In 1912, eleven-year-old Lucy Landry (Ojibwe and French American) finds herself briefly adrift when her guardian, Miss Mamie, passes away. Lucy’s father perished in a recent shipwreck; her mother is long dead. The Ojibwe Martin family, who reside in a lighthouse on a minuscule island on Lake Superior, offer to foster her. Lucy, who is afraid of water, gets off on the wrong foot with most of the six Martin children, who resent her sudden presence in their family life. Determined to be a help, not a burden, Lucy works extra hard around the house, taking on tasks without being asked—a strategy that backfires when she makes mistakes. (She digs up flowers, for instance, thinking they’re weeds.) Imaginative Lucy copes with her discomfort and emotions by assuming various personas and telling fanciful tales about her father’s sailing days, further exasperating the Martin siblings. She is particularly fixated on her father’s story of a message in a bottle that told of a ruby necklace that was lost on a capsized boat. She’s convinced that if only she had a chance to search, she could find the jewelry washed up in nearby Mermaid Cove. First, though, she must conquer her fear of the lake. Lucy’s story, with her big imagination, is reminiscent of Anne of Green Gables and will appeal to readers who appreciate adventure and danger in their historical fiction.

Lucy, a spirited French-Ojibwe orphan, is sent to the stormy waters of Lake Superior to live with a mysterious family of lighthouse-keepers—and, she hopes, to find the legendary necklace her father spent his life seeking…

Selena Lucy Landry (named for a ship, as every sailor’s child should be) has been frightened of the water ever since she lost her father at sea. But with no one else to care for her, she’s sent to foster with the Martins—a large Anishinaabe family living on a lighthouse in the middle of stormy Lake Superior.

The Martin family is big, hard-working, and close, and Lucy—who has always been a dreamer—struggles to fit in. Can she go one day without ruining the laundry or forgetting the sweeping? Will she ever be less afraid of the lake?

Although life at the lighthouse isn’t what Lucy hoped for, it is beautiful—ships come and go, waves pound the rocks—and it has one major advantage: It’s near the site of a famous shipwreck, a shipwreck that went down with a treasure her father wanted more than anything. If Lucy can find that treasure—a priceless ruby necklace—won’t it be like having Papa back again, just a little bit?

But someone else is hunting for the treasure, too. And as the lighthouse company becomes increasingly skeptical that the Martins can juggle Lucy and their duties, Lucy and the Martin children will need to find the necklace quickly—or they may not have a home at all.

The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry is a timelessly sweet tale of found family from rising Ojibwe voice Anna Rose Johnson, author of NPR Best Book of the Year The Star That Always Stays. Perfect for fans of L.M. Montgomery and Karina Yan Glaser!

"Lucy Landry is a charming and fanciful heroine reminiscent of Anne Shirley, who reminds us that even in dark times, we can be a light for others."—Alyssa Colman, author of Bank Street Best Book of the Year The Gilded Girl

"HEARTWARMING."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"TENDER... WHOLESOME."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
"UNIQUE."—Youth Services Book Review, starred review