A Northern Light

Donnelly, Jennifer. 2003. A NORTHERN LIGHT. New York: Harcourt Inc. ISBN 0-15-205310-7

Based on a true story, A Northern Light tells about the death of a young girl in 1906 at a renowned Adirondacks hotel through the eyes of 16-year-old Mattie Gokey who has been given letters from the young girl to destroy. In this first person narrative, this historical novel alternates between Mattie’s life before she became a serving girl at the hotel and her experiences at the time of Grace Brown’s drowning. Mattie yearns to be a writer some day, yet feels responsible for her family and a promise she made to someone. Yet to herself, she emotes,“Voice is not just the sound that comes from your throat but the feeling that comes from your words!”

In her second YA novel, Jennifer Donnelly blends historical fiction, mystery, and romance into an intriguing young adult coming-of-age novel set in the early 1900s. The setting rings true to the time and place showing Donnelly’s dedication to researched details bridging today’s readers to the past. Poverty, single-parent families, racism, and pregnancy are handled honestly and as depicted of that time. Another well-developed theme is the coming-of-age of Mattie and her friends – Weaver an aspiring African-American lawyer, Minnie the mother of twins, and Royal the furture farmer. The chapters alternate between moments on the farm before Mattie goes to her job at the hotel signified by chapter titles of her syllabicated “words of the day” or during Mattie’s job at the hotel (and murder) that are not titled. Donnelly creatively includes the “vernacular of the Mississippi” with local terms which Maggie uses like “tottish” and “meaching” as her words of the day. Aspiring to be a writer, Maggie also refers to literature and authors of the time weaving them into the story yet not dragging the story down. Each character’s personality is distinctive in a way that endears the reader to them or to rally against them. For example, “Cook is snappish” when it comes to working in the kitchen, yet opens her heart to feed Tommy Hubbard, a poor boy from a family of seven. Or Royal Loomis, Mattie’s betrothed, who helps take care of the farm when her father and sisters are sick, but ruthlessly bids on the impoverished Hubbard family’s homestead when they can’t pay the taxes. According to Courtney Williamson of The Christian Science Monitor, “The best thing about this book, however, is Mattie’s smart, vulnerable voice. We share her desires, if not her unique challenges, on every page.”  

“Many teens will connect with Mattie’s deep yearning for independence and for stories, like her own, that are frank, messy, complicated, and inspiring (Engberg, 2003).” Students may like to “word duel” like Mattie and Weaver did or taste candies of the era – lemondrops or maple sugar. Those wishing to discuss the book can use the Multnomah County Library Discussion Guide - http://www.multcolib.org/talk/guides-northern.html. In the paperback edition, Donnelly includes Author’s Notes about the original event of Grace Brown’s murder, Acknowledgements, Sources and Suggestions for Further Reading, information about herself, an interview with Donnelly, and a Reader’s Chat Page offering additional discussion questions.

A Northern Light received the 2004 Michael L. Printz Honor Book Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature and was listed on the YALSA’s 2004 Teens’ Top Ten List. It was also listed on numerous best book and state reading lists including the 2004 Amelia Blooomer List a part of the ALA Social Responsibilities Round Table, the 2004 Booklist Top Ten Historical Fiction for Youth, and the 2003 School Library Journal Best Books list.

References

Engberg, Gillian. 2003. “A Northern Light (Book).” Booklist 99, no.18:1663. MAS Ultra-School Edition, EBSCOhost (accessed November 22, 2011).

Williamson, Courtney. 2003. “[A northern light] [book review].” The Christian Science Monitor (Eastern Edition) 95, 17. Book Review Digest (H.W. Wilson), EBSCOhost (accessed November 21, 2011).