Three Blue Hearts
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- ¥1,500
発行者による作品情報
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the bestselling author of Song for a Whale comes a deeply moving story about a boy, an octopus, and the extraordinary bond that changes their lives forever.
Max can’t seem to escape the big, looming shadow of his politician dad. But for the next few months, Max and his mom are going away to a quiet Texas beach town where Max can be someone else. Someone who doesn’t make dumb mistakes that embarrass his father—someone who knows how to be strong.
He stumbles on his fresh start right away, when he finds an injured octopus washed up onshore after a storm. With the help of a local wildlife center and a couple of new friends, Max rescues the octopus—who they name Ursula—and vows to take care of her until she’s ready to return to the sea.
But as their bond deepens and Max makes unexpected discoveries that turn his summer upside down, Max’s true strength will be put to the test. Can he keep his promise after all?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Max Conway struggles with self-image, feeling unable to live up to his councilman father's expectations around sports, academics, or his own potential career in politics. While spending the summer on an island off the Gulf Coast with his marine biologist mother, Max seeks to create his own identity. The 12-year-old's resolve is put to the test when, during his first excursion to the shore, he finds a beached octopus. Overcome by a sense of duty and empathy, Max and local boy Emmett rush the creature to the island vet, subsequently saving its life. Animal-lover Max is soon drawn into the animal rehabilitation community, befriending the doctors, developing a tender friendship with an indefatigable tween local called Ollie Mae, and forging a surprising kinship with the injured octopus, which the group names Ursula. As the summer comes to an end, however, and the octopus's condition grows complicated, Max is forced to confront difficult truths about the natural world. Interspersing lightly scientific marine biology–related asides among emotionally earnest first-person narration and conversations between Max and his new friends, Kelly (The Secret Language of Birds) tells a gentle, sweet-hearted tale of a tween managing personal responsibility and finding his own voice. Max reads as white; supporting characters are racially diverse. Ages 8–12.
