Novels
From Shelf Awareness: Newbery Honor author Lauren Wolk showcases her superbly lyrical writing in this novel featuring a 12-year-old artist who confronts grief and manages secrets on her new island home in Maine.
★ “Readers who enjoy meeting characters who feel like friends by story's end will revel in losing themselves on Candle Island .”
–Booklist, starred review
★ A “cathartic and deeply felt story, a resounding celebration of unconditional love and personal expression.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
"This work glows ... exquisite writing." —Kirkus Reviews
A moving portrait of loss and the restorative power of art from Lauren Wolk, the Newbery Honor-winning author of Beyond the Bright Sea.
Lucretia Sanderson has a secret.
Lucretia and her mother have come to tiny Candle Island, Maine (Population: Summer, 986; Winter, 315) to escape—escape memories of the car accident that killed her father and escape the journalists that hound her mother, a famous and reclusive artist. The rocky coast and ocean breeze are a welcome respite for Lucretia, who dedicates her summer days to painting, exploring the island, and caring for an orphaned osprey chick.
But Candle Island has secrets of its own—a hidden room in her new house, a mysterious boy with a beautiful voice—and just like the strong tides that surround the shores, they will catch Lucretia in their wake.
With an unforgettable New England setting and a complex web of relationships old and new, Candle Island is a powerful story about art, loss, and the power of being true to your own voice.
Hardcover: 352 pages ISBN-978-0593698549
* A New York Times Bestseller * A 2017 Newbery Honor Book * A 2017 Jane Addams Children's Book Award Honor Book * Winner of the 2016 New England Book Award * Winner of the Catholic German Children and Youth Book Prize * An ALA Notable Children's Book * An NPR Best Book of the Year * A Booklist Best Book of the Year * Short listed for the Waterstones Award and the Carnegie Award * An Entertainment Weekly Best Middle Grade Book of the Year * A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year * A Shelf Awareness Best Book of the Year * A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year * A Wall Street Journal Best Children's Book of the Year
Growing up in the shadows cast by two world wars, Annabelle has lived a mostly quiet, steady life in her small Pennsylvania town. Until the day new student Betty Glengarry walks into her class. Betty quickly reveals herself to be cruel and manipulative, and while her bullying seems isolated at first, things quickly escalate, and reclusive World War I veteran Toby becomes a target of her attacks. While others have always seen Toby’s strangeness, Annabelle knows only kindness. She will soon need to find the courage to stand as a lone voice of justice as tensions mount.
Brilliantly crafted, Wolf Hollow is a haunting tale of America at a crossroads and a time when one girl’s resilience, strength, and compassion help to illuminate the darkest corners of our history.
Hardcover: 304 pages ISBN-10: 1101994827
Paperback: 320 pages ISBN-10: 1101994843
* Winner of the 2018 Scott O'Dell Book Award for Historical Fiction * Winner of the 2018 Massachusetts Book Award * A Finalist for the 2018 Carnegie Award * A Finalist for the New England Book Award * An NPR Best Book of the Year * A Parents’ Magazine Best Book of the Year * A Booklist Editors' Choice selection * A BookPage Best Book of the Year *A Horn Book Fanfare Selection * A Kirkus Best Book of the Year * A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year * A Charlotte Observer Best Book of the Year * A Southern Living Best Book of the Year * A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year * An Amazon Best Book of the Year * A Goodreads Best Book of the Year Finalist
Twelve-year-old Crow has lived her entire life on a tiny, isolated piece of the starkly beautiful Elizabeth Islands in Massachusetts. Abandoned and set adrift on a small boat when she was just hours old, Crow’s only companions are Osh, the man who rescued and raised her, and Miss Maggie, their fierce and affectionate neighbor across the sandbar.
Crow has always been curious about the world around her, but it isn’t until the night a mysterious fire appears across the water that the unspoken question of her own history forms in her heart. Soon, an unstoppable chain of events is triggered, leading Crow down a path of discovery and danger.
Vivid and heart wrenching, Lauren Wolk’s Beyond the Bright Sea is a gorgeously crafted and tensely paced tale that explores questions of identity, belonging, and the true meaning of family.
Hardcover: 304 pages ISBN-10: 1101994856
Paperback: 320 pages ISBN-10: 1101994870
A six-star title.
* An NPR Best Book of the Year * A Horn Book Fanfare Selection * A Kirkus Best Book of the Year * A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year * A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year * A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year
After the financial crash, Ellie and her family have lost nearly everything—including their home in town. Forced to start over, Ellie has found a welcome freedom, and a love of the natural world, in her new life on Echo Mountain. But there is little joy, even for Ellie, as her family struggles with the aftermath of an accident that left her father in a coma. An accident for which Ellie has accepted the unearned weight of blame.
Determined to help her father, Ellie will make her way to the top of the mountain in search of the healing secrets of a woman known only as “the hag.” But the hag, and the mountain, still have many untold stories left to reveal and, with them, a fresh chance at happiness.
Critically acclaimed author Lauren Wolk weaves a stunning tale of resilience, persistence, and friendship across three generations of strong women, set against the rough and ragged beauty of the mountain they all call home.
Hardcover: 368 pages ISBN-10: 0525555568
Paperback: 368 pages ISBN-10: 0525555587
★ “A powerful story to electrify the soul.” –Booklist, starred review
★ “With a memorable heroine, a finely honed voice, a distinctive setting, and deeply grounded relationships, this thought-provoking novel raises ethical issues about personal flaws and forgiveness.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Wolk writes like a fever dream while raising questions about our capacities for forgiveness, just how we draw our conclusions about folk and whether proof requires evidence or whether instinct matches it. Deep, dark and indelible — you’ll read nothing else like it this summer.” —The Times (London)
Bestselling author Lauren Wolk returns to the world of Wolf Hollow in this sequel to her beloved, Newbery Honor-winning debut.
In the aftermath of the tragic events set in motion by bully Betty Glengarry, the routine of daily life in Wolf Hollow has returned. But for Annabelle McBride, loss continues to cast a long shadow and it’s hard to make peace with what feels like threadbare justice. A powerful storm is about to leave change in its wake, setting Annabelle on a new path. A search for her brother’s dog, Buster, will bring them to unfamiliar doorsteps and also reunite Annabelle with a too familiar adversary, Andy Woodberry, who was complicit in Betty’s most terrible acts. But growing up and blazing her own trail will soon force Annabelle to reexamine deeply felt truths—about people, about justice—that had once seemed so uncomplicated.
Hardcover: 320 pages ISBN-10: 0525555595
Paperback: 320 pages ISBN-10: 0525555617
