What a delightful middle-grade historical fiction. Lucy is an orphan and when her guardian passes away, she goes to live with the Martin family, a lighthouse manager, his wife and six children. Lucy is a wildly imaginative child, who is terrified of boats, as she lost her sailor father to the sea. She has a difficult time adjusting to her new family and their life managing a lighthouse. She is a great teller of stories, so the children have a difficult time discerning which stories are Lucy's fancy, and which are the truth. Lucy is determined to track down a ruby necklace from a shipwreck close to the lighthouse in hopes of keeping her father's memory alive, but this treasure hunt causes trouble with the Martin family and Inspector King, who threatens Mr. Martin's job. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this story, my one quibble is the hunt for the ruby necklace felt a bit rushed, but despite being under 200 pages, I felt Johnson did a great job making the reader care for Lucy and the Martin family (especially Forrest). I would recommend this to young readers who enjoy historical fiction with a bit of adventure, but not too much, as well as those who love L. M. Montgomery's stories, the Boxcar Children. And if a reader wanted to read more stories about the Ojibwe, I would recommend, the Birchbark House series by Louise Erdrich.

This audiobook gives life to a story already brimming with it! I listened to it with my younger sister (who's in the age range this book is written for) and she LOVED it!! She asked to listen to it again and again *and* for a physical copy of the book 😜

She agrees with me that this is one of our top books for 2024!

A heartfelt historical fiction children's novel, with a beautifully crafted adoptive family and MC character development.

Lucy Landry is a recently orphaned young girl who is deathly afraid of the Great Lakes where her father died. She must face her fears when she is adopted by a family who lives on a lighthouse island, spurring a story of mystery and connections old and new.

Lucy's story is highly reminiscent of Anne of Green Gables; she's a young, spunky, imaginative orphan who begins the story joining a new family, soon learning lessons through often embarrassing trial and error, and eventually builds relationships through her bravery and compassion for others. Lucy's story also shares Anne's joy and charm, made even better with an Ojibwe lead and family. The audio narration by Elise Randall Monica conveyed the light, curious tone of the story expertly, and maintained a pace friendly for all ages of listeners.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio arc!

Orphaned Lucy is sent to a new home at the lighthouse on Harmony Island, where the large Martin family welcomes her in. Lucy is both joyful and terrified to be at the lighthouse. Terrified because she's afraid of water. Joyful because she's close to where the Elva Jane wrecked many years ago, and her papa told her many, many stories about the Elva Jane and the treasures that sank with it. Wouldn't it be delightful if she could find some of those treasures washed ashore? If only she were brave enough to go exploring!

Lucy has a huge imagination and copes with different life circumstances by pretending to be different characters. This reminded me very much of another famous orphan by the name of Anne Shirley. I believe fans of Anne and Lucy Maud Montgomery will fully enjoy Lucy's adventures.

I won't spoil the story, but let's just say Lucy gets into plenty of trouble but also experiences plenty of triumphs. Toward the end I actually teared up several times, and the ending itself made me full-on cry. I hope if you're at all inclined to read middle grade fiction that you'll give Lucy a try. You're in for a fully vintage treat!

I received my copy of the book from the author and NetGalley. All thoughts in this review are my own.

This was such a charming read! It has the feel of classics like Anne of Green Gables and A Little Princess while being a completely new story with its own wonderful elements. The main character is in the same vein as Anne Shirley and is endearing with her big imagination and big dreams and tendency to land in trouble.

I loved the setting with a big family living in a lighthouse. I am really fascinated by lighthouses and lighthouse keepers so I loved this take on it. There were relatable themes of wanting to fit in and be loved while also having grand dreams.

Children's fiction is not a normal genre for me, but everything about this book drew me in, it was so magical! I could not be more grateful to NetGalley for allowing me to get early access to the audiobook.

Lucy Landry is a lot of things: an Heiress, a queen 👑 speaking to her subject, a meek girl who must do as she is told. Imagination carefully cultivated by a sea-stolen father, this girl had me seeing pirates and terrifying storms in my mind, great beautiful ships capsized by the untamed, unruly, angry sea ⛵.

A lost necklace gives this little girl purpose in her new lighthouse home, where she is now homeschooled and went from being alone to thrown into a home sprawling with children.

A fear of the water that once took her father threatens to take more from her. I adored the main character growth that got our brave MC to act to protect her newfound family, at the cost of meeting her father once again in bottomless depths.

A truly enthralling read. I could relate too well to our little actress. Lies that she was convinced were true, mere fairytales that others crushed. Loneliness and feeling different when in a house filled to the brim with noise and family.

Readers, I could not suggest a better, adventurous book! When I have a baby, be it a boy or a girl, I will definitely read this tale again and again! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 Stars!

The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry
by Anna Rose Johnson

The inspirational story of a young girl finding acceptance and family. The tragedy of Lucy's life has left her with little of her own. Especially after the death of her elderly custodial family friend. She has to face her greatest fears. Learn that although she makes mistakes she can still do good things for those she loves. Her stunk and creative mind not only helps her interact with the world, but it becomes what she always needed.
A great story showing family values with blended family structures.

This own voices middle grade historical fiction is a cross between the Austin Family Chronicles by Madeleine L'Engle and Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. It's sweet and slow-paced. I didn't quite finish the entire novel before the archive date on NetGalley, so I'll pick it up from the library when it becomes available.

Learning to function in a new and large family can be a struggle, especially when you are an imaginative child with your head in the clouds. Lucy has to learn to navigate siblings, noise, and expectations until one night, she saves the family she has come to love.

Selena Lucy Landry is an orphan. She is a spirited child. She is sent to live in a lighthouse with a family of many children, At first, she has a hard time fitting in but after a frightening night of danger, she proves that she is definitely one of them. This is a story of love, friendship, and adventure. The narrator does an excellent job making this novel come to life.

I loved this story! It made me think of Anne of Green Gables.
The story moved well and kept me engaged. I loved Lucy’s imagination.

In this sweet story that is very reminiscent of Anne of Green Gables, Lucy finally gets a family to welcome her into their lives. The only hitch is that they live in a lighthouse and Lucy, due to her father’s drowning, is deathly afraid of being on a boat. The other major issue is that the children in the family are generally unwelcoming and she needs to endure their constant barbs. Lucy is a likable character, who is going through so much trauma, yet she remains strong. Her quest to find the missing treasure that her dad had been after keeps her going and helps her make friends in the long run. It’s important to note that she is of Ojibwe descent, although there didn’t seem to be much emphasis on this aspect. I loved this book and highly recommend it especially if you have a fondness for Anne with an E.

The history is well researched and I adored the representations of the characters. This story teaches about growth and life experiences. I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure with Lucy.

The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry was a very good middle grade fantasy/historical fiction read with Anne of Green Gables feels. Lucy is quite the sassy, arrogant pre-teen who is trying to assimilate as an orphan with a new homeschooling family who lives in a lighthouse in Michigan. I enjoyed watching the growth and development of her character - a girl who makes a lot of mistakes but does begin to grow and find her identity by the end of the story. The other characters were enjoyable as well. Both the writing and narration were perfect for this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Anna Rose Johnson for an audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to read and review The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry on NetGalley.

Published: 03/05/24

Narrator: Elise Randall Modica

Stars: 5

Lovely.

The narration was spot on. I cannot imagine anyone else playing the part. Beautifully done.

The story is multifaceted. In addition to what is written in the synopsis are the human emotions that are an intricate part of the story. A 10-year-old facing yet another foster family after another death. Where is her break? She is placed with another family and while scared and trying to fit in, one mishap after another occurs. These are not comical. This is so well written and realistic.

I choked up several times. I laughed too.

This story is for mature audiences.

This book was everything I would want in a book that is likened to the vibes of an L.M. Montgomery book! The setting, the precocious orphan, the scrapes she gets into and the heroine adventures she embarks upon are wonderful.

Lucy is sent to live on a lighthouse island in the middle of Lake Superior with a large and loveable family of French Anishinaabe family. She herself is part of the Objiwe people and has never explored that side of herself. She lost her dad to a storm on the lake and has a healthy fear of the water, but wants to find this lost treasure that her father was seeking to remain close to his memory.

Along the way, Lucy finds herself trying to fit in, leading to disastrous results, but eventually she finds her place in this family, and maybe a key to solving the mystery of the missing ruby necklace.

I loved every moment of this story and the audio book was phenomenal; I would highly recommend, especially for anyone who loves Anne of Green Gables or any of LMM’s other delightful heroines.

An imaginative girl named Lucy moves in with a lighthouse keeper family on Lake Superior.

It is an interesting setting, but I had a hard time finishing it. Lucy is super bossy, pushy, Always right, and self focused. She is eager to help, but consistently makes life more difficult for her foster family. She causes a lot of troubles, doesn’t take responsibility for it, and ends up as a hero.

On a positive note, the lighthouse family is sweet and it gives a pretty realistic view of homeschooling.

Huge thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

Lucy Landry is a little girl with a big sadness and an even bigger imagination.

Following the death of her elderly caregiver, the orphan girl is sent to live with the Martin family who run a lighthouse. The family is also Ojibwe and French teaches Lucy a lot about family, forgiveness, bravery, and her culture.

Lucy overcomes fears, finds her place, and a great treasure.

After the first couple of chapters, I wasn't so sure I was going to like this book. Lucy Landry and her imagination drove me a little bit nuts! But as Lucy progressed along her coming-of-age journey, the more I saw of her true self (and not the "queen" or "waif" or "princess" personas she slipped into), the more I grew to love her right along with the Martin family.

I listened to an early copy of the audibook, and I really enjoyed the narrator. Her voices helped differentiate the characters and bring them to life.

And I'll even admit that I got teary during those last few chapters. I loved the way this story came together, and the growth of not only Lucy's character, but those of her new adoptive family as well. Adventure, shipwrecks, lighthouses, treasure...what more could you want in a middle-grade novel?

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy to review. All opinions are my own!

Lucy Landry is not thrilled at the idea of moving into a lighthouse when her current guardian passes away, but she holds onto the clues her late father left her for how to find an amazing treasure. The six children of the lighthouse are no more thrilled to have to live with Lucy, and our daydreaming protagonist tends to make a mess of things, crafting stories when she should be concentrating and absentmindedly forgetting key lighthouse duties. It quickly becomes apparent that if Lucy doesn't shape up, her new home might be in jeopardy, as a disordered lighthouse is a risk to anyone who sails in the choppy water around the island.

On the one hand, I really like Lucy's character. She has her flaws, but sometimes her faults are actually her greatest strengths, and she retains a powerful narration throughout. The plot itself bordered on achingly predictable, despite a few interesting twists. I liked the historical elements and the vivid characters, but I'm often looking for themes that haven't been quite so overdone, as I don't like spending so much time scolding characters for choices they know they shouldn't make.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.