YA Historical Fiction: A NORTHERN LIGHT by Jennifer Donnelly

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

Donnelly, Jennifer. 2004. A NORTHERN LIGHT. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, Inc. ISBN 0152053107

               Mattie Gokey is a sixteen year old girl whose intelligence and ambitions test the boundaries of the traditional and expected in the North Woods in 1906. With the inspiration of great authors and her fascinating teacher, Ms. Wilcox, she sees herself as more than the farmer’s daughter who raises her younger siblings in the place of their deceased mother, more than a future farmer’s wife. The trials and toils of her life, however, make this dream less and less of a reality. Struggling to scrape money together for herself, family, and neighbors in need, battling her father who doesn’t understand her, experiencing the ugly side of real adult life, and being swept into a relationship which she can’t quite believe, are all obstacles to her ticket to freedom. With the inspiration of the secret letters of a mysteriously drowned young lady, Mattie gains the strength, courage, and insight to pursue her dreams. 

               Mattie, as the protagonist, is a believable teenage girl in the time period of the turn of the century. Though weighted down by many struggles, and seemingly less heroic than her brave and boisterous friend Weaver, her realizations and triumphs concerning real problems of both the times and today make her a strong character readers will identify with. Mattie’s obsession with reading provides both inspiration and disappointment for her; the many allusions to literature add depth to the story and the character. “It’s just that there are no Captain Wentworths are there? But there are plenty of Pap Finns. And things go well for Ann Elliott in the end, but they don’t for most people.” My voice trembled as I spoke, as it did whenever I was angry. “I feel let down sometimes. The people in books - the heroes - they’re always so heroic. And I try to be, but…”” (Donnelly 202). All characters in the story are fictional, with the exception of the couple in the boating “accident,” at the hotel, whose real letters and actions were weaved through the story. 

               The characters are placed in a historical setting which reflects the struggle of rural farm life, starkly contrasted by the wealthy tourists who descend on the Adirondacks in the summer. “Donnelly's first YA novel begins with high drama drawn straight from history: Grace Brown's body is discovered, and her murder, which also inspired Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy, is the framework for this ambitious, beautifully written coming-of-age story set in upstate New York in 1906” (Gillian Engberg, Booklist, May 15, 2003).  The emerging trends and changes of social issues related to the time period, from racism to women’s rights and education, are included among the traditional struggle for money and survival. Though there are hints of romanticism and a few too many plot lines, the events are fairly plausible and serve the dual purpose of creating a window into the past while reflecting on the present. There are strong themes often found in realistic fiction today, such as difficult family relationships and developing sexuality, while also traditional themes of historical fiction such as survival, community, and farm life. “There are many issues here--murder, mystery, romance, discrimination, rights of women, the value of the intellectual life--and the author handles them all deftly” (Beth Guldseth, Children's Literature).This is a blending of both genres, which is sure to appeal to fans of either.

                                                              

Classroom Connections

-        Pair with a realistic fiction story in which the characters deal with similar issues and themes. Then discuss or write about how the similarities and difference between the challenges presented, and how they relate to real life.

-        Obtain access to primary source documents, such as the letters of Grace Brown, or other dealing with the time period and incorporate into novel study

-        Read excerpts from the various authors and poets as they come up in the story, to give a better background understanding of the literary references

Best Books:

Amelia Bloomer List, 2004 ; ALA Social Responsiblities Round Table (SRRT); United States
Booklist Book Review Stars, May 15, 2003 ; United States
Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth, 2003 ; American Library Association; United States
Booklist Top 10 Historical Fiction for Youth, 2004 ; American Library Association; United States
Capitol Choices, 2004 ; The Capitol Choices Committee; United States
Children's Literature Choice List, 2004 ; Children's Literature; United States
Choices, 2004 ; Cooperative Children's Book Center; United States
Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books, 2003 ; Publishers Weekly; United States
Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, March 3, 2003 ; Cahners; United States
Recommended Teen Books, 2003 ; Bank Street College of Education; United States
School Library Journal Best Books, 2003 ; Cahners; United States
School Library Journal Book Review Stars, May 2003 ; Cahners; United States
Senior High Core Collection, Seventeenth Edition, 2007 ; The H. W. Wilson Co.; United States
Senior High School Library Catalog, Sixteenth Edition, 2003 Supplement, 2003 ; H.W. Wilson; United States
Top 10 Youth First Novels, 2003 ; American Library Association; United States
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, 2004 ; American Library Association; United States
Young Adults' Choices , 2005 ; International Reading Association; United States

Awards, Honors, Prizes:

Borders Original Voices Award, 2004 Winner Young Adult United States
Charlotte Award, 2006 Winner Young Adult New York
Cuffies: Children's Booksellers Choose Their Favorite (and not-so-favorite) Books of the Year, 2003 Honorable Mention Favorite Novel of the Year United States
Cuffies: Children's Booksellers Choose Their Favorite (and not-so-favorite) Books of the Year, 2003 Honorable Mention Your Vote to Win the Newbery United States
Jefferson Cup Award, 2004 Honor Book United States
Los Angeles Times Book Prize, 2003 Winner Young Adult Fiction United States
Michael L. Printz Award, 2004 Honor Book United States