Candle Island, by Lauren Wolk

(352 pages, first published in 2025)

A moving portrait of loss and the restorative power of art from Newbery Honor-winning author Lauren Wolk.

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 life.

Storyglory Cautions: Lucretia's father has died, as has the father of another character; he is described briefly as getting involved in "lots of gambling. Lots of drugs." There is a brief discussion of "the great chain of being," a philosophical concept that ranks all creatures in a hierarchy.

Recommended Age: 10+