 4.4)