A Touch of Blue

By Tory Christie

Book Overview

With the natural wonder of Wildoak, and the historical charm of The Wednesday Wars, this middle grade coming of age story set in rural 1970 is a vivid adventure about friendship, film photography, and the healing power of the natural world.

Cecilia Blue LaRue is the only girl in her class, the only girl in her family of boys, and mad at her only friend. But then Honey Brooks moves into the neighborhood, and a rare blue lynx is spotted in the woods.

Celie sees adventure. Honey sees colors. With a dare on the line, Celie and Honey focus on clues to finding the wildcat and taking its picture. The trouble is, finding the lynx among the hues and shadows of the forest is just as tricky as figuring out friendship--and knowing which secrets to tell, and which secrets to keep.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1953743269
• ISBN13: 9781953743268
• Release Date: October 2023
• Publisher: Chicken Scratch Books
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.51 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.0" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 9 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 9

Customer Reviews

Summer of Adventure

A tale of adventure, mystery and friendship. Celie starts her summer vacation on a mission to photograph a rare lynx in the woods near her home. Set in 1970, you really get that nostalgic feeling from the characters and their lives. (Bowling shirts and tater tot hotdish to name a few) Celie, which is short for Cecilia, is the only girl amongst her four brothers and she desperately longs for a baby sister. By midsummer, she has found more than she imagined- true friendship. Celie also learns to look at her life from different angles (like a photographer) and notice more color in her world than ever before. I loved the crayon names sprinkled throughout the story. As a heads up, child abuse and alcohol abuse play a role in the storyline and there are a few mentions of ghosts/spirits. Overall, I think this book would be best enjoyed by an older middle grade reader. I received a free copy from Chicken Scratch Books, however my review is voluntary and my own opinion.