US and the Bottle Man

Three siblings. One empty olive bottle. A message tossed into the sea. It's summer on Wecanicut island, and Jerry, Greg, and Chris have escaped for a day of fire-cooked picnics, pirate games, and the particular thrill of pretending to be shipwrecked mariners. When Jerry demolishes the olives (leaving behind the perfect vessel), the children compose a desperate, playful letter and hurl it into the water, expecting nothing. The Bottle Man answers. Who he is remains deliciously uncertain, but his letters launch the Holford children into adventures more thrilling than any game they've ever played: sailing to mysterious islands, uncovering a Sea Monster, learning what it means to keep a promise to someone you've never met. Edith Ballinger Price writes with a tenderness that never condescends. The children are sharp, selfish, brave, and wholly themselves. The mystery of the Bottle Man unfolds with perfect restraint, leaving just enough to satisfy young readers while preserving the magic of not quite knowing. It's a book about how profoundly children take their games seriously, how a piece of paper can feel like a lifeline, and how summer friendships, even impossible ones, can change a life forever.