Author: Lauren Wolk
“Candle Island” is a middle grade novel set on a tiny island in Maine. Lucretia is a 12 year old girl who recently lost her father in a car accident. She and her mother move to Candle Island looking for privacy in their grief and wanting to protect a secret. Lucretia’s mother is a famous but reclusive artist. Lucretia is also a painter and often sees emotions as colors.
Upon arrival to the island, Lucretia is confronted with the hostility between “townies” and “flatlanders”. She meets prickly Murdock and shy Bastian who live on the island. As she gets to know them better, she finds more things in common with them than she imagined. Murdock loves poetry and Bastian loves music but none of them dare to show their talents to anyone else. Murdock also grieves the death of her parents. The three children form a tentative friendship as they align against a trio of tourist bullies.
This story has a bit of a timeless feel to it especially in the non-modern activities of the characters. There is no mention of cell phones, video games, or computers. Instead everyone is participating in real-world activities like working, sailing, riding horses, or rescuing animals. The children roam the island without need for parental involvement. Although there is not a lot of break-neck action, the story moves along well and multiple small mysteries move the narrative forward.
Is the book well written? Yes, I enjoyed the writing style and felt the story was engaging and mostly relatable to the intended audience. There were some aspects that seemed unrealistic but these did not detract from the overall enjoyment of the story.
Are the characters well developed? Are they realistic and relatable? Lucretia, the primary character seems more like a 20 year old than a 12 year old, possibly because she really isn’t a typical 12 year old. The other young characters also seem to behave as much older than given age. However, I think readers will easily relate to them and find them interesting.
Is the language appropriate and wholesome? I didn’t note any profanity or inappropriate language.
Does this story include any moral concerns? There is no portrayal of an immoral lifestyle or belief. It is a realistic story where the characters have flaws and sin is present. There is bullying where children intend to harm someone else, some animal cruelty by the bullies, arson, theft, and deception. Lucretia and her mother are involved in a potential art fraud. There is one mention of someone with a gambling problem and one mention of drug abuse. These sins are not presented as desirable or something to be admired.
Does this book present a positive role model? The adults in Lucretia’s life are overall positive influences. They play a peripheral role in the story which is typical for stories written for younger readers. The adults show and tell the main characters the right way and encourage them to make good choices. Lucretia also presents a positive role model in developing friendships (although I did find it slightly unrealistic that she was able to do this so well on the island when earlier we are told that she “didn’t fit in” and had “problems developing relationships” at her previous school).
Are the main themes of the story compatible with a Christian worldview? Yes. The good is shown to be desirable and worth pursuing. There is a positive outcome to the mysteries. The themes of friendship, perseverance under difficult circumstances, importance of loving your family, and even a realistic yet positive theme of processing grief are all in alliance with a Biblical worldview.
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