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The Mysterious Magic of Lighthouse Lane
Two starred reviews!
A young empath spending the summer with her grandfather stumbles upon a bit of magic in this “[l]uminous…introspective” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) middle grade novel about letting in the light—perfect for fans of Barbara Dee and Jamie Sumner.
Sixth grader Lucy thinks people are seriously overrated. People come with feelings, and Lucy can’t escape them because of her so-called “gift” of empathy. She can feel the tension when her parents fight and can’t escape the truth of what went wrong in her relationship with her former best friend. So when Lucy’s parents suggest spending her summer vacation with her reclusive grandfather at his isolated cabin on Prince Edward Island, she jumps at the chance to get away from people, feelings—all of it.
Lucy arrives at her grandfather’s with a small suitcase and the only thing she really her camera. From behind the lens, she can watch the world without having to feel any of it. While exploring her new home, Lucy finds her grandmother’s old camera and a darkroom that hasn’t been used since Nana passed away five years ago. Lucy starts taking pictures of the people in her grandfather’s town and developing photos the old-fashioned way.
The finished photos reveal everything about the subjects—their deepest fears and hidden desires. Along with a quirky neighbor and her reluctant grandfather, Lucy sets out to get to the bottom of the photographic magic. But can she uncover the truth of her grandmother’s legacy and figure out what to do with the magical photos before summer ends?
A young empath spending the summer with her grandfather stumbles upon a bit of magic in this “[l]uminous…introspective” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) middle grade novel about letting in the light—perfect for fans of Barbara Dee and Jamie Sumner.
Sixth grader Lucy thinks people are seriously overrated. People come with feelings, and Lucy can’t escape them because of her so-called “gift” of empathy. She can feel the tension when her parents fight and can’t escape the truth of what went wrong in her relationship with her former best friend. So when Lucy’s parents suggest spending her summer vacation with her reclusive grandfather at his isolated cabin on Prince Edward Island, she jumps at the chance to get away from people, feelings—all of it.
Lucy arrives at her grandfather’s with a small suitcase and the only thing she really her camera. From behind the lens, she can watch the world without having to feel any of it. While exploring her new home, Lucy finds her grandmother’s old camera and a darkroom that hasn’t been used since Nana passed away five years ago. Lucy starts taking pictures of the people in her grandfather’s town and developing photos the old-fashioned way.
The finished photos reveal everything about the subjects—their deepest fears and hidden desires. Along with a quirky neighbor and her reluctant grandfather, Lucy sets out to get to the bottom of the photographic magic. But can she uncover the truth of her grandmother’s legacy and figure out what to do with the magical photos before summer ends?
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Published February 3, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 15, 2026
From the setting to the themes, this is such a beautiful story!
In this magical realism story that's perfect for fans of The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry, The Library of Unruly Treasures, or Anne of Green Gables, 12-year-old Lucy goes to Prince Edward Island for the summer to try to recover from her "big feelings" that have made especially the past year of school difficult.
As an empathetic, observant character, Lucy struggles with feeling weighed down and trapped by all the feelings around her for most of the story. For the sensitive children who would strongly relate to Lucy's weighed-down feeling, this book might be one to take a little slower ❤️ Lucy's gradual journey is beautiful and absolutely worth reaching the end of, though—I love the way she had to first understand her feelings, then give herself some grace, and then learn how to handle the feelings without letting them hold her back.
This is a story I wish I could have read in middle school—I always wanted to see a quiet, sensitive girl in the role of protagonist, and I love the way the author gently took us through the story alongside Lucy, giving the reader a guide to navigating empathy and big feelings, too.
(Content note: one instance of h*** used in a swearing context and .)
In this magical realism story that's perfect for fans of The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry, The Library of Unruly Treasures, or Anne of Green Gables, 12-year-old Lucy goes to Prince Edward Island for the summer to try to recover from her "big feelings" that have made especially the past year of school difficult.
As an empathetic, observant character, Lucy struggles with feeling weighed down and trapped by all the feelings around her for most of the story. For the sensitive children who would strongly relate to Lucy's weighed-down feeling, this book might be one to take a little slower ❤️ Lucy's gradual journey is beautiful and absolutely worth reaching the end of, though—I love the way she had to first understand her feelings, then give herself some grace, and then learn how to handle the feelings without letting them hold her back.
This is a story I wish I could have read in middle school—I always wanted to see a quiet, sensitive girl in the role of protagonist, and I love the way the author gently took us through the story alongside Lucy, giving the reader a guide to navigating empathy and big feelings, too.
(Content note: one instance of h*** used in a swearing context and .)
February 20, 2026
This is a book about accepting who you are. This is a book about friendship. This is a book about loss and grief and restored relationships.
October 29, 2025
E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus
Lucy has always been "sensitive", but after collapsing at the aquarium during an end of year 6th grade field trip, her parents decide that it would be best for her to spend the summer away from New York City, staying with her grandfather on Prince Edward Island. Lucy is glad to be away from everyone, especially her best friend Vienna, who didn't understand. Lucy's grandfather is a quiet man who likes to be alone, especially after the death of his beloved wife. He has agreed to take Lucy in, but doesn't seem to have any plans other than feeding her. Luckily, on one of her first journeys out of the house, Lucy runs into Poppy Anne Montgomery, who claims to be descended from Lucy Maud Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables. Poppy also says that she has seven siblings, and that her family owns the lighthouse near the grandfather's house. After the grandfather gives Lucy her grandmother's old fashioned camera, she finds that the pictures she takes and develops in the home dark room show secrets about her subjects. She takes one of young violinist John Paul, and feels that he needs help earning money. She and Poppy help him, and end up having him tag along with them. She also thinks that restaurant owner Candace wants a husband (the picture Lucy takes shows her wearing an engagement ring that she wasn't wearing in real life) and tries to set her up with her grandfather, not knowing that Candace was her grandmother's best friend! This ability isn't always helpful; Lucy doesn't realize that her grandfather's dog, Copper, is sick until it is too late, and the dog dies of stomach cancer. Lucy feels others pain acutely, so the pictures take their toll on her, especially when she has a disagreement with Poppyu, and when she takes a picture of her grandfather smiling when he never does so in real life. Trying to make her grandfather happy is very difficult, and ends with the two fighting and Lucy returning home. Lucy realizes that her mother always tries to "fix" her, and that she was trying to do the same to her grandfather. After she returns to New York, her grandfather comes to ask her to come back. Lucy returns, makes amends with Poppy, and tries to offer people support (in the guise of her grandmother's famous banana bread) rather than trying to fix them.
Strengths: The cover on this was great! I love that Lucy got to go to Prince Edward Island, and the descriptions are gorgeous. I loved her grandfather, and would have loved to spend the summer with him when I was in middle school, especially since I was very invested in Anne of Green Gables at the time! Poppy is an exuberant character with some secrets of her own, and the girls falling out is realistic. Lucy's parents are a bit remote, and it seemed likely that they were just tired of all of Lucy's scenes and really did send her away so that they could have a break, especially since the mother is NOT a fan of Lucy's "meltdowns".
Weaknesses: While the camera seems to be magical, I was a little confused about Lucy's empath qualities. Does she really feel people's emotions deeply enough to pass out? Or is it just her anxiety? Also, I sort of wanted the photos to be even more magical, and that they could have saved Copper.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like magical realism and summers with grandparents in books like Logue's Dreki, Badua's Ghoul Summer, or Traore's Children of the Quicksands.
Lucy has always been "sensitive", but after collapsing at the aquarium during an end of year 6th grade field trip, her parents decide that it would be best for her to spend the summer away from New York City, staying with her grandfather on Prince Edward Island. Lucy is glad to be away from everyone, especially her best friend Vienna, who didn't understand. Lucy's grandfather is a quiet man who likes to be alone, especially after the death of his beloved wife. He has agreed to take Lucy in, but doesn't seem to have any plans other than feeding her. Luckily, on one of her first journeys out of the house, Lucy runs into Poppy Anne Montgomery, who claims to be descended from Lucy Maud Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables. Poppy also says that she has seven siblings, and that her family owns the lighthouse near the grandfather's house. After the grandfather gives Lucy her grandmother's old fashioned camera, she finds that the pictures she takes and develops in the home dark room show secrets about her subjects. She takes one of young violinist John Paul, and feels that he needs help earning money. She and Poppy help him, and end up having him tag along with them. She also thinks that restaurant owner Candace wants a husband (the picture Lucy takes shows her wearing an engagement ring that she wasn't wearing in real life) and tries to set her up with her grandfather, not knowing that Candace was her grandmother's best friend! This ability isn't always helpful; Lucy doesn't realize that her grandfather's dog, Copper, is sick until it is too late, and the dog dies of stomach cancer. Lucy feels others pain acutely, so the pictures take their toll on her, especially when she has a disagreement with Poppyu, and when she takes a picture of her grandfather smiling when he never does so in real life. Trying to make her grandfather happy is very difficult, and ends with the two fighting and Lucy returning home. Lucy realizes that her mother always tries to "fix" her, and that she was trying to do the same to her grandfather. After she returns to New York, her grandfather comes to ask her to come back. Lucy returns, makes amends with Poppy, and tries to offer people support (in the guise of her grandmother's famous banana bread) rather than trying to fix them.
Strengths: The cover on this was great! I love that Lucy got to go to Prince Edward Island, and the descriptions are gorgeous. I loved her grandfather, and would have loved to spend the summer with him when I was in middle school, especially since I was very invested in Anne of Green Gables at the time! Poppy is an exuberant character with some secrets of her own, and the girls falling out is realistic. Lucy's parents are a bit remote, and it seemed likely that they were just tired of all of Lucy's scenes and really did send her away so that they could have a break, especially since the mother is NOT a fan of Lucy's "meltdowns".
Weaknesses: While the camera seems to be magical, I was a little confused about Lucy's empath qualities. Does she really feel people's emotions deeply enough to pass out? Or is it just her anxiety? Also, I sort of wanted the photos to be even more magical, and that they could have saved Copper.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like magical realism and summers with grandparents in books like Logue's Dreki, Badua's Ghoul Summer, or Traore's Children of the Quicksands.
March 1, 2026
📚The Mysterious Magic of Lighthouse Lane
✍🏻Erin Stewart
Blurb:
A young empath spending the summer with her grandfather stumbles upon a bit of magic in this middle grade novel about letting in the light—perfect for fans of Barbara Dee and Jamie Sumner.
Sixth grader Lucy thinks people are seriously overrated. People come with feelings, and Lucy can’t escape them because of her so-called “gift” of empathy. She can feel the tension when her parents fight and can’t escape the truth of what went wrong in her relationship with her former best friend. So when Lucy’s parents suggest spending her summer vacation with her reclusive grandfather at his isolated cabin on Prince Edward Island, she jumps at the chance to get away from people, feelings—all of it.
Lucy arrives at her grandfather’s with a small suitcase and the only thing she really her camera. From behind the lens, she can watch the world without having to feel any of it. While exploring her new home, Lucy finds her grandmother’s old camera and a darkroom that hasn’t been used since Nana passed away five years ago. Lucy starts taking pictures of the people in her grandfather’s town and developing photos the old-fashioned way.
The finished photos reveal everything about the subjects—their deepest fears and hidden desires. Along with a quirky neighbor and her reluctant grandfather, Lucy sets out to get to the bottom of the photographic magic. But can she uncover the truth of her grandmother’s legacy and figure out what to do with the magical photos before summer ends?
My Thoughts:
The Mysterious Magic of Lighthouse Lane takes place on Prince Edward Island. The main character, Lucy, is an empath who struggles to keep her "big emotions" at bay. After an incident at a field trip to an aquarium, her parents decide to send her to PEI to spend the summer with her grandfather. Lucy is glad to be away from the hustle and bustle of New York City, but her grandfather is a quiet, solitary man who keeps people at a distance. After venturing outside, Lucy quickly becomes acquainted with a local girl named Poppy Montgomery, who claims to be a descendant of L.M. Montgomery herself. After venturing outside, Lucy quickly becomes acquainted with a local girl named Poppy Montgomery, who claims to be a descendant of L.M. Montgomery herself. This story is a lovely, gentle, beautiful exploration into big emotions and how they serve us.
Thanks NetGalley, Aladdin Publisher and Author Erin Stewart for the complimentary copy of "The Mysterious Magic of Lighthouse Lane" I am leaving my voluntary review in appreciation.
#NetGalley
AladdinPublisher
#ErinStewart
#TheMysteriousMagicofLighthouseLane
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✍🏻Erin Stewart
Blurb:
A young empath spending the summer with her grandfather stumbles upon a bit of magic in this middle grade novel about letting in the light—perfect for fans of Barbara Dee and Jamie Sumner.
Sixth grader Lucy thinks people are seriously overrated. People come with feelings, and Lucy can’t escape them because of her so-called “gift” of empathy. She can feel the tension when her parents fight and can’t escape the truth of what went wrong in her relationship with her former best friend. So when Lucy’s parents suggest spending her summer vacation with her reclusive grandfather at his isolated cabin on Prince Edward Island, she jumps at the chance to get away from people, feelings—all of it.
Lucy arrives at her grandfather’s with a small suitcase and the only thing she really her camera. From behind the lens, she can watch the world without having to feel any of it. While exploring her new home, Lucy finds her grandmother’s old camera and a darkroom that hasn’t been used since Nana passed away five years ago. Lucy starts taking pictures of the people in her grandfather’s town and developing photos the old-fashioned way.
The finished photos reveal everything about the subjects—their deepest fears and hidden desires. Along with a quirky neighbor and her reluctant grandfather, Lucy sets out to get to the bottom of the photographic magic. But can she uncover the truth of her grandmother’s legacy and figure out what to do with the magical photos before summer ends?
My Thoughts:
The Mysterious Magic of Lighthouse Lane takes place on Prince Edward Island. The main character, Lucy, is an empath who struggles to keep her "big emotions" at bay. After an incident at a field trip to an aquarium, her parents decide to send her to PEI to spend the summer with her grandfather. Lucy is glad to be away from the hustle and bustle of New York City, but her grandfather is a quiet, solitary man who keeps people at a distance. After venturing outside, Lucy quickly becomes acquainted with a local girl named Poppy Montgomery, who claims to be a descendant of L.M. Montgomery herself. After venturing outside, Lucy quickly becomes acquainted with a local girl named Poppy Montgomery, who claims to be a descendant of L.M. Montgomery herself. This story is a lovely, gentle, beautiful exploration into big emotions and how they serve us.
Thanks NetGalley, Aladdin Publisher and Author Erin Stewart for the complimentary copy of "The Mysterious Magic of Lighthouse Lane" I am leaving my voluntary review in appreciation.
#NetGalley
AladdinPublisher
#ErinStewart
#TheMysteriousMagicofLighthouseLane
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Wow this was such a good book. Lucy is going to spend the summer with her grandfather on Prince Edward Island, after dealing with some hard things back at home. She learns a lot about her grandfather and her grandmother along the way. She is given her grandmother's camera and realizes it contains some magic. As the island also seems to contain magic. Lucy learns that she is an empath, feeling the feelings of others, which can be overwhelming. But with the help of her new friend Poppy, she starts to learn how she can deal with all of those emotions and feelings. She learns some steps to work through it.
This is such a great look at what it is like to be an empath and even if you aren't how to work through hard feelings. I liked the connection she got to her grandmother and how she helps her grandfather deal with his feelings over his wife's passing. The setting is also really beautiful. These characters and this story will resonate with me for a long time.
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
This is such a great look at what it is like to be an empath and even if you aren't how to work through hard feelings. I liked the connection she got to her grandmother and how she helps her grandfather deal with his feelings over his wife's passing. The setting is also really beautiful. These characters and this story will resonate with me for a long time.
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
February 26, 2026
A gentle magical realism book that readers will love. I really liked the dimensions of Lucy and could relate to the struggles that she faced so realistically. The photography portion recalled memories of my days in high school photography class and working in the dark room with all those smelly chemicals. Most readers don't have specific knowledge of that and I love that it was introduced in this book.
February 15, 2026
Beautiful, heartwarming, and compelling. I love this deep connection to the life of a young empath. While most people certainly aren’t empaths in the same way that Lucy is, we all have deep feelings and experiencing this story will not only entertain youth and adults, but will also provide beautiful moments for empathy and reflection.
April 25, 2026
Cute middle grade read. Perfect for girls with big feelings. I read this book for the march mini challenge 52 books fulfill a prompt from the mystery genre challenge. I used prompt 16 detective forced to confrot thier own past. (52 books 2026)
December 31, 2025
3.5/5 stars
March 3, 2026
Kids that love fantasy sprinkled into real life will really enjoy this read. For the most part, I think this book wonderfully exemplifies that there can be magic in doing good things, even if it’s hard.
My big issue? The ending. Throughout the book it’s made clear that the main character is neurodivergent, or perhaps mentally ill with anxiety, OCD, etc. I’m not saying they needed to name what she had, just her exhibiting these traits and facing the struggles that can come from them, can be relatable and good representation. HOWEVER at the end, very abruptly, she and her family very outrightly say that the pills and therapy are bad actually, because she comes from a family of magical empaths. Nothing is wrong with her, she’s just magic. When I say my jaw dropped I am not kidding! I understand using empaths in your story about being neurodivergent, both metaphorically or going hand in hand with it, but to literally write that the therapy didn’t work because she’s just magic was very shocking. Not only that, but I feel like this implies there’s something “wrong” with neurodivergence, which is again just wrong. Not wanting to medicate children, sure, but being anti-therapy? Why??
Overall, I think this is fun and whimsical. However, the subtle anti-therapy and mental health treatment rhetoric was worrying and felt a bit underhanded.
My big issue? The ending. Throughout the book it’s made clear that the main character is neurodivergent, or perhaps mentally ill with anxiety, OCD, etc. I’m not saying they needed to name what she had, just her exhibiting these traits and facing the struggles that can come from them, can be relatable and good representation. HOWEVER at the end, very abruptly, she and her family very outrightly say that the pills and therapy are bad actually, because she comes from a family of magical empaths. Nothing is wrong with her, she’s just magic. When I say my jaw dropped I am not kidding! I understand using empaths in your story about being neurodivergent, both metaphorically or going hand in hand with it, but to literally write that the therapy didn’t work because she’s just magic was very shocking. Not only that, but I feel like this implies there’s something “wrong” with neurodivergence, which is again just wrong. Not wanting to medicate children, sure, but being anti-therapy? Why??
Overall, I think this is fun and whimsical. However, the subtle anti-therapy and mental health treatment rhetoric was worrying and felt a bit underhanded.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 22, 2026
Touching story for middle readers
March 3, 2026
This is a really sweet story about (warning) feelings. I think most people can relate in some way, but the story really targets those who feel emotions deeply. It was definitely out of my norm.
March 19, 2026
A beautiful book for anyone who had big feelings or loves someone with big feelings. A real gift.
April 3, 2026
Overall a charming, likeable story that may be helpful for middle aged kiddos with big feelings or those who could be labeled 'empaths'.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 25, 2026
Oh this book needs to be continued! I loved these real, raw young adolescents and adults who try to understand them, but fall a bit short.
April 28, 2026
"A quietly effective tale of family and friendship, but, most importantly, self-understanding. Geared toward middle-grade readers who enjoy flawed but growing characters." [Booklist]
May 1, 2026
The book was very interesting and the characters were well written and entertaining.
May 6, 2026
I'm probably biased in favor of the setting, but still--I really enjoyed this one! See https://www.eatreadandbemommy.com/202... for details.
February 12, 2026
The Mysterious Magic of Lighthouse Lane takes place on Prince Edward Island, a place I've been dying to visit for years. L.M. Montgomery wrote one of my favorite books, so I was thrilled to receive an eARC of this middle grade novel. But I'm afraid my expectations were too high, because I just wasn't enchanted by Lighthouse Lane.
The main character, Lucy, is an empath who struggles to keep her "big emotions" at bay. After an incident at a field trip to an aquarium, her parents decide to send her to PEI to spend the summer with her grandfather. Lucy is glad to be away from the hustle and bustle of New York City, but her grandfather is a quiet, solitary man who keeps people at a distance.
After venturing outside, Lucy quickly becomes acquainted with a local girl named Poppy Montgomery, who claims to be a descendant of L.M. Montgomery herself. I have to admit- I found the characterization of this girl, an exuberant, talkative redhead with lots of freckles, to be a tad contrived. The Montgomery connection notwithstanding, Poppy is basically a modern-day Anne Shirley. Of course. Somehow, though, Lucy isn't familiar with the name L.M. Montgomery, despite owning a copy of Anne of Green Gables, which just doesn't make sense.
I did enjoy some aspects of the story, like the descriptions of the island with its lighthouses and red-dirt roads. Candace, a friendly restaurant owner, and local kid John Paul are likable characters who I wish had bigger roles in the story. I also liked learning about Lucy's grandmother Mary, whose memory is a constant presence throughout the book. It seems that Lucy inherited her gift of empathy from Mary, and this helps her view it as a blessing rather than a curse.
Other than that, though, this just wasn’t what I was expecting. I'm not really sure what the "magic camera" was all about. There's a lot of repetition about Lucy's big feelings and her falling out with her ex-best friend Vienna.
Aside from her empathy and her interest in photography, I felt like I didn't know a whole lot about Lucy. The plot moves so fast that even when things happen, they don't have much of an impact. And I really wasn't a fan of the fight Lucy had with her grandfather, even though they patch things up by the end of the book.
The main character, Lucy, is an empath who struggles to keep her "big emotions" at bay. After an incident at a field trip to an aquarium, her parents decide to send her to PEI to spend the summer with her grandfather. Lucy is glad to be away from the hustle and bustle of New York City, but her grandfather is a quiet, solitary man who keeps people at a distance.
After venturing outside, Lucy quickly becomes acquainted with a local girl named Poppy Montgomery, who claims to be a descendant of L.M. Montgomery herself. I have to admit- I found the characterization of this girl, an exuberant, talkative redhead with lots of freckles, to be a tad contrived. The Montgomery connection notwithstanding, Poppy is basically a modern-day Anne Shirley. Of course. Somehow, though, Lucy isn't familiar with the name L.M. Montgomery, despite owning a copy of Anne of Green Gables, which just doesn't make sense.
I did enjoy some aspects of the story, like the descriptions of the island with its lighthouses and red-dirt roads. Candace, a friendly restaurant owner, and local kid John Paul are likable characters who I wish had bigger roles in the story. I also liked learning about Lucy's grandmother Mary, whose memory is a constant presence throughout the book. It seems that Lucy inherited her gift of empathy from Mary, and this helps her view it as a blessing rather than a curse.
Other than that, though, this just wasn’t what I was expecting. I'm not really sure what the "magic camera" was all about. There's a lot of repetition about Lucy's big feelings and her falling out with her ex-best friend Vienna.
Aside from her empathy and her interest in photography, I felt like I didn't know a whole lot about Lucy. The plot moves so fast that even when things happen, they don't have much of an impact. And I really wasn't a fan of the fight Lucy had with her grandfather, even though they patch things up by the end of the book.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews