Review: The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry

By Anna Rose Johnson

New York: Holiday House, 2024. Fiction. 169 pages.

Lucy Landry is an orphan with French-Ojibwe heritage. When Lucy's caregiver passes away, she is sent to live by Lake Superior on an island with a family of lighthouse keepers. While adjusting to her new life, her imagination gets her into all kinds of trouble while she is just trying to be helpful. Before Lucy's father died, he was searching for a ruby necklace from a shipwreck. When Lucy realizes that her new home is very close to the location where the treasure could be found, she does everything she can to find the treasure and finish her father's quest.

This heart-warming historical fiction novel is perfect for fans of Anne of Green Gables or The War that Saved My Life. The book is set in 1912 and does a great job of giving more background of how lighthouses used to function, and what it was like to live as lighthouse keepers. There was also some integration of Ojibwe culture and language tied into the story. It was enjoyable reading about how Lucy overcame her fears, adjusted to her new circumstances, and developed deeper relationships with her new family as they learned to accept her as their own.

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