Olive's Ocean

Review: (Grade 5-9) – Just before twelve-year-old Martha Boyle and her family leave their Madison, Wisconsin home for a trip to Rhode Island, the mother of a classmate delivers a hand-written page from the journal of a her daughter, Olive Barstow, a fellow student tragically killed in a biking accident. Olive mentions Martha in her journal that she hoped to be friends with Martha over the summer. This information hangs over Martha, as she and her family visit her Godbee, or grandmother on the Atlantic Ocean. Like many books for young adult readers, Martha is struggling with growing up and has difficulties understanding both of her parents. What’s more, she is the middle child with a little high maintenance baby sister named Lucy and a slightly older brother named Vince, who teases her in a good brotherly way. It is the relationship with Godbee that is the most revered to Martha and she ends up sharing a great deal about her hopes and fears over the time she’s visiting. In addition to sorting out what to do about Olive, she is confronted with young love for the first time with one of the neighbor boys, Jimmy. When his feelings for her turn out to be part of a bet, she is obviously crushed, but the reader is able to see her come out of the experience stronger and more mature, thanks to the support of family. In the end, Henkes, well known for his Caldecott Honor caliber books, tells this story with the same kind of commitment, albeit for a slightly older audience. This story has a timeless quality about it and should bring enjoyment to young adult readers for years to come.

8/10