A Light in the Storm, Civil War Diary of Amelia Martin

Dear America

by Karen Hesse

In one of the most physically and emotionally devastating years in all of American history, Amelia's own world is suddenly coming apart? the fighting escalates, putting her dear friend Daniel, a Union soldier, in great danger; her Uncle Edward's store is being boycotted and vandalized by Secessionist sympathizers because he is a known Abolitionist; and Mother's condition deteriorates, forcing her to move to Grandmother's house on the mainland. But before the year is through, Amelia will make a powerful discovery about her own views on slavery as she comes to the difficult realization that certain compromises can't be made, even at the risk of losing her mother's approval. In Karen Hesse's masterful hands, Amelia's coming of age amidst the storms of war and her parents' turbulent marriage, becomes a story of grace, power, and personal redemption.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Historical, Civil War, Childrens

176 pages, Unbound

First published September 1, 1999

About the author

Karen Hesse is an American author known for her children's and young adult literature, often set in historical contexts. She received the Newbery Medal for Out of the Dust (1997), a verse novel about a young girl enduring the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression. Hesse’s works frequently tackle complex themes, as seen in Witness (2001), which explores the rise of the Ku Klux Klan in a 1920s Vermont town, and The Music of Dolphins (1996), which tells the story of a girl raised by dolphins. Her novel Stowaway (2000) is based on the real-life account of a boy aboard Captain Cook’s Endeavour. Over her career, Hesse has received numerous accolades, including a MacArthur Fellowship in 2002 and the Phoenix Award for Letters from Rifka (1992).

Reviews

[Missy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got these books for my girls when they were younger, and they enjoyed some of them. But I have never read one. Until now, and now I think I have to read all of them.

This is the story of Amelia Martin. The daughter of a couple who help run the lighthouse on Fenwick Island, Delaware. The story begins at the very beginning of the Civil War, the states are starting to secede, people are wondering how Delaware is going to side. (To this day, and I like history and maybe I have forgotten, I did not remember Delaware being a border state. Guess I had better brush up on that.) They are very much Southern Sympathizers, but part is also against slavery. Amelia's parents were such people. Her mother believed slavery was right, her father and uncle did not. So it left Amelia in the outside to see which she believed.

I enjoyed this book very much. Some places it got a bit long-toothed, but it was an enjoyable read. I also enjoyed reading the epilogue, that these were in fact real people, and how their lives turned out after the story ended. In this case, I felt it was rather sad. These are a quick read to clear the mind after a lot of heavy adult books.

[Sadie Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great personal view of living through the Civil War.

After a couple pages, I already felt a bond with Amelia Martin (aka Wickie).
Her unique thoughts, ideas, and fears of the war were displayed very well through her diary entries.

It was also interesting that her mother and father had different views on slavery. Her mother, believing that people should continue owning slaves, and her Father, wanting to help set them free. Thus, this caused much a strained relationship between Amelia's parents. The war really tore people, even families apart.

I didn't realize quite how attached I was to Amelia and the other characters in the story until the end. The ending was not exactly happy, it couldn't be. The war was still going on, Amelia's father had given her mother divorce papers, and Amelia's friend(soon to be husband), Daniel was away fighting in the war still.

But all the characters, each in their own way, had found peace, as told in the end.

I'd definitely recommend this.

[Ana Mardoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Light in the Storm (The Civil War) / 0-590-56733-0

"A Light in the Storm" is the definitive civil war diary in the series. Young Amelia Martin lives and works in a lighthouse off the coast of the "neutral" state of Delaware, which is neither a slave state nor a free state, yet contains citizens who feel passionately about the issue on both sides. As the country is torn by war and succession over the issue of slavery, Amelia's own family is torn apart for the same reasons. Amelia's father is an abolitionist; her mother is staunchly pro-slavery and detests African Americans. Amelia herself was raised to believe in "Negro inferiority", yet after saving the lives of a shipwrecked family of escaped slaves, she realizes that these people are just as strong, just as intelligent, and just as human as she herself.

The tempest within the lighthouse, as Amelia's family tears itself apart, serves as a microcosm through which the entire war can be viewed. To Amelia's despair and heartbreak, neither side is willing to negotiate or even communicate with each other, each more interested in causing hurt than in coming together for the sake of their union and their offspring. As Amelia tends the lighthouse faithfully (saving lives and preventing shipwrecks), she finds comfort and solace in the daily routines of the lighthouse and the certainty she finds within its walls.

For parents, there is no violence or sexuality in this novel. There is some mild distress when a friend of Amelia's dies in an ice-skating accident, but the matter is handled delicately. Note, though, that the quiet war of wills between Amelia's parents is acute, and their eventual divorce is very traumatic for Amelia and may possibly be triggering for young children who have experienced divorce first-hand. However, Amelia handles the experience with grace, and it is clear that the issues between her parents are not in any way her fault, so this could be a good discussion point for young children who irrationally fear that they may have "caused" a divorce.

~ Ana Mardoll

[Ashton Noel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this to meet a challenge to read a book involving war and wanted something kind of light to read in these weird times we are living in. So I thought why not a book intended for middle grade readers? I've always been fascinated and horrified by The Civil War and thought reading from the point of view of a northerner, and a lighthouse keeper no less, would be an interesting and different take on that piece of history. Oh my, this was so dreadfully boring and uneventful I struggled to get through it. Thankfully it was relatively short and simple to read. Literally nothing happened in this book worth mentioning. It shed some light on some parts of history I didn't know much about and I enjoyed the "America in 1861" section at the end more than anything as it was educational and interesting. I appreciate the author being inspired by a female lighthouse keeper to share the story about the heroism of a female in that time in history but I don't feel it was executed well. Very very boring.

[Grace Avender · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a kid I never liked this particular Dear America, but I thought I should give it another try as an adult before passing it along. And the consensus is.......my kid self was right! The epilogue makes me so mad!!!

[Kat Saunders · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars? Rounded up because it started strong.

Another weird one to rate. Karen Hesse wrote one of my favorite childhood books, The Music of Dolphins, so I was looking forward to this one, even though it's yet another Civil War diary. However, it had a unique angle since Amelia's father is a lighthouse keeper and it quickly becomes clear that she is passionate about doing the same work. At the same time, she's struggling with a family divided over how they feel about slavery. This mirrors the same division sown within the state of Delaware, which was a border state filled with people whose opinions on the war varied. This book started really strong and just . . . petered out, which unfortunately has happened with several other diaries. I felt frustrated when I finished this, especially the epilogue. Why bother telling us that Daniel (the obligatory love interest) and Amelia marry but quickly separate without offering an explanation about why?

At the line level, this is one of the best written diaries in the group I've read so far, but unfortunately, the plot goes nowhere, and the side characters become increasingly flat as the book progresses when the opposite should be true.

Dead parent count: 0, but the mom is so annoying you'll wish she'd die

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of the four Dear America books I’ve read, this one is perhaps my favorite! I could really relate to Amelia’s character. She’s so level headed, hard working, and brave!

In addition to writing very well-developed characters, Karen Hesse also crafted this wonderful story with such attention to detail. The history and themes in Amelia’s story are educational and applicable to kids and adults even today!

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The setting on Fenwick Island truly came to life and I could almost feel the salt sea air on my face. It was also an interesting look at life in one of the border states during the Civil War. It was certainly a very dark time in US history.

[Noninuna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of journal entries by Amelia Martin, a fictional character who was based on a real person in history. For a start, I like her strong character. At 16, Amelia basically did everything to help her family stays together during hard times. Dealing with death, the mental health of her mother, moral standing of her father and things she can't control, Amelia did everything she could. With a little bit of romance, this is such a good read for a history lover.

[Andrea Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a tragic story! My heart broke right along with Amelia’s as her family broke apart. It was interesting to see this story unfold during tumultuous times. I adored the budding romance, but I felt that thread was wasted for what the epilogue did to it. That truly wrecked me for a few days as I cycled through the emotions of being completely let down by the outcome of that thread. That is what held this book back from being five stars for me. Other than that epilogue, the story was well written.

Content: drunkenness, expletive, alcohol

[Alexa Blart, Library Cop · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting glimpse into not only life in a border state during the beginning of the Civil War, but also lighthouse keeping in the mid-nineteenth century. I found Amelia (or "Wickie" as she's adorably called, because she's a lighthouse keeper!) a very likable heroine--she's definitely different from most of the Dear America protagonists we've had so far, but something about her sturdy, practical, hardworking bluntness was refreshing to me. Hesse also very cleverly chooses to mirror the conflict brewing around Amelia on a national scale with a microcosmic representation thereof: her parents' marriage is disintegrating before her eyes just as the Union is falling apart, for much the same reasons (her father is pro-Lincoln and Abolition, while her mother is a virulent racist with Confederate sympathies). Amelia herself professes to formerly have been against Abolition, and to have changed her mind after helping her father and the head lighthouse keeper rescue a boat in distress that turned out to be carrying enslaved folks attempting to self-liberate. And while I do think that for practical Amelia, who works with life and death situations on the sea, seeing the raw humanity of people facing imminent death is a good moment of revelation that these people are just that--people--I do feel that Hesse failed to stick the landing on this one. Particularly because, in the actual moment of Amelia reflecting on what it was like seeing these enslaved Black people in distress, the verbiage used ("a male and a female" instead of "a man and a woman") is...not good. I also think there was a missed opportunity here to show the process of someone unlearning previously held toxic beliefs--yes, Amelia changed her mind about Abolition, but what did that look like practically in her day-to-day life, particularly since those beliefs were learned from a parent who still holds them?

But that's just a small complaint; in general this is a very smart addition to the Dear America canon that balances out the sins of the previous Civil War book in this series.

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now, I’ve read the book A Light in the Storm: The Civil War Diary of Amelia Martin, Fenwick Island, Delaware, 1861 by Karen Hesse more than once, and I must say, I cannot find any more good and positive things to say about it.

It’s a good book to read — especially if you like history, Abraham Lincoln and learning about how life was in the 1860s, too. 😊

Plus, I like how, in the entry marked December 25, 1860, Amelia admits that like her mother, she once believed in slavery. However, a family of five runaway slaves — a male, a female and three children — washed up on the beach a year before in 1860, and Amelia says, “But these slaves, there was something in their eyes, in their way with one another, that made me question how simpleminded, in fact, they were.” (p. 11-12)

With that, she eventually changes her mind and sees slavery for what it really is: “I was wrong in my beliefs about slavery. Mother still is wrong, and Grandmother.” (p. 72)

Friday, December 28, 1860
Clear. Wind N. W. High.
Cold has set in early. The millpond in Bayville is frozen over and William has started skating upon it, though I have yet to find time to join him. A skin of ice borders the edges of Fenwick Ditch, making my daily trips to and from the mainland more difficult. If the Ditch freezes fully over this winter, I shall walk as the water from island to mainland and back again. Mother would shackle me if she caught me. But wouldn’t it be fine to do such a thing!
Crossed the Ditch this afternoon to pick up supplies in Bayville and see to Grandmother. On my way to her cottage, I passed some men who were drinking in the street. One chased after me. I ran from him, my skirts hiked up. He didn’t stand a chance of catching me. Even in my skirts and cloak I run faster than most boys. I thought first of running to Uncle Edward, but made Grandmother’s in less time.
Didn’t dare tell Grandmother what had happened. The man who had chased me came puffing past her window several minutes later, shouting drunkenly. He seemed already to have forgotten me. I asked if Grandmother knew the cause of the man’s midday revelries.
Grandmother said three Negroes were hanged earlier today in the jail yard. At one o’clock. Just an hour before I passed. (p. 16-17)

Monday, January 7, 1861
Clear. Wind S.E. Moderate
I wish I could speak with someone at school about all the matters troubling me. William is no longer a student. Both he and Daniel work now. But even if William came to school, lately, as I question slavery more and more, William gets thorny with me and I with him.
I wish I could with Reenie, but I can’t. Reenie’s father sides with the secessionists. Her family has no love for Abraham Lincoln.
Today I began my third year as pupil teacher, assisting Mr. Warner. Mr. Warner says I should continue my studies at the University next year. He says I would make a very good teacher.
I haven’t mentioned Mr. Warner’s idea to Father or Mother. I’d very much like to learn more about history and teaching, but I have no wish to leave Fenwick Island.
After school, I took care of Grandmother’s chores. She has begun making a list for me each day and the lists get longer and longer with every visit. It’s confounding. She generally can’t abide having me in the same room. I’m a big and muscled girl, not at all the dainty lady she’d wished for in a granddaughter.
I finally broke free of Grandmother and visited Uncle Edward but I had only a few minutes before heading back to the Light. We discussed Mr. Darwin’s book and I showed Uncle the Fifteen Decisive Battles from Mr. Warner.
I felt I must talk with Uncle Edward and give voice to the trouble in my heart.
Uncle called for Daisy to look after things and took me aside. Last year, Daisy was Reenie O’Connell’s house slave. Uncle Edward bought her from the O’Connells, then freed her. Daisy stayed on to work for Uncle Edward. She could go as a free woman wherever she pleased, but she pleased to stay at Uncle Edward’s store, sleeping downstairs in a room she fixed herself.
Uncle Edward frowned under his smart mustaches. “What is it, Wickie?”
“South Carolina leaving the Union,” I told him. “I’m frightened.”
Uncle Edward’s eyes showed understanding.
“I’m a little frightened, too, Amelia.”
He stretched his good hand over the top of mine. His withered hand hung at his side. (p. 22-23)

Thursday, January 17, 1861
Cloudy. Wind N.W. Moderate.
Visited Uncle Edward after school. There was an earthquake in South Carolina! The quake sent people running into the streets. They thought their houses were falling down.
Uncle Edward said their houses were falling down, from a different kind of earthquake altogether. “For pity’s sake, the very house of America is falling down because of their actions.”
Mr. O’Connell was in Uncle Edward’s store, testing the weight of hoes, close enough to hear Uncle Edward’s words. Mr. O’Connell still treats Daisy like a slave. She works in back when Reenie’s father comes in. After hearing us speak out against South Carolina, Mr. O’Connell pitched the hoe he’d been favoring back against the wall. He left without buying a thing. (p. 28)

Thursday, March 7, 1861
Cloudy. Wind N.E. Fresh
Now we can say President Lincoln, for his presidency is official as of Monday last. I wish him good luck.
Our new President says the Union is not broken. He says this issue is a matter of law, and he shall see to it that the law is faithfully followed.
Mother despises President Lincoln. Father and I sat with her this afternoon as she prepared dinner. I read her articles from the paper that promise our President will not interfere with the practice of slaveholding in the Southern states, nor obstruct the return of fugitive slaves. But she would not listen.
“He will have the entire country overrun with colored,” she said. “You just wait. How can anyone trust a man so ugly?”
Father turned red. “Damn you, woman. You judge everything by appearance!”
My cheeks burned.
Father’s fury mounted. “If the Negro seems stupid it is because he has not been given the opportunity to learn. The fact that so many Negroes can read and write and handle themselves in this world is a testament to how great they might be.”
“Do not speak this rubbish to me,” Mother screamed.
I stood between them. Helpless. (p. 47-48)

Near the end of the book, in the entry marked Thursday, December 12, 1861, Amelia’s father John tells her that he spoke with his brother Edward, Amelia’s uncle (who also doesn’t believe in slavery) earlier that day: “He said I have been selfish. He is right. I am sorry, Wickie. The papers. You should know. The papers I gave your mother. They are divorce papers.” (p. 143)

Anyway, this is a really great book, and I give it five stars. I also highly recommend it to those who have a love for history and fictional diaries, too. 😊

[Hannah Mozingo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the lighthouse aspect of this book - it was a pretty abnormal twist to the typical Civil War story. But apart from that I felt the book foundered a bit. I just found it a bit slow and predictable. Also I felt that the Civil War was sort of a side plot to the main story, which seems contradictory as this book is marketed as a 'Civil War Diary'. But oh well, overall I enjoyed this book.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Light in the Storm is very reminiscent of Standing in the Light or All the Stars in the Sky—an interesting look at the historical time period, but overall seemingly unnecessary. It’s interesting to read about the conflict in Delaware, a slave state that didn’t join the Confederacy, and the way that conflict is mirrored in Amelia’s parents is well done, but this book doesn’t really deserve the title of “Civil War Diary,” in my opinion. It’s more about lighthouses than anything else. Of course, there is that north/south tension that exists, as well as some other issues (common-law marriages, abolitionists, runaway slaves, etc.) pertinent to that time, but I felt as if the epilogue taught me more about the Civil War than the actual diary did.

Sometimes it does feel as if these Dear America books are a little random in terms of setting and material. I really don’t think this story about a girl who helps with the upkeep of a lighthouse during the time of the Civil War is particularly inspiring or memorable. It does tell you a little bit about the attitudes in Delaware, which is perhaps what Scholastic and the author were trying to highlight, but all the same, A Light in the Storm feels like a particularly useless, unmemorable book in the Dear America series.

In addition, much like So Far From Home, the epilogue of this book is strange. Mostly because Hesse marries off the protagonist, but then has the husband go west while Amelia stays at home, never to see him again. Why? Is that supposed to be representative of reality? Or is that just to reiterate Amelia’s dedication to the lighthouse? Why not have the husband work side by side with her? What is even the point of an epilogue like that?

Anyway, A Light in the Storm details a little about the beginnings of the Civil War and the tension that tore the nation apart, especially in border states like Delaware, but as a story it fails to hold on to that historical setting and instead tells a jumbled tale of lighthouses, divorce, and vague conflict. It’s a book I forgot as soon as I finished reading, and it’s definitely not a standout in the series.

[Kimberlygann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Light in the Storm follows 15-year-old Amelia Martin through her challenges during the Civil War era. During the day, she teaches at her local school, and then goes home to the Fenwick Island lighthouse, where she often mans the lighthouse at night. She lives in Delaware, a border state that is full of both Union and Confederacy supporters. Even her family is torn as to which side they support. She is faced not only with the tension from the impending war, but from her family disagreements as well. Her father is an abolitionist, and lost his job as a ships captain after a runaway slave was discovered on his ship. Her mother blames her father for this, as well as their difficult living situation due to his job loss. President Lincoln comes to visit near her town, and Amelia witnesses her father’s appreciation and mothers disdain for the President. She continuously finds herself torn between two sides, helpless.
This book would be an excellent resource in my classroom to tie American history to literature. This book could be read along with a study of the Civil War and give students’ insight as to what life was like for a young person during this time. It would provide a great comparison as well as connections for students. Students would feel more strongly tied to the historical aspect due to the realistic characters provided in this book. It would also be a great book for any student interested in American history and life.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read 2020

Another book I picked up because I've been wanting to re-read it and I'm working my way through the shorter books on my bookshelves. This one is unusual, the "writer" of the diary lives in the cottage of a lighthouse, her father is one of the keepers. Amelia helps her father with his duties even though as a female she isn't supposed to. The diary starts at the beginning of the Civil War, in a state that is divided in its feelings toward secession. The fighting, unfortunately, isn't just among the townsfolk. Amelia's parents are also divided in their feelings about slavery with her mother being for it and her father against. The diary goes into Amelia's feelings and how torn she is by all the fights her parents are constantly having. It is a good book and an interesting take on a family divided

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting look at a lightkeepers life in 1861. I really enjoyed the daily duties of a life I new nothing about. I found Amelia's mother utterly depressing to read about but I could still find the joy in the story. I was a bit shocked at one use of profanity in this Dear America book; it was completely useless and added nothing.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

The most fascinating part of this book was about life at the lighthouse. The story itself was kinda dreary, though interesting with the Civil War details. I wish the epilogue was more thorough and uplifting, but Amelia's love for lighthouses was apparent throughout the story. Forgettable yet entertaining.

I recommend to fans of the series, or those interested in the lighthouse life.

[Caighley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Per usual, this book met me right where I needed it to. It would totally have completely engrossed me had I read it a few years back, but now will suffice. It will look good on my shelf and its good truths will look beautiful on the shelves of my heart.

P.s. - the poem at the beginning makes way more sense if you reread it at the end.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never read a civil war story from this perspective before

[Nathan Albright · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a melancholy one but also one that helps the reader better understand one of the more obscure aspects of the Civil War, and that was the life of the civilian in Delaware.  The Civil War in Delaware is not well known because it was a slave state that had few slaves and few people at all and was never in any particular risk of rebelling against the Union and had no battles fought in it and sent few troops to the Union.  Even so, this book captures the feeling of division that Delaware and the rest of the United States suffered, a divide not only between North and South and slave and free but a divide between husbands and wives and between the ideals of the United States and how that worked itself out with its laws and its behavior.  The book is written for middle grade readers and has more of a narrative flow then one would expect.  And, all the more poignantly, the book has a sad ending that makes the division and its lasting results even more pointed and sad than one would expect.

The course of this book takes up about a year's worth of time between December 1860 and 1861 in a lighthouse area in coastal southern Delaware as the author is one of three people who divide the watch in a dangerous part of the Delmarva coast.  The author struggles with multiple jobs, including assisting in the teaching of children as well as taking care of her mentally ill mother (who ends up leaving her father in part because of the strains of the Civil War and their very different opinions about slavery and the war and its conduct) while also engaging with her neighbors and reading a lot of books and corresponding with a young man about her age who she finds herself increasingly drawn to but also somewhat concerned about.  After the main part of the diary ends there is an epilogue that provides a fictional summing of up the narrator's melancholy and isolated life and then some photos and a bit of discussion in the captions about the Civil War itself, leading the reader an understanding of what the author thinks about a particularly obscure aspect of Civil War history.

This is a book that seems written with the desire to address issues of contemporary significance in the face of writing about the Civil War.  To be sure, it is based on some historical incidents and places, but the deliberate choice to write about a young woman of almost marriageable age who was helping her father to make a living while dealing with a mother whose mental health was not good where the struggles of adulting show themselves all the more problematic even for young people who are caught up in the midst of war.  Amelia finds herself corresponding with a young man who fights and shows himself to be a cynical person who she wonders if she can make a happy life with (hint:  it goes about as well as one would expect if one happens to be a somewhat cynical person).  As a teacher, as an assistant lighthouse operator who engages in a delicate relationship with her neighbors and who struggles with the division of her family and of her nation, the girl is someone who the reader can relate to while the author smuggles in all kinds of issues about family and gender and race and politics and the dilemmas of doing what is right.

[Jessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amelia Martin and her family are lighthouse keepers in Delaware, 1860. Amelia finds herself torn in two, in more than one area of her life. Her mother and father’s relationship is deteriorating; Father’s abolitionist tendencies grate against Mother’s pro-slavery heritage, adding even more tension to the home. Outside the walls of the lighthouse and cottage, the United States prepares for war. Throughout the tumultuous changes taking place in her family and her country, Amelia finds solace in the lighthouse, which remains constant and reliable as a restless ocean roars outside. Through writing in her diary, Amelia records not just the mundane, everyday occurrences at the Fenwick Island lighthouse, but we see how she grows as a person, coming to terms with her parents’ flaws, the realities of a nation at war with itself, and the events that challenge her worldview and how she sees the people in that world.
I sat down to read this volume in the popular Dear America series because I remembered enjoying several other books in the same series as a child. I did not expect my random choice to be so timely, or so moving. When I chose the book, I didn’t even pay attention to the cover, which advertised the year of the setting. I only knew it was a title I hadn’t read before. Although the book is approaching 20 years old, and takes place over 150 years ago, both children and adults can probably identify with the contentious, divided setting of a nation on the brink of war with itself. The narrator, Amelia, is constantly surrounded by political arguments and stubborn head-butting over ideologies and opinions on the best way to run the country. I also felt a twinge of familiarity when reading her diary entries about the country’s uncertain future, the anxiety of having your country split down the middle regarding its leadership, and not being able to imagine when the nation might come to a place of healing and unity once more. If only we all had a tangible representation of permanence and hope, as Amelia has with her lighthouse!
In my experience, the Dear America series is a great option for upper elementary readers, especially those who may have trouble engaging with their reading assignments or who are hesitant to try historical fiction. The first person narrative usually offers some appeal, and the short breakdown of chapters keeps readers from feeling bogged down with names and places from long ago, which can be a sticking point for some children. Each book also includes a fictional epilogue for the characters, and a historical note from the author. The books are always engaging, informative, and filled with fully developed characters and settings. This book is no exception.

[Valerie Cotnoir · Rating 4 out of 5]

"She fears it will bind me to a lightkeeper's life. But I am already bound...in my heart and my soul, I am bound!"

Hmm.

It's hard to know where to start. Within seconds I was in love with this book--from the poem at the beginning, the descriptions of the lighthouse that made me feel warm and cozy, the stark comparison of a torn country and a girl's torn parents, and the amazing metaphors that Karen Hesse wrote--I was immediately transported to another world and captivated by its strong heroine. The book continued like this until the very end.

But then the epilogue happened. While there were definitely some loose ends, I was mostly satisfied with the ending of the diary until I read one of the strangest epilogues I've ever come across. Granted, Dear America's strong suit is definitely not their epilogues, but I was struck by how quickly Karen Hesse undid everything I loved about the story in two pages. It just goes to show how powerful an epilogue can be and how it shouldn't be taken lightly.

And yet, I think I related more to Amelia than almost any other Dear America heroine because of her love of books and history. And it gave me a really unique perspective of the Civil War.

So...since I would give the actual story 5 stars, but the epilogue one, I decided to rate it 4 stars. Not exactly in between, but it really was a good story until those odd two pages.

"Sometimes, what I write here is all that keeps me calm. Putting the tumble of anger and fear down on paper gives me power over it. Then I don't feel so helpless."

"I wish we could go back....But how far back would we have to go?"

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Do you want to read a book about a 15 year old girl (I think) who is obsessed with The Light of the lighthouse? Boy do I have the book for you! This book.

If you're not obsessed with The Light of the lighthouse, you can just move on to the next book. I can sum up this book pretty fast.

Amelia is obsessed with The Light of the Lighthouse, so it stand to reason that she eventually starts getting paid for her services (Yay, girl power!). You get a tiny bit of knowledge on how Lighthouses were run in the 1860s. Her parents fight all the time. It rains or snows or generally doesn't sound great weather-wise about 70% of the time. Amelia fishes, crabs, cleans and does chores at home, cleans and does chores at her grandmother's cottage, and shoots the breeze with her uncle at his store. Sits on sentinel duty first shift at the lighthouse, talks about her cat, talks about Daniel, talks about the old lady who lives off shipwrecks. Also occasionally mentions that she works as an assistant teacher at the schoolhouse, but it's so back burner I don't really knw why it's in there. Mix that up in various orders and you have this book.

Oh and there's a war going on nowhere near the area and Amelia gets a lot of 3rd hand info she sometimes shares with the reader about it.

...

Did I mention The Light?

Conclusion

Super boring, nothing happens really. Not sure how this book is educational. After the first...10 pages about the lighthouse?

Yeah.

[Susan Bradshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Gains for all our losses

There are gains for all our losses
There are balms for all our pains
But when youth the dream departs
It takes some thing from our hearts
And never comes again

We are stronger and are better
Under manhood’s sterner reign
Still we feel that some thing sweet
Followed youth with flying feet
And will never come again.

Some thing beautiful has vanished
And we sigh for it in vain
We behold it every where----
On the earth and in the air----
But it never comes again.”
― R.H. Stoddard
Quick read, teen book, this story is written as a diary into Amelia Martin's diary about her life as a light keeper on Fenwich Island, Delaware in the 18oos. Her thoughts, her emotions, her concerns, her strengths, her loves. Those she trusts which mostly is her diary, a close friend and her uncle. For such a young person (age of 15 years) to do so much work at the light house, cleaning the building and glass, keeping the lights lit, helping with other household chores, cooking, along with helping her grandmother with her household chores, rowing back and forth to the light house and the small town. Teaching children in a school as well as a friend to swim. Sharing her cooking mostly pies, making gloves for the soliders envolved with the civil war, about the slave issue, wondering what will become of her life. Wickie which is her nickname because she does care for the lighthouse, spoiler alert, she finds out the meaning of this poem in her life.

[Emory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continuing my journey of reading the Dear America books that I missed during my childhood. I’m actually going to go back and reread several in chronological order after this.

I absolutely loved this one. What’s interesting is that I know I would have hated it in middle school (most likely would’ve found it boring.) But I can appreciate it now. I love the main character. Her gumption is inspiring. She is hardworking. She is politically aware and driven by her morals. She is much more mature than a 15-year-old typically is, but I appreciate that. I liked how nuanced this one is and how it takes a mature, empathetic look at the American north during the Civil War.

This story delves into the idea of division – division between the American north and south as well as division between families who disagree politically. The visual imagery of the lighthouse, and the metaphors presented within were beautiful. Altogether, I found this a very empathetic, nuanced, and tender look at the coming-of-age process of a lighthouse keeper during the Civil War.

I will say that the epilogue did make me mad. I always say: while these books are rooted in history, they are still fiction. The author gets to choose what happens in the end. So why would an author write such an awful and dreary epilogue? I truly don’t get it.

Ranking of 2025 Adult Dear America Readathon
1. A Light in the Storm
2. Seeds of Hope

[Elza Kinde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amelia Martin's family works in a lighthouse after her father was stripped of his position and ship; his punishment for taking on escaped slaves. Tensions between her parents, whose political views differ to the extreme, put a heavy strain on Amelia as she works to keep the lighthouse running and her family together.

Using the Civil War as a symbolic backdrop, A Light in the Storm explores the strain between neighboring states, communities, and even family members in the border states that separated the North and South. Her heartbreaking struggle to keep the peace and hold to her own beliefs demonstrate the political tensions of the time period in a very personalized way. I very much enjoyed the high tension of the situation balanced with Amelia's practical streak and ambition. Some lighthearted moments are provided in her romance with a young abolitionist soldier, and friendship with her uncle.

This fictional diary includes research material and information about Civil War era America, President Lincoln's decisions regarding the war, and the lighthouses of Fenwick Island, Delaware in the back to supplement.

A mild warning that themes of illness, racism, slavery, war, death, political tension, marital conflict and divorce play strongly into this story. Descriptions are kept brief (in keeping with the factual-diary format) and age-appropriate.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy the books in the Dear America series because they deliver short history lessons in an exciting, approachable, easy-to-read package. The diary format makes the books intimate and authentic. Because they're all written by different authors, some of the installments are better than others. On the whole, though, I really like this series for a lot of reasons.

A LIGHT IN THE STORM offers some interesting information about both lighthouse-keeping and living in a border state during the Civil War. I definitely learned things from it that I didn't know.
Our heroine, Wickie, is brave, admirable, loyal, and selfless - someone for whom it's easy to root. As for plot, the book doesn't really have one. It's more of a day-in-the-life glimpse at what it might have been like to be living in the time and place that Wickie does. Because of that, the conflicts she faces in the novel aren't resolved within its pages. While this makes the tale more realistic, it also gives it a sad, depressing vibe that may be too grim for young readers. Personally, I would have liked a less abrupt, happier ending.

All in all, then, I liked this book but didn't love it. I'd give it 3 1/2 stars if I could.

That being said, I found this book very sad, with conflicts that don't get resolved within its pages. While the situations are realistic, the tale may be too grim for some readers.

[LobsterQuadrille · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nicely written, but exceedingly glum read. Poor Amelia is miserable most of the time, and the epilogue doesn't give her much of a break either. She has a decently convincing romance with her late friend's brother Daniel, but despite them getting married eventually, Daniel moves out West soon after and Amelia stays at the lighthouse. The reasons for this are never even hinted at. Why even bother with the romance at all if they are going to essentially split up early in the marriage? And if they have to be separated, there really should have been some reason given for it. Did Daniel think Amelia was more dedicated to her lighthouse duties than to him? Did they just decide that they wanted different things out of life? It was such an odd choice to only mention this event in passing.
Oda Lee, the eccentric vagrant who lives near the lighthouse, was potentially very interesting but her inclusion came to nothing. I would have preferred Oda Lee to be left out completely, and more development given to a couple members of the Hale family, or to Daisy. A Light in the Storm isn't bad by any means, but despite the theme of hope there isn't much of that to go around in this story.

[☀️Carden☀️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel as if I am the light in my family. I must keep my hope burning, so that Father and Mother, even in the darkness that engulfs them, might find their way back.

This has the be one of the most unusual and interesting Dear America books I have ever read. In fact, one I have never seen nor touched.

It also happens to be my favorite of the whole series that I loved to get through and found interesting.

The book follows our fifteen year old protagonist Amelia Martin, who tends the light to a lighthouse that help sailors at sea. In the backdrop is the civil war, which effects people around Amelia.

Her mother and father have different views on slavery, her friend is sent off to fight in the army, and her uncles shop is attacked.

I liked the relationship between Amelia and her uncle who helped her throughout the story. Amelia, I just wanted to swoop in and give her a hug. She deserves it so much.

I can relate to Amelia. I like how brave she was. Her character helped to give the book life and by the end I was crying. She really grew on me.

And I know why the book is titled as so. It proves that even in the darkness of times, hope will prevail no matter the cause.

Definitely a favorite book of mine in the series and a favorite overall. I will never forget this story and what I wanted to say. Highly recommended.