I thoroughly enjoyed this read even as an adult reader! It gave me very fond memories of summer as a child, and reminded me a lot of “A Ring Of Endless Light” by Madeleine L’Engle.

As a parent, I would treasure having this book in our home library and letting my kids read its beautiful imagery & relatable themes of grief, stubborn friendships, and growing pains of childhood.

There were SO many highlights I made while reading this ion my Kindle, but here’s a few quotes I loved most.

“The very ink with which history is written is merely fluid prejudice”

“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it”

“The stars overhead a crown to fine for any of the world’s queens”

“You’re going to be sad forever Lucy, but that’s not all you’ll be. There’s room for much more”



Thank you to NetGalley for early access to this EPUB

Lauren Wolk's writing is gorgeous, as is this story about art, friendship, bullies and familial secrets. The Maine setting is vivid and the characters are well-drawn. Candle Island is a beautiful story and one I can't wait to share with students. Just wonderful!

Candle Island immerses you right into its sense of island life, complete with a fraught tension between year-round locals and wealthy inhabitants who descend on it for the summer only. The main thrust of the story centers around Lucretia, a girl who has just moved to the island with her mom and has to navigate the space between what the locals think of her as an outsider and the summer folk not accepting her. The book’s gentle, masterful use of language sets the tone for a character-driven novel that reveals secrets about the island and its inhabitants without a frantic pace but with tension nonetheless. I loved this novel’s literary feel and exploration of being who you are. Highly recommended! Will be buying and booktalking this one for sure!

Lucretia and her mother, Eliza, a famous painter, have just moved to Candle Island from Vermont. They are still grieving the loss of Lucretia’s beloved father, who died in a car accident some time earlier. All they want is to be left alone, but as soon as they arrive, they’re caught up in the tension between the locals and the troublemaking summer kids. Add an injured osprey chick and a nosy art critic, and privacy seems impossible to come by.

But there are compensations. Lucretia is taken with the beauty of Candle Island and the peace it brings. She quickly befriends a boy called Bastian, though his cousin Murdock seems to resent her presence. When Lucretia learns the reason why, she begins to have more compassion for Murdock and her situation. In time, Murdock warms up to Lucretia and the girls realize they have more in common than they thought.

I don’t want to reveal too much about the story, but this book is truly beautiful. The prose is vivid, the characters well-rounded and likable. Lucretia is an old soul- my one complaint is that she reads a little older than 12, maybe 13 or 14, but that isn’t a big deal. Her mother treats her like an equal and allows Lucretia her independence as she explores their new community. As the summer progresses, secrets are unearthed, and characters move towards healing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC. I can’t wait to own a copy of this book.

I received this a complimentary of this book in exchange for my honest review. I have been expanding my reading into middle grade fiction, as I have a daughter that I hope to raise as a reader. With that in mind, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and plan to share it with my daughter as she gets older. The setting is timeless and captures the simplicity of a summer playing outdoors and exploring on an island. It features good values, like being kind to others, working hard and caring for animals and the environment. It also celebrates the unique talents of each of the main characters. I was pulled into the story and the setting. Putting this on my shelf for summer reading with my daughter.

This was great! I love her stories so I was very excited to see this one.
I loved every minute of this coming of age story.
The friendships made, healing. Just a little bit of everything!
I'm so every glad that it was written in the normal way and not in verse style.
My favorite thing about this story was that it was told from Lucretia's POV. I felt very connected to this character.
I loved the way her tender heart was caring for the animals on Candle Island.
By the way, a pretty cool name for the island.
I really didn't want this story to end. I was sad when it did.
5 stars from me for an excellent adventure. I highly recommend. I will be adding the paperback version to my shelf of favorites.
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.
I hope she writes more!

I was so happy to get this ARC I read it out loud to my boys (5th and 6th grade) as a bedtime book for the past month and they loved it so much they would beg to just read a little more every night. I also had to stop myself from reading ahead. Like typical boys they usually prefer action or thrilling plot driven books, even though I would say candle Island was more character driven and the main character is a girl they were still really into it. We had a lot of discussions while reading trying to guess what decade the book was set in w which is a fun game I always play with them when we read books set in the past as it helps appreciate context clues and settings and this book had plenty. I would recommend it for independent middle school reading but having read it aloud I feel like it really shines as a read aloud and could be read aloud from 3-8th grade.

Wow, what a great book about secrets, art, relationships, and staying true to your voice. You feel as if you’re in Maine where Lucretia and her mom have moved. Both mom and Lucretia love to paint, but they are sharing a secret about their art. So much happens when Lucretia finds an osprey, meets Bastion and Murdock, and has to deal with three kids who cause trouble. Love Lauren Wolk’s books and this one was a ten star read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was a beautifully done story about loss and how art can help with that. The world building was beautifully done and was hooked from the first page of this. It was a realistic look and thought the characters had that element that I was looking for. Lauren Wolk wrote this well and was engaged with the story.