Wolk, Lauren. Candle Island. New York: Dutton Children’s Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 2025.
Set on a small island off the coast of Maine, this story of a mother and daughter holds surprises for the characters themselves and for readers. Journalists keep badgering Lucy’s mother – a famous artist – for interviews but the two of them want to be left alone to grieve the death of Lucy’s father. How do you survive in a world of strangers? When is it safe to show people who you really are? How do you protect your own boundaries while still letting others into your heart? This 340-page novel is recommended for thoughtful readers 11 to 15 years old.Â
More stories of characters unlike their peers