Middle Grade Sidekick Short Review: Three Blue Hearts (2025) by Lynne Kelly

cover image of Three Blue Hearts by Lynne Kelly, published by Delacorte Press, 2025.

The Basics

Page Length: 288

Audiobook Length: ~6 hours

Grade Reading Level: 3+

Target Audience Age: 8-13

Goodreads Score: 4.31 out of 5

Buy it HERE

Setting: Contemporary Houston, Texas AND Lafitte Island (beach along the gulf coast)

Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary Fiction

Topics: Nature, Marine Life, Octopuses, Family Struggles, Friendship, Courage, Zoos

Plot: Max is used to disappointing his dad. He doesn’t like sports, and he’s only average in school. Instead, he prefers spending his time with the animals at the zoo—an interest his father dismisses as “useless.” It often feels like the only thing Max inherited from him was his name. So when Max’s mom takes him to Lafitte Island for the summer for a research project, Max decides to try something new. Maybe, as “Milo,” he can finally make friends and fit in.

When he discovers an injured octopus washed up on the beach after a storm, he decides to save it. After bringing the octopus to a family-owned animal hospital, Max begins to form real friendships for the first time. He learns that octopuses are solitary creatures—kind of like him—but also incredibly intelligent, resourceful, and even compassionate. With the help of his new friends—and the octopus—Max starts to realize that being himself might be enough after all.

Will his newfound confidence and courage help him finally stand up to his father… or will he fall back into old patterns?

You might like this book if you like:

• Visiting zoos and aquariums

• Watching nature documentaries

• Learning about marine life

• Books like: Because of Winn-Dixie, Pax, Hoot, Hello, Universe, A Wolf Called Wander, The Seventh Wish

• Shows like: Wild Kratts, Secrets of the Zoo, Blue Planet II, Really Wild Animals, Animal Magic

• Movies like: Dolphin Tale, Free Willy, Finding Dory, My Octopus Teacher, A Dog's Purpose, March of the Penguins

Other books written by this author: Song for a Whale, Chained, The Secret Language of Birds

Content

• Language: None

• Sex/Romance: None

• Violence/Scariness: Not really. Some animal/pet deaths are sad, but nothing scary or violent.

• Drinking/Smoking/Drugs: None

  
  

Book Talk Read Aloud Section

*What is a book talk? (Watch a how to video here. Read my blog post here)

*Because of potentially triggering topics discussed in this book, you should read the above section before doing a read aloud or suggesting to students.

If you have the physical book, read pages 1- top of page 5 (through "I'd embarrassed Dad again, without even doing anything.")

If you don't, read the same pages in the Kindle reading sample here.