Touchblue by Cynthia Lord

This wonderful new novel by Newbery Honor award winner, Cynthia Lord is a fascinating tale of triumph over some terrible circumstances.   Set in coastal Maine on the island of Bethsaida, Tess and Aaron are the main characters who each strive to overcome their fears during a summer of growth.  Tess is afraid of having to move to the mainland with her family if the state closes their village school.  But Aaron faces bigger fears and some of his results may directly affect Tess and her family.

As a foster child, Aaron has been bounced from home to home for the last several years.  With the threat of losing their school, several islanders decide to take in foster children and Aaron arrives to live with Tess and her family.  An accomplished trumpet player and pianist, Aaron is a tall skinny teenager who struggles to fit in to island life.  All he truly wants is to go live with his mom again although he knows the state has severed her parental ties.  Somewhere deep inside, he knows the reality but hangs on to hope that it will all work out.

Tess's world, in the meantime, is spinning out of her control.   Her best friend moved, the local school may close, her family may have to move because of the school situation and now the family has taken in this tall skinny, red head who comes to her family with problems to which she can not relate.  Summer is short enough without all this extra stress in her life.  

Follow Tess, Aaron, her sister, and the people of Bethsaida as they struggle to accept each other and find the best answers and solutions for every one's troubles. 

Age range: 10 to 14

Lord, C. (2010). Touchblue. New York: Scholastic.