Shelly's Book Blog

Olive's Ocean, by Kevin Henkes (of Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse fame), was a 2004 Newbery Honor book. This is the story of 12-year-old Martha Boyle, who is coping with the recent death of a classmate, Olive Barstow. Olive had been a shy, lonely girl, and Martha feels guilty for not having made friends with her before she died. Martha's family goes to the seashore to visit her grandmother, and during the trip Martha struggles through problems with boys, family members, and self-image that many other 12-year-old girls will recognize as similar to their own. I really enjoyed this short but very sweet story.