1. BIBLIOGRAPHYLord, Cynthia. 2010. TouchBlue. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780545035316
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Tess knows them all – “Touch blue and your wish will come true” or “Start your journey with your right foot and good luck will walk with you.” When the state of Maine decides to close the island school where Tess lives, her family and others face the prospects of having to move to the mainland. However, the island residents have a plan. They decide to take in foster children in order to increase the number of children at the school, and Tess’s family decides to take in 13-year-old Aaron. Unfortunately, things don’t go as smoothly as Tess has envisioned, and suddenly it isn’t as much about keeping the school open as it is about helping Aaron feel like he has a place to finally belong. Tess invokes all the good luck she knows hoping to make her wish for a happy family, including Aaron, come true. But will it be enough for this boy who has been bounced from home to home?
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
TouchBlue is realistic fiction that will appeal to a wide range of readers. While TouchBlue is said by Scholastic to be for ages 9-12 or grades 4-7, this novel will appeal to older readers as well. Tess is eleven years old, but her voice is well beyond her years. While she hopes and wishes like an eleven-year-old might, her wisdom and understanding feel much more like a high school student. Younger readers will most certainly connect with Tess’s over-zealous attempts to make Aaron feel welcomed and at home. Older readers will be drawn to the themes that are portrayed in the older voice of this young girl. Themes include love of home, the importance of belonging, and the hope that things will “turn out right,” feelings most readers of any age will understand and to which they will be able to relate.
Tess invokes all the superstitions she knows to help things turn out right, and who among us hasn’t avoided stepping on cracks or pulled the petals off a daisy while reciting “he loves me, he loves me not” or thrown a coin into a fountain? Each chapter begins with a superstitious saying, and when Tess’s mom says, “You make your own luck,” Tess thinks, “Why take chances? 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.” (p. 48) Her pockets are filled with good luck objects, and she is constantly repeating the sayings or doing the rituals she believes will insure the best outcome in her family.
Tess is an endearing character. Her wishes – as well as those of the entire island – start off rather selfishly: they want to save the island schoolhouse. But quickly Tess’s wishes become more centered around Aaron and hoping he will be truly happy. Her thoughts are compelling, and the reader finds herself pulling for Aaron and Tess as they struggle through the difficulties of adjustment, bullying from another island kid, defining “family,” and learning to trust.
TouchBlue is a story that will leave older readers thinking and all readers satisfied. As the story comes to a close, Tess talks with Aaron about whether he will stay with her family or not, giving him reasons to consider it. “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.” What a beautiful reminder of the realities of belonging.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
*Horn Book (starred review): “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.”
*Kirkus Reviews: “Realistic characters, humor, and a charming setting make this a great choice for collections of all sizes.”
*Christian Science Monitor “...a truly timeless novel, perfect for sharing.”
*Booklist: “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.”
*Publishers Weekly: “Lord interlaces themes of loss, luck, superstition, family, and belonging, but at the heart of this tightly woven story is Tess's longing to help Aaron overcome his hurt and anger at having been taken from his alcoholic mother (years before) and shuffled among foster homes, and to make him feel like he's part of her close-knit family.”
*School Library Journal: “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.”
*Girl's Life: “Touch Blue is a great novel about new beginnings, family and friendship. Plus, readers will learn tons of cool facts about the ocean, islands and boats! (Psst, did you know that an island is the top of an underwater mountain? Too cool!)”
5. CONNECTIONS
*Students may enjoy keeping track of Tess’s superstitions and adding to them with some of their own. Look up other superstitious sayings at
http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0769362.html
or
http://everything2.com/title/Things+on+which+you+can+make+a+wish
*Write about experiences with making wishes. When is a time you remember a wish coming true? Have you ever regretted a wish you made?
*Read other stories about making wishes. Some possibilities:
• Midas
• “Those Three Wishes” by Judith Gorog http://www.fortbend.k12.tx.us/campuses/documents/Teacher/2007%5Cteacher_20071116_1636.pdf• “The Monkey’s Paw” by W. W. Jacobs
• Wand Wishes and Other Stories by Emma Thomson
