booktalk Archives - Anastasia Suen

Three Blue Hearts
by Lynne Kelly (Author)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: Max can’t seem to escape the big, looming shadow of his politician dad. But for the next few months, Max and his mom are going away to a quiet Texas beach town where Max can be someone else. Someone who doesn’t make dumb mistakes that embarrass his father—someone who knows how to be strong.

He stumbles on his fresh start right away, when he finds an injured octopus washed up onshore after a storm. With the help of a local wildlife center and a couple of new friends, Max rescues the octopus—who they name Ursula—and vows to take care of her until she’s ready to return to the sea.

But as their bond deepens and Max makes unexpected discoveries that turn his summer upside down, Max’s true strength will be put to the test. Can he keep his promise after all?

Snippet:

The author, Lynne Kelly, is one of my former students.
Copyright © 2026 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved. (*bookstore affiliate)

Delivery
by Anastasia Suen (Author) and and Wade Zahares (Illustrator)

Booktalk: I was driving on the 405 freeway one day when I saw a car carrier truck loaded with new cars coming uphill in the slow lane through the Sepulveda Pass, and I realized–everything gets delivered–even cars!

As I drove through the city I saw trucks and trains, ships and planes–making deliveries. That’s where the idea for the 90-word picture book poem, Delivery, began.

Many drafts later, it was published as a picture book by Viking Children’s Books in 1999, but this poem kept making deliveries. Delivery came out again (with another publisher) as a PreK literacy program big book and audio-book. A third publisher used a printed and audio excerpt of Delivery in their first grade reading program.