Of course, he won't be exactly like Anne, because he's not eleven years old.

Her sense of humor keeps things light: Tess's only knowledge of foster kids comes from books, and she's hoping Aaron is like Anne of Green Gables, 'full of stories and eager to meet us. This second novel from the author of the Newbery Honor book Rules 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. Her lobsterman dad and schoolteacher mom talk about moving to the mainland - but then the islanders decide to take in foster kids to make up the loss, with Tess's family agreeing to foster thirteen-year-old Aaron. When Tess's best friend and her family moved away, their small island school lost five students, and now the state of Maine has threatened to close it.

His mother's unannounced appearance (at Tess's bold, clandestine invitation) at a talent show in which Aaron plays the trumpet adds tension and pathos to the finale of this stirring novel. Awaiting the arrival of Aaron, her teenage foster brother, Tess-an avid collector of good-luck talismans-is thrilled to find a piece of blue sea glass, since blue is especially lucky: 'Touch blue and your wish will come true.' 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. When Tess's best friend's family moves away and there are no longer enough students to keep her island school open, her family is among those that offer to take in foster children to boost enrollment. As she did in the Newbery Honor-winning Rules, Lord introduces a plucky, articulate girl from coastal Maine.

Touch Blue by Cynthia Lord