E-books & Kids

Should be an e-book: Touch Blue

Here's a review of a middle-grade novel that is currenly not avaialble as an e-book, but we encourage the publishers to make it available electronically.

What’s it like to have a foster child come into your home? Touch Blue by Cynthia Lord is a charming story takes on that question.

The story is told from the perspective of a ten-year-old girl, Tess. She truly wishes her new foster brother, 13-year-old red-headed Aaron, will work out. Before he even shows up she’s desperate that he’ll like living with her family because her small island town in coastal Maine needs enough heads to keep the school open. If the island loses its foster kids, her mom (the schoolteacher) will lose her job and Tess’ family will have to move off island.

So there’s a lot riding on Aaron’s shoulders. Will he fit in? Will he want to leave or run away? Will Aaron's mom return and claim him? Tess and her family take steps to helping Aaron fit in, by encouraging the things he likes to do (play the trumpet) and including him in their activities, like lobster fishing and boat building. Tess loves lobster fishing and she finds a rare blue lobster in her trap. One of the most moving scenes in the book is when Tess and Aaron decide to throw the blue lobster back into the Atlantic instead of selling him to a museum in Texas. The compassion they feel for the lobster parallels the compassion with which Tess's family has shown to Aaron, providing him a supportive home that where he wants to stay.

All in all, it’s a sweet, hopeful book that strikes a happy tone on a subject that is all too often fraught with stress and strife.