Happy, happy Thursday from New Jersey! I’m thrilled Lynne Kelly returned to Watch. Connect. Read. to finish my sentences. We discussed Three Blue Hearts, Leo Nickolls, Max, and more. I wrote the words in purple, and she wrote the words in black. Thank you, Lynne!
Leo Nickolls’s cover illustration and Suzanne Lee’s cover design for Three Blue Hearts is an impressive work of art! I knew from experience that the cover would be outstanding, but I was again blown away by the eye-catching illustration. I love the octopus arms weaving through the letters in the title!
Three Blue Hearts tells the story of twelve-year-old Max, who’s spending the summer at a small beach town with his mom. It’s a welcome break from the expectations of his overbearing dad, a Texas politician. Though their personalities are quite different, Max and his dad look alike and share a name, and Max feels like he’ll never get out from under his dad’s shadow. Max’s most embarrassing mistakes back home have had a large audience, but when he finds an injured octopus on the beach, he wonders if maybe he’s finally in the right place at the right time. With the help of some new friends and a wildlife center, Max promises to take care of the octopus until she’s strong enough to return to sea.
Max is a compassionate kid who loves books and animals. He’s missed out on zoo day camp lately, but he feels at home hanging out with Ursula the octopus and the other wildlife this summer.
An octopus is a fascinating creature! With blue blood, three hearts, and nine brains, they’re about as far from humans as you can get, so it was a fun challenge to figure out how to show Max’s emotional connection to Ursula. They’re highly intelligent and are excellent puzzle-solvers. Aquariums that keep them have to make sure the tank is secure and all gaps are covered, because octopuses are really good escape artists!
John Schu, you should have asked me my favorite octopus fact! Actually it’s hard to pick one, but one fascinating thing about them is the way their brains are structured, with one central brain in the center of the body that branches off into each arm. That allows the arms to operate independently, since each one kind of has its own brain. It’s really helpful for multitasking!
Three Blue Hearts releases on October 7, 2025. Pre-order a copy today!
