Author: Anna Rose Johnson
Recommended Age: 8-11
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Date Published: 2024
Summary: Selena Lucy Landry has been afraid of the water ever since her father drowned at sea. When she’s sent to live with the Martin family in a lighthouse in the middle of Lake Superior, Lucy struggles to fit in with this hardworking family. But if she can overcome her fear of the water, Lucy may have a chance to find the legendary necklace her father spent his life seeking that supposedly sank with a ship near their lighthouse.
Notes from The Radical Reader:
- Noble Characters: Lucy’s voice in the story brought this book to life. With humor, wit, and the perfect dash of little girl imagination, The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry made me laugh out-loud so many times at Lucy’s precocious personality, hyperactive imagination, and simple charm.
- Captivating Plots: If you love historical fiction flavored with the charm of a young female protagonist (reminiscent of Amy March in many ways), then The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry could possibly be your next favorite read. While I recommend it for readers as young as eight, I loved every page of this story!
- Elaborate Worlds: As someone born and raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the locations and historical events of The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry were so entertaining. I’ve grown up hearing stories of famous shipwrecks on the Great Lakes as well as visiting the Keweenaw myself a handful of times. This story brought those locations to life in such a unique way while still remaining true to the setting and storyline.
Noteworthy Elements:
- Profanity: The phrase “good heavens” is used three times and “for heaven’s sake” is used once. The words “golly” and “gosh” are each used once.
- Spiritual: Lucy retells the belief that if “you don’t break a bottle over [a brand new ship] or give her some delicious christening ceremony, then bad luck will follow all the rest of her days”. There is one reference to a boy whose almanac is described as “this book of meteorological fortune-telling”.
