August 12

‘Lighthouse girl’ by Dianne Wolfer

Fay, a teenage girl, lives a lonely existence on an isolated island where her father is the lighthouse keeper. She has many chores to do looking after her father and the house, with a donkey as her only company. The outbreak of the First World War is greeted with excitement, as ships full of troops pass by the island. Kay is swept up in the nationalistic fervour, conveying messages to soldiers’ loved ones at home via signals sent from the ships. She even receives a personal message for herself from one of the departing soldiers, and we follow her friendship with Charlie through the story.
Beautifully illustrated by Brian Simmonds and enhanced by documents in many different genres, notes, diary entries and photographs, there’s an authentic historical feel to this novel. This realism is enhanced by the acknowledgment at the end of the book of the true life story on which its story is based.
Most striking for adolescents, I think, is the vast difference between Fay’s life and their own. Technology is very obviously missing. Fay must help hunt for food, amuse herself and must be grown up beyond her years to survive in such an isolated place. This would be very worthwhile as extended reading for a WWI unit of work, suitable for upper primary to mid secondary, rich in its view of the times through the eyes of one teenager. Mrs O.
Click here to reserve ‘Lighthouse Girl’.

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Posted August 12, 2011 by marjk in category Historical fiction, Teacher Reviews

About the Author

Teacher-librarian at Aquinas College, Southport, Gold Coast, Australia

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