Olive's Ocean by Kevin Henkes

I'm so accustomed to picture books for young children by Kevin Henkes. It was great to see him write for a different audience-- with much success too. Olive's Ocean was a Newbery Honor Book. A girl named Olive died in a car accident. After her death, her mother brings Martha a page out of Olive's journal in which Olive wrote that she hoped Martha and she would become friends. While on vacation at Grandmother Godbee's cape home, Martha thinks a lot about Olive, has her first taste of teenage love, and grows closer to her Grandmother.

Martha is an introspective young girl, aged 12, who learns some important lessons on her vacation. Don't trust everything a guy tells you, its okay to have mixed emotions about your family at times, and most importantly, the world doesn't revolve around you.

While the title would indicate that Olive was an important part of the story, the book is definitely about Martha. Olive is only important because her journal entry and death are catalysts for Martha's introspection and ensuing realizations.

Olive's Ocean is a simple story of a girl's experiences growing up. Nothing amazing happens, no crazy circumstances, or anything like that. Martha just experiences some important life events and is changed as a result. That is exactly why I think it was a Newbery Honor book--young readers can relate to what Martha experienced and may gain some understanding about themselves by reading about Martha.