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Summary
Summary
The dramatic true story of a young heroine who operated a lighthouse during a terrible winter storm in her father's absence, saving countless lives out at sea.
When seventeen-year-old Abbie Burgess and her family move to Maine where her father will be caring for a lighthouse, she is immediately fascinated by the lights. Abbie becomes her father's assistant, and when he is forced to make an emergency trip to the mainland, Abbie alone knows how to keep the lighthouse tower lit. Soon after he leaves, a massive storm arises, surging over the island and flooding their house. Will Abbie be able to care for her sick mother and younger sisters and make sure that the lighthouse guides ships safely through the treacherous waters?
This fictionalized account of a young girl's triumph over a savage storm as well as her own fears, is based on an actual incident that took place in the winter of 1856. Gorgeously illustrated with powerful oil paintings, young Abbie will inspire readers to face all storms as bravely.
Author Notes
When acclaimed author Marcia Vaughan was a young girl, she loved telling wild stories to her friends. As a graduate of Washington State University, she began her career as a librarian and was soon writing books herself. Now she is the author of over 100 books for children, including the timeless 1986 treasure Wombat Stew , Three Bears of the Pacific Northwest , Kissing Coyotes , and Five Pesky Pumpkins . She lives in Tacoma, Washington.
Artist Bill Farnsworth is an award-winning artist and illustrator whose work has been seen in galleries, on book covers and magazines, and children's books starting in the 1980s. He has illustrated over 75 books for children over the past four decades, including books Kaya: 1764 (for the Amercian Girl brand) and The Adventures of Vin Fin (with author Clive Cussler). He is a graduate of Ringling School of Art and Design, and a member of the Society of Illustrators in New York. Bill has done painstaking research to make Abbie historically accurate. He lives in Venice, Florida.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-4-In 1856, during a ferocious storm, Abbie Burgess single-handedly maintained the lighthouse on a tiny island off the coast of Maine. Combining realistic paintings with lively writing, this oversized picture book turns her exploits into thrilling, almost cinematic drama. Readers meet the 17-year-old on the day she moves to the island with her parents and sisters, a resolute girl determined to help her father mind the lights in their twin towers. When Papa sails to the mainland to replenish their dwindling supplies, he leaves her in charge. An unexpected storm blows up. At its height, huge waves wash over the island, sweeping away outbuildings. For four weeks, Abbie keeps the lights burning, cares for her ailing mother and frightened sisters, and runs the station until the dangerous seas subside and her father can return. Vaughan's fictionalized biography brings the young heroine to life, while the illustrations make the violently changing moods of the sea so palpable that readers can feel her danger and celebrate her courage. Peter and Connie Roop's Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie (Carolrhoda, 1985) reduces the story to pedestrian controlled vocabulary and the art pales by comparison. The courageous teen also merits a chapter in Candace Fleming's well-researched Women of the Lights (Albert Whitman, 1996). Even if the other titles are owned, this one merits purchase.-Margaret A. Chang, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Set on an island off the coast of Maine in 1856, this fictionalized account of an actual incident centers on a 17-year-old who diligently assists her father, the keeper of twin lighthouses that flank a stone house. After a supply ship fails to appear and her father sets out in a small dory to fetch food, he leaves Abbie in charge. She rises to the task when a fierce storm descends, tending the flames of the 28 lanterns that illuminate the towers, scraping ice from the exterior glass and rescuing the hens from impending disaster. The hens' eggs keep the family alive during the stormy four weeks that pass before her father's return. Abbie proves herself a vigilant lighthouse keeper: "Not once in all that time did the lights fail. Not one ship floundered. Not one life was lost." Vaughan's (Animal Fair series) straightforward narrative conveys the danger of the storm as well as the heroine's bravery and stamina, but youngsters may pick up on the plot's loose strands. Though she introduces Abbie's three sisters, their mother is mentioned much later in the story, almost incidentally ("Mother's coughing grew worse"), and the fate of twice-mentioned older brother Ben is never resolved. Farnsworth's (The Christmas Menorahs) resplendent paintings of the turbulent seas heighten the drama and lend the tale immediacy. Ages 4-8. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Based on a historical incident, teenage Abbie is left to tend the lighthouse at Mantinicus Rock while her father is away from the Maine island. As a fierce winter storm rages, Abbie keeps the lights burning and prevents any ships from running ashore. The remote quality of the prose makes the story curiously undramatic, and the illustrations are relentlessly dark. From HORN BOOK Spring 2000, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Gr. 2^-4. In this elegant picture book for older readers, based on a true story, Vaughn recounts the tale of 17-year-old Abigail Burgess, who successfully cared for her family's Maine lighthouse during a fierce winter storm in 1856. Abbie has always helped her father tend the lanterns and his logbook, so when he leaves the island for food and supplies, she knows what to do. Unfortunately, the gale is especially severe, and Abbie must help her mother and sisters survive as well as protect the lights. Luminous paintings by Bill Farnsworth mesh perfectly with the elegant text, allowing readers to feel the storm's fury. Peter Roop's Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie (1985) is similar in scope and reading level, but this book will be welcomed for story hours and group presentations. --Kay Weisman