I enjoyed this tale of a family spending six months on an island as caretakers of a lighthouse and weather station. Sixteen year old Stephanie is less than happy to be there, especially during her last year at school with final exams looming and no phone reception to talk to her friends. Her mother thinks it will help them all get over the death of Stephanie's twin brother and is keen to spend time on the island where her own parents were once lighthouse keepers. Wild Light has received acclaim from many different places. In April of 2015, at a ceremony in Austin, Texas, Wild Light received the gold prize Benjamin Franklin Award for best book in the Nature and Environment category and a silver prize in the Coffee Table Book category. There were 1,400 books in competition this year. These awards were given by the Independent Book Publishers Association, a national organization representing independent publishers across the United States. Wild Light was also a finalist at the Colorado Book Awards. Each book comes with a gold foil label on the front cover showing the Benjamin Franklin Gold Award.

It is very clear from reading this book that the author has firsthand knowledge and experience of not only the settings for this story but of being a caretaker of a lighthouse as well. Her time spent researching and experiencing settings and events for this story definitely proved worthwhile. Lastly that cover and title! Like the story they’re simple, and so breathtaking at the same time! They fit Cash and the writing perfectly. And ... I strongly believe this story should not only be pitched as a YA. Like I said above, this could easily be a literary masterpiece! Delaney and Cash shared a deep, deep bond. They both experienced trauma related to their mothers’ drug addiction, and because of that, they had a bone-deep understanding of each other. Cash was fortunate to have the endless love and support of his grandparents, and they doled that love out just as equally to Delaney. I also had great fondness for the bromance between Alex and Cash. Their friendship was a beautiful thing. They suffered through crew together, ironed together, and were known to hug it out when necessary. It was a pleasure seeing that friendship grow and flourish. As you journey through this immersive experience, you’ll also have the chance to meet the nocturnal keepers and guardians of the mystical animals and creatures, the Zoo gnomes, visible only in the Zoo at night. Wild Lights is an truly unforgettable experience for friends, families and groups, and a perfect way to come together to celebrate the festive season. In the Wild Light is anchored by its co-leads, Cash & Delaney, specifically through their chemistry and dialogue. We don’t see an excess of authentic boy/girl friendships in YA, at least operating at this level, so that is an achievement in and of itself. The dialogue is also great, occupying that tiny sliver in the venn diagram where “realistic chit-chat and conversational quirks” overlaps with “witty, engaging banter which makes you want to be friends with them too.”

Success!

This pacing of this book is just perfect, in my opinion, with parts of it capturing the stillness and peace of Sawyer, and parts of it capturing the energy and speed of New York City. Throughout the latter half of the book, poetry is used as a way to help Cash find himself, and from the moment he wrote his first words, I was completely captured. I am not a poetry person normally, but I looked forward to reading every single poem, slowly and repeatedly. Every single verse he wrote left me in tears. This book was truly a coming of age for both Cash and Delaney, but it was also about grief and celebration, trauma and healing, friendship and family. I loved all the different kinds of love that the author included in this book, including many of the deep friendships that developed in this book, both romantic and platonic. After making a rather incredible biological discovery, Delaney was offered a chance to escape to a place that would nurture her brilliance, and she was taking her best friend Cash with her.

Words make me feel strong. They make me feel powerful and alive. They make me feel like I can open doors." One thing I particularly love about all of Jeff’s books is the message that you don’t have to do overly impressive things to live a life full of love and dignity. While the circumstances that lead to Cash and Delaney ending up at a boarding school are indeed extraordinary, this book goes to show that sometimes our most memorable and important moments can be lunches at McDonald’s, quiet canoe rides on the river, and even doing laundry with a good friend.

this is the kind of story that gently touches you and the feeling spreads right to your very core. its a story of loss and new opportunities, of the homes that create us and that distant places that refine us, of peaceful waters and contentious anxiety, of best friends and family, of the healing power of words and finding the beauty in struggles.