Keeper of the Light

by Patricia Curtis Pfitsch

After the 1872 death of her father while trying to rescue drowning sailors from a sinking schooner, Faith takes over his job as a lighthouse keeper on Lake Superior, until her mother decides to move into town, where Faith soon finds herself stifled by the role society expects her to play.

144 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1997

About the author

I've always felt I was born into the wrong century. Even when I was little my favorite books were historical fiction: Caddie Woodlawn, Little House in the Big Woods, The Bronze Bow, and Witch of Blackbird Pond. Since I couldn't change the year of my birth, I write historical fiction instead. I live with my husband, my three children and an ever-changing variety of animals and wildlife on a ridgetop farm in southwestern Wisconsin, where sometimes I can pretend I'm living in the olden days. My 100 year old farmhouse is heated with wood, and in the winter I cook on a wood-burning cookstove that's even older than the house. My favorite activities, next to writing, are riding my bike, weeding the garden, and learning to play the guitar (which I usually do when nobody else can hear.)
-Patricia Curtis Pfitsch

Reviews

[Miss Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

gr 4-6 136pgs

1872 lighthouse near Lake Superior Michigan. Faith has acted as lighthouse keeper since her father's death five months ago. When the Lighthouse board appoints a new keeper, Faith is furious at having to leave the lighthouse and move into town. Her mother is happy to move into town so that Faith can finally learn how to be a "lady." Faith worries that the new lighthouse keeper doesn't have enough experience and keeps going back to check on him even though it gets her in trouble. When a bad storm comes, Faith rushes to the lighthouse, she knows that with a storm as bad as this one, the keeper will need all the help he can get.

The story focused on the lighthouse and the role that Faith, as a lady, was expected to play versus the one she was interested in playing. I would recommend this story to someone who likes lighthouses, independent girls, or adventure stories.