Between the Lighthouse and You

August 1, 2021
Unable to accept her mother's death, a 12-year-old girl visits the Florida island where she disappeared in a storm six years ago. Alice has selective mutism resulting from her refusal to believe in her mother's death. A cultural anthropologist, Alice's mother specialized in studying people's communications with the dead. When Alice discovers a letter to her mother from Aviles Island lighthouse keeper John Mercury, she learns that he agreed to speak with her about what the islanders call tidings, or messages between the living and the dead--and she's determined to go there to seek his help. Alice's father agrees to a family vacation on Aviles, hoping it will bring Alice closure. Arriving with her dad, her dad's girlfriend, and her younger sister just in time for the Tidings Festival, Alice learns Mercury has died but meets his grandson Leo, whose family now operates the lighthouse. Still mourning his grandfather's death, Leo realizes Alice wants the same contact with her deceased mother he has with his grandfather, and he decides to help her. As they row out to sea bearing Alice's tiding to her mother, a terrific storm strikes. Could history repeat itself? The alternating first-person present-tense voices of Alice and Leo provide immediacy and intimacy, while the interactions between and among their down-to-earth families add realism, making the implausible feel possible. The island lighthouse setting proves an ideal venue for otherworldly communication. Main characters are presumably White. A heartwarming, emotional tale of family, grief, and acceptance. (Fiction. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2021

Gr 4-7-Every April, for the past eight years, on the anniversary of her mother's funeral, Alice loses her voice for several days. The loss of her mother in a boating accident left her confused and desperate for answers. Her sister is too young to remember their mother, and their father has seemingly moved on with his new companion, Neesha. But Alice is stuck. She spends hours combing through her mother's academic notes and letters, and when her father gives her a journal he recently discovered, Alice finds references to a planned interview with John Mercury on Aviles Island. Residents on this island off the coast of Florida purportedly receive written messages from deceased family members each year. What did her mother learn about the island? If she goes there, could she receive a message from her mother? After convincing her family to take a vacation to the island, Alice meets Leo, whose family manages the lighthouse. He is a cautious boy who wants to protect the magic of Aviles Island. Gradually, the two become friends and unite in their efforts to find out what really happened to Alice's mother. This suspenseful story, alternating between Alice's and Leo's perspectives, is beautifully written and captures the agony of unresolved grief. Lee provides rich detail on the physical landscape of the island, and each chapter slowly reveals answers to Alice's many questions, leaving readers eager for more. VERDICT This compelling story tackles weighty issues related to death and the afterlife, so it is better suited for more mature middle grade readers and young adults, especially those who may be grieving their own losses.-Anne Jung-Mathews, Plymouth State Univ., NH

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2021
Grades 4-6 It's been six years since Alice's mother's presumed death from drowning while visiting Aviles Island. She had gone there to research reports that local residents received "tidings," written messages sent by departed loved ones once a year. Still yearning for some word from Mom, 12-year-old Alice reads her mother's journals and persuades her father to take the family to Aviles for a few days. There she meets Leo, a boy whose family tends the island's lighthouse, collects the annual tidings, and distributes them to their neighbors. Grieving for his beloved grandfather and fiercely protective of the island's traditions, Leo is initially suspicious of the newcomers. Gradually, he forms an alliance with Alice and tries to help her contact her mother, but his plan has its perils. The first-person text shifts from Alice's point of view to Leo's, chapter by chapter, and tells a continuous, interwoven story that builds momentum as it progresses. In her first novel, Lee offers an involving, uplifting story about coming to terms with grief and finding a meaningful way to move forward.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 1, 2022
Six years ago, Alice's mother, a cultural anthropologist, disappeared in a boating accident near Aviles Island off the coast of Florida. Now twelve, Alice pores over her mom's books and notes, looking for clues and hope, while her father and younger sister contend with grief in their own ways. Alice desperately wants to learn more about the island's tradition of "tidings," or communications with the dead, that her mother was studying when she disappeared, and she pushes for a trip to Aviles Island. Her father plans to interview the Mercury family, the island's lighthouse keepers, for his radio show; Alice sets her sights on finding out more about the tidings. The story alternates between the first-person narratives of Alice and the Mercury family's oldest son, Leo, who's protective of the island's traditions in memory of his beloved grandfather. Alice and Leo have an antagonistic relationship at first, but an unusual tidings message causes them to join forces. Over the course of a weekend on the island, the tidings come and go, the Jones family members finally begin to process their grief, and a risky boat trip nearly finds history repeating itself. A few of the story's fantastical elements (as well as some of its realistic ones) may rankle some skeptical readers, but the narrative's heart and energy, as well as its portrayal of the many ways one can be isolated and paralyzed by grief, feel true and meaningful. Julie Roach

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2022
Six years ago, Alice's mother, a cultural anthropologist, disappeared in a boating accident near Aviles Island off the coast of Florida. Now twelve, Alice pores over her mom's books and notes, looking for clues and hope, while her father and younger sister contend with grief in their own ways. Alice desperately wants to learn more about the island's tradition of "tidings," or communications with the dead, that her mother was studying when she disappeared, and she pushes for a trip to Aviles Island. Her father plans to interview the Mercury family, the island's lighthouse keepers, for his radio show; Alice sets her sights on finding out more about the tidings. The story alternates between the first-person narratives of Alice and the Mercury family's oldest son, Leo, who's protective of the island's traditions in memory of his beloved grandfather. Alice and Leo have an antagonistic relationship at first, but an unusual tidings message causes them to join forces. Over the course of a weekend on the island, the tidings come and go, the Jones family members finally begin to process their grief, and a risky boat trip nearly finds history repeating itself. A few of the story's fantastical elements (as well as some of its realistic ones) may rankle some skeptical readers, but the narrative's heart and energy, as well as its portrayal of the many ways one can be isolated and paralyzed by grief, feel true and meaningful.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)