A Light in the Storm: the Civil War Diary of Amelia Martin [Hardcover]

Karen Hesse (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

In 1861, Amelia Martin's father is stripped of his post as a ship's captain when he is caught harboring the leader of a slave rebellion. Now he is an assistant lighthouse keeper on Fenwick Island, off the coast of Delaware-a state wedged between the North and the South, just as Amelia is wedged between her constantly arguing parents. Amelia's mother blames her abolitionist husband for their living conditions, which she claims are taking a toll on her health. As the Civil War rages on, Amelia slowly learns that she cannot stop the fighting, but by keeping watch in the lighthouse each day, lighting the lamps, cleaning the glass, and rescuing victims of Atlantic storms, she can make a difference.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This engaging addition to the successful Dear America series follows the adventures of Amelia Martin, a lighthouse keeper's daughter living on an island off the coast of Delaware in 1861. Amelia helps her father keep the light and her mother keep the house, but she cannot keep their marriage together. Newbery Medal recipient Karen Hesse (Out of the Dust) cleverly personifies the conflict between North and South, abolitionist and secessionist, Union and Confederacy in the troubled marriage of Amelia's parents. Amelia watches, powerless, as the relationship disintegrates: "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 seems to engulf them, might find their way back."

The broken marriage provides a powerful example of the way the Civil War tore apart families and friendships. Girls will thrill to Amelia's descriptions of her tomboyish responsibilities as lighthouse keeper and family breadwinner, her burgeoning love affair with a local boy, and her friendship with her abolitionist uncle. While some of the language and details seem anachronistic, Hesse has crafted a remarkably elegant tale of "girl as emotional beacon," tirelessly watching as her world crashes on the shoals. (Ages 9 and older) --Claire Dederer

From Library Journal

Grade 4-8-This diary chronicles 15-year-old Amelia Martin's chaotic life during the turbulent first year of the Civil War. Amelia's father is the assistant lighthouse keeper at Fenwick Island off the coast of southern Delaware. Amelia willingly shares in the duties of standing watch and maintaining the equipment. Through her diary, readers learn that her father sides with the Union while her mother favors the Confederacy, and that their marriage is crumbling just as the country threatens to divide. Amelia admits that while at one time she agreed with her mother's views, she now believes in the abolition of slavery and sympathizes with President Lincoln. When a friend drowns in a skating accident, Amelia becomes friendly with his brother, Daniel, and soon develops a romantic relationship that continues to grow after Daniel volunteers for the Union Army. In the style of light keepers' logs, each entry records the date, weather, and wind conditions. An appended historical note offers more information about the Civil War. Sure to please historical fiction fans as well as followers of the series.
Shawn Brommer, Southern Tier Library System, Painted Post, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 174 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc.; 1st edition (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590567330
• ISBN-13: 978-0590567336
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,246,730 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A compelling look at the Civil War through a girl's eyes., June 27, 2000

By 

"skywaterlv" - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Light in the Storm: the Civil War Diary of Amelia Martin (Hardcover)

I found this book to be one of the better of the Dear America series. All of them are well written, but very few manage to capture that, "this is a real person" feel. Some of the books read more like a "this is what is happening in the world" rather than a real diary. However, this book has an engaging character, and a real plot of her parent's seperation. Another interesting thing to note is the way that this book has many layers that were written that the main heroine doesn't neccessarily understand, such as the relationship of her uncle and the freed slave, or her grandmother and her mothers. I also enjoyed watching the relationship between her and a friend's brother grow from a friendship to something more. Overall, I would highly reccomend this book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, October 5, 2006

By 

Taylor Peckin "Shannon Brielle" (Springfield, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Light in the Storm the Civil War Diary of Amelia Martin (Dear America) (Dear America) (Paperback)

I love this book series (I am a 15-year-old girl). I liked this book because it shows the dramatic time of the Civil War written by 16-year-old Amelia Martin who lives in a small island in Delaware and misses her family dearly. Amelia works at a Lighthouse every day.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Skip the epilogue!, September 28, 2006

By 

K. Moss (Bainbridge Island, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Light in the Storm: The Civil War Diary of Amelia Martin, Fenwick Island, Delaware 1861 (Dear America Series) (Hardcover)

This is the first Dear America book I have read and for the most part I really enjoyed how they give you a glimpse into what it was like to live back then. It brings up interesting issues sometimes only glossed over in the history books and makes it more personal. However, two things bothered me: First was the fact that Amelia's parents got divorced. Not just separated, but actually legally divorced. I know the Civil War tore people apart, but actual divorce was very rare during that time. Also, I didn't feel like it was really the Civil War that tore Amelia's parents apart. They don't really discuss it other than that Amelia's mother does not agree with Lincoln and gets angry whenever the subject is brought up. For a fair portrayal of the time, the book should have done a better job representing her mother as someone to sympathize with as well, instead of that she's always in the wrong.
Secondly, the epilogue at the end was completely upsetting. It talks about her Uncle and his common law wife like it was a common occurance! I'm sorry, but back then, a common law wife, especially to an African American was just not so easily accepted. Also, it states that Amelia and Daniel marry and then separate! Come on! Amelia is the source of light and hope through out this book and then she separates from her husband too, for no better reason than he wanted to move west??! Besides once again setting up this kind of relationship as normal for that time period, it completely undercuts and the sincerety and strength of Amelia and Daniel's relationship as set up in the diary.
This book has some great points and wonderful characters but it is ruined by the end.