Preteen girl looking at a cell phone with her parents

Personalized picks at your fingertips

Get the mobile app on iOS and Android

Get the app
Parents' Guide to

Olive's Ocean

By Matt Berman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Gentle, moving coming-of-age story.

Book Kevin Henkes Coming of Age 2003
Olive's Ocean Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

See all
age 11+

Based on 6 parent reviews

Tlore
Tlore Adult
January 30, 2011
age 11+

Nothing Out of the Ordinary in Olive's Ocean

I read the book for an assignment in college, and because it was listed on the banned books list, I thought it was going to be worse than what it was. The book had mild language issues, and one scene where sex is openly mentioned, but otherwise nothing that I would consider to be anywhere near inappropriate for young minds who are looking for ways of expressing themselves. In fact, I wish I would have read this book as a child because I believe it would have accelerated my thoughts of becoming a writer and made it seem like a more attainable goal in my mind. With these facts in mind, I would have no problem using this book in my curriculum or having it in my classroom library if I were a teacher. It was well written and had a positive message, I recommend it.
dbatura
dbatura Parent of 9, 10 and 12-year-old
July 5, 2010
age 11+
See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

At her family's annual stay with her grandmother, Godbee, on Cape Cod, Martha has a lot to think about. She plans to be a writer, she has a crush on an older boy, Godbee is getting frail, and sometimes Martha can't stand her family. But most of all she is thinking about Olive, a shy new girl in her class whom she had barely noticed. Olive was killed in an accident a few weeks ago, and she had written in her journal that she too wanted to be a writer, to visit the sea, and to be friends with Martha, whom she considered "the nicest person in my whole entire class."

Why? Martha can't even remember talking to her. She wasn't mean, but wrapped up in herself and her friends she had never reached out to Olive. As Martha suffers through small family upheavals, first love, and first betrayal, the memory of Olive haunts her.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6 ):
Kids say (14 ):

In addition to his picture books, Kevin Henkes is the author of moving little character studies like this one, in which not much happens, except in the hearts of the characters, and the readers. It is the kind of novel much beloved by librarians, who tend to give them awards, and a certain kind of child, one who is an avid reader and loves stepping into someone else's heart and mind for a while.

Here Henkes is dealing with that moment of change, often painful, when family is not the safe haven it once was, the outer world seems less than welcoming, and mortality is all too evident. He captures it with great delicacy in a novel that will appeal to those experienced readers who are not looking for a uniform diet of fantasy and adventure.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the issues Martha grapples with, including the death of a classmate. How do you think she feels when she finds out that the dead girl wanted to be her friend?

  • This book won a Newbery Honor award. Why do you think it was selected? Do you think it deserved this award? Looking at this list of other recent award winners, are there others you would like to read?

Book Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended book lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate