A Fargo author’s latest novel blends mystery and adventure with middle-school friendship drama in a fast-moving yet emotionally deep tale young readers and their parents will appreciate.

“A Touch of Blue” by Tory Christie published in October and is Christie’s 14th book. The novel is geared toward readers ages 9 to 12.

Readers may be familiar with Christie’s other middle-grade novels in the

Curious McCarthy series

or her children’s picture books in the

“Big Blue Earth” series,

but this is a standalone story set during the 1970s when film photography and long summer days without a screen in sight were commonplace. Christie, who is a research hydrologist for the US Geological Survey, wanted to write something different and inspire young readers to appreciate and explore nature more.

“A Touch of Blue” centers on two young friends, Cecilia “Celie” Blue LaRue and Honey Brooks, who spend their summer tracking down a rare blue lynx so they can photograph it. Along the way, Celie and Honey encounter a variety of interesting characters who help — and few who hamper — them on their adventure. The story is rich with vivid imagery of lush wooded areas and bucolic neighborhoods, and Honey’s constant narration of the various colors she sees evokes a brand new box of Crayola crayons each time she identifies one.

Honey’s name was actually inspired by a creek Christie crossed when the story first popped into her mind, and the photography details were gleaned from her own childhood learning from her amateur photographer father. Christie said she and her siblings took photography classes in junior high and their family home had its own darkroom, so she was familiar with the camera and technology of the 1970s. She did some research on wildlife photography, and even made up her own “McGill’s Guide to Wildlife Photography” to lend structure to her story.

“When I first started writing, I wanted it to have an ageless or timeless feeling, but the feedback I received was that the time period need to be explicit,” Christie said. “I think the freedom kids had then was different than now, and the contrast between the black and white film photography of the time balanced nicely with all the colors Honey sees.”

But don’t expect only sunshine and rainbows (vibrant though they may be); the story offers some hefty emotional moments readers may not be expecting, which is what Christie was aiming for.

“Mental health was definitely a sub-theme, but I didn’t want it to be obvious,” Christie said. “One of the big elements of the story focuses on slowing down to feel the emotions; Celie herself has to learn to slow down throughout the story, and while I was editing, I went back in to slow the pace down to let the characters and kids reading the story understand what it means to feel the emotion.”

While the fun and happy details were easier to write, Christie recognizes the important layer the emotion adds to the story and she hopes readers will see that too. So far, reviews online have embraced both the emotion and adventure of the story.

“I appreciated the main characters’ growth and loved their ability to draw insight from their experiences,” wrote Readers Favorite reviewer Edith Wairimu. “Refreshingly authentic with invaluable lessons and an enchanting setting, ‘A Touch of Blue’ by Tory Christie is a story of friendship with characters who will continue to live in readers’ hearts long after finishing this book.

Another reviewer noted that Celie was a great role model and that parents would probably enjoy the story as well.

“Cecilia was a lovely character that I couldn’t help but adore,” reviewer Cloie Belle Daffon wrote. “Despite feeling scared, she displayed remarkable courage and empathy for others. She also went the extra mile to help a friend. She is an outstanding role model for children her age with her courageous and kind-hearted personality. This story is perfect for parents to read to their children, as it is family-oriented. It enables the sharing of feelings and tales about family and encourages discussions about how they relate to the families of the story’s characters. 

As for Christie, she said another book in the “Big Blue Earth” series — this time about a koala — is set to publish in August 2024.

“A Touch of Blue” is available online at

Bookshop.org,

Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Target. Locally, readers can find it at Zandroz.

To learn more about Christie and her other books, visit

www.torychristie.com.

Danielle Teigen has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and management communication as well as a master’s degree in mass communication from North Dakota State University. She has worked for Forum Communications since May 2015, first as a digital content manager before becoming the Life section editor and then deputy editor. In 2020, Danielle moved back to her hometown in South Dakota, where she works remotely for Forum Communications as managing editor of On the Minds of Moms as well as writes occasional news and history stories.