Three Blue Hearts is worth 5+ stars! This is a story that will stay with young readers from the very beginning. Meeting Milo, his overbearing father, his patchwork family and new friends was a hug for my heart. This book manages to address some very strong issues with grace and honestly that will make it a beloved middle grade book!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children's for the eARC of Three Blue Hearts. I loved the first two books that Lynne Kelly wrote and this one was no different. Max is under his dads the councilman's shadow. Everything his dad does he feels is reflected on him. It has been the biggest reason why he has not gone back to the zoo and isn't doing zoo camp this summer. Instead he is going with his mom to Laffitte Island where she is conducting research for a paper she is writing. Max ends up finding more than he bargained for while on the Island. The first thing he finds is an octopus who is in need of help. Through the Octopus who they end up naming Ursula, Max finds friends and oh so much more. A sweet tale that laces throughout it interesting facts about Octopus and shows the meaning of love, friendship, and finding ourselves. A great read that everyone should read, along with Lynne Kelly's other books.

This was a sweet story that will appeal to your animal lovers as well as your kids who need to find the courage to believe in themselves and their intrinsic value.

Three Blue Hearts is an unforgettable and instant classic that teachers will want to read aloud in fifth grade classrooms across the country. It’s a beautiful coming of age story along the same veins as classics such as: Where the Red Fern Grows, The Outsiders, and To Kill a Mockingbird— if these books were set on the beautiful Gulf coast of Texas and had a huge heart for animals.

Max is a young boy with a huge heart for animals who only feels useful to his father, Big Max, as a political pawn each election season. Unhappy playing the role of token son when he feels so ignored and unseen most of the time, he jumps at the chance to summer with his mother in a beach house on the Gulf coast of Texas. They arrive in the aftermath of a gulf storm, and when exploring the beach debris the next morning, he discovers an octopus near death with dehydration. The decision to save her was instantaneous, and their friendship would be the beginning of a truly unforgettable summer where Max learns about the value of friendship, being authentic to himself, and the courage it takes to love knowing he’d have to say goodbye.

This is a beautiful story that I read (and loved) without my children, but it’s one I’ll read again aloud with them because this is a book that’s meant to be shared.

I would like to thank Random House and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book! It pulls you in and I loved reading about Max, Ursula, and his friends. This book was so informative while still being entertaining. I think middle grade kids will really enjoy this one!

Well this was super sweet. I absolutely adored this story. From the characters, to the setting, to the plot, there was a lot to love here. The small town coastal setting where everybody knows everybody was so cozy and comforting. The characters were well thought out and had depth. And the story. Oh, the story. It was definitely an emotional rollercoaster, but well worth the ride. I love how a sweet, stranded octopus set into motion so many things that made this a life changing summer for the characters involved.

This was a beautiful story and it hooked me from the very first page. I just love a good Octopus story. This one had me crying by the end.

Max’s parents are divorced, and it's painful to spend time with his father. Big Max is a local councilman, a former high school football star, and the owner of a successful used car dealership who cares what other people think about him to the extent that he will only take Max out to eat at a fancy restaurant to celebrate, not go to the peanut butter sandwich food truck that Max would prefer. His mother is working on her graduate degree in geography, and has rented a house in a small coastal Texas town to finish up her research. Getting a break from his dad works for Max, and he even asks his mother if he can introduce himself as “Milo” to people he meets. He does miss his Nana and Pops, the parents of his father’s second wife who still remain in contact with him after his father divorces their daughter and marries his third wife. They are traveling, but keep in touch by phone. When Max and his mother arrive at Lafite Island, Max investigates the beach and finds an injured octopus. He gets it water and constructs a way to transport the animal out of a discarded grill, and meets Emmett, who wants to help. The two boys take the animal to the Junipers’ rescue facility, where they get the care that the octopus, whom they name Ursula, needs. Max meets Ollie Juniper, who encourages him to help out at the facility. Emmett is being raised by his grandparents because his mother, a photographer, isn’t in the picture, and Ollie is sad because a chimp at the rescue, Ramona, has gone to another facility. The two had been like sisters. Ursula is not going to survive long, but lays thousands of eggs, and Max watches their progress. Thinking that he can reunite Ollie and Ramona, he agrees to go back home to a zoo camp his father has gotten him into, and afterwards, Nana and Pops help the group travel to visit Ramona. Ursula does pass away, but Emmett takes comfort in her many children.
Strengths: The title comes from the fact that octopi have three hearts and blue blood, which is clever. Kelly does a great job with the details about animals, as evidenced in her 2019 Song for a Whale. The best part of this was the father-son dynamic, and I loved that Max understood how overbearing his father was, and was able to distance himself from him while still maintaining a relationship with him. Nana and Pops were also good characters, and it was great that they were still in contact with Max. Ollie and Emmett’s problems don’t overshadow the story, which is filled with a lot of fantastic details about the lives of octopi.
Weaknesses: This is a bit slow paced, but any books involving marine life seem to be! Whenever I see a book set at the seashore, I now expect the story to be a bit sad and contemplative.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed the mix of marine life and personal issues in Pyron’s Octopus Moon, Faruqi and Khan’s Saving Sunshine, or Venkatraman’s Safe Harbor.

Lynne Kelly has crafted yet another dazzling animal centric tell full of heart and information. I am, as always, grateful for the chance to read such stunning and lovely narratives. Having greatly enjoyed A Song for a Whale and The Secret Language of Birds, I knew I would delight in Three Blue Hearts and I was not disappointed in any way. As always, the main character is a young adolescent in that critical stage of Developement when they often feel unsure of their own identity and misunderstood. I love how this author has such an engaging way of entwining characters like Max who are misunderstood and hesitant to speak on their own behalf with the life of an endangered creature that needs their help which they form an unshakable bond with that helps them to discover their own inner strength. Sometimes you can’t ask for help for yourself but it’s a little easier to do it for another being that can’t speak a language we can understand. In Three Blue Hearts that creature is Ursula, a small common octopus washed up in a storm on the beach. When Max finds her she is very near death and her spirit and will to survive draw him into a small mismatched group of animal lovers who do their best to giver her a fighting chance, but along the way we learn the life of a octopus is surprisingly short and dangerous and there are forces in nature you can’t fight, and loving someone so much sometimes means finding a way to let them go. I honestly cried at the end. It’s a beautiful story and I broke down and sobbed in public on a bus while reading it. I can’t wait for the next book by this author. This one was magical and very special.

Three Blue Hearts is such a beautiful story about figuring out who you are and where you belong. I immediately fell in love with the characters, setting, and especially the octopus! I absolutely loved watching Max learn how to show up for those he loves the most. I couldn’t stop reading!
Lynne Kelly is one of my favorite middle grade authors! We already have Song for a Whale in our curriculum and I cannot wait to add this book in! This book would be a great fit for independent reading or book clubs in my 5th grade classroom. There’s so much to talk about—friendship, family pressure, starting over, and being brave enough to be yourself. Plus, my animal-loving students will eat up all the cool facts about sea life.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC—so glad I got to read this one early! This is going to be the best addition to my library and classroom curriculum!

What a touching book about self-discovery as Max decides he wants to find himself as he and Mom go away for the summer. Max decides to call himself Milo and be who he wants to be and not who his politician dad wants him to be. Max finds a hurt octopus and meets Emmett who helps him bring it to the Junipers, a veterinary clinic. There he meets their daughter, Ollie. Over the summer the three become friends and Max helps out at the clinic watching and caring for the octopus who they named Ursula. They find Ursula has eggs and will now be caring for them. Max is shocked when he finds out once the eggs hatch, Ursula will die. The ending was well done..
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was so lovely. The characters are beautifully crafted, the story moves quickly, and the careful inclusion of facts will delight animal lovers. Such a gorgeous, heartfelt book!

Friendships, bonding over animals, feeling like you can’t live up to someone’s expectations, starting over….These are just a few things touched upon in this fun book. I loved learning about octopi through this friendship story and seeing Max change throughout the book.

4.5⭐️
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All of Lynne Kelly’s books are heartwarming and I love the wildlife aspects she includes. I really enjoyed this story of friendship and meeting Ursula the Octopus.

Another knockout from Lynne Kelly. So emotional, and I felt everything so deeply. I loved all the characters so much, and I’m sad this book is over and I can’t spend more time with them.

Another great read by Lynne Kelly! So enjoyed this story of discovery, coming of age, animal adventure! Max’s story was one that many students can identify with as he’s living in his Dad’s shadow. The discovery of Ursula and his journey with her as well as his new found friends is one that will inspire, encourage, and warm hearts of readers.

Full review to be posted to my Goodreads on September 23rd, 2025 per the publisher's request.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have a bachelor's degree in wildlife biology, so I have a soft spot for books that center around all things wildlife, especially wildlife rehabilitation. And Three Blue Hearts by Lynne Kelly presents that beautifully. What a profound story about friendship and discovering one's self, all through the bond between Max and his octopus friend Ursula. Their moments pull at the heartstrings. Some moments are touching, some devastating, but ultimately a sense of hope surges through those final chapters, making it all worth it.

I really loved Max as a protagonist. He goes from someone not even introducing himself with his real name because he's tired of living in his father's shadow to someone able to stand tall and speak for what's right. It's nice to see him give himself that same level of care that he shows for the animals in this story.

However, the real reason this book shines so much is because of the rich atmosphere that is Lafitte Island. It almost feels like a fantasy setting because of how well it's crafted. You don't come across such vividness in a lot of contemporary novels. But I loved everything about it. The Juniper's rehabilitation center, the Walking Taco (jealous!), the section of the island that's now permanently underwater, and, of course, the locals. Ollie and Emmett were great friends for Max. This book is just as much about their friendship as it is Max's friendship with Ursula, which I think was the right call. This is especially evident in the last 20%. I'm happy those three found each other and were able to tackle their own hardships as a group.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

This book was so lovely. I loved A Song For a Whale, so when I saw that Lynne Kelly had a new book coming out, I definitely wanted to get my hands on it. Also, the cover... love! I can't wait to read this with my kids. Max is a preteen who struggles with being the son of a politician who doesn't always notice or care about what his son wants to do. When he goes to spend a summer with his mom in a new place, he thinks this might be his opportunity to be himself, out of his dad's shadow. On his first day exploring the beach, he finds an octopus that needs his help.

This book was heartfelt and had a lot of fun things to learn about octopuses!

Max seeks to escape his father's political shadow and find his own identity. He moves to a quiet Texas beach town with his mother, hoping for a fresh start. Max finds this start when he rescues an injured octopus, Ursula, and forms a strong bond with her. The story follows Max's journey as he cares for Ursula, makes new friends, and faces challenges that test his strength and resolve, ultimately questioning if he can keep his promise to return Ursula to the sea.

Beyond the heartwarming story, I gained fascinating insights into the world of octopuses, making this book both emotionally resonant and educational. Lynne Kelly has solidified her place as a must-read author for me. Readers will not be disappointed with this story.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for this honest review.

This story tugged at my heart from the first page to the last! I fell in love with the characters, the setting, and especially the octopus. Lynne Kelly has created a realistic story that addresses many of the challenges of family, friends, and growing up, while also providing hope. Throughout the story, we also learn tidbits and facts about octopi and ocean life. I think students (and adults!) will fall in love with this story just as I did, and I can't wait to have it on our library shelves!