This middle grade novel set on a small Maine island has a bit of a throwback vibe with its timeless setting and particularly non-modern activities by the young protagonists. In other words, not everyone is sitting inside on their phones or playing video games; these protagonists are actually outside doing real-world stuff like working, sailing, rescuing birds, and riding horses. And then there is the art–in every sense of the word: music, poetry, and painting. This is a primary focus of the book.

Although there is not break-neck action, stuff is constantly happening and the author’s strong writing style and multiple small mysteries steadily move the narrative forward. The kids do read a bit more like adults than kids. Lucretia, the primary character, reads more like a 29-year-old than a 12-year-old, but that is likely to be expected given that she isn’t really a typical 12-year-old. Those looking for a thoughtful read in a summer setting will enjoy this novel.

Candle Island is one of those books that I wish I could climb inside and exist in right alongside the characters. With stunning and detailed descriptions and vivid characters, this story leaps right off the page and into my heart. There is just something about how Lauren Wolk writes places and people that makes them feel real and genuine without falling into boring telling or lists of descriptions.

I wanted to read this book as fast as possible so I could devour the story and everything happening within it and I also wanted to take it slow and savor every word and sentence. I love Lucretia's journey as she and her mother pick up and move somewhere new for a fresh start. I love the connections she makes with the other people on the island and with the wildlife. And I love that this book is almost about nothing and everything all at once. I will definitely be revisiting this book again and again.

This is one of those books that has crossover appeal. While it’s marketed for middle grade readers, I think it will appeal much more to adults. Lucretia is an art prodigy and she thinks and acts much older than her twelve years. While some readers may find fault with this, I found that it didn't diminish my enjoyment of the story in any way.

It seems so early in the year to already pinpoint what might end up being my favorite book, but I think Candle Island has a strong head start on being the best book of 2025 for me.

Why do we love the things we love? Why do we create? Explore? Stay alone? Share? Live? How do we live? As I read Candle Island, I thought about so many things such as these, about my own life and the lives of others. The writing is beautiful. The imagery wonderful. The emotions I felt while reading this creation of Lauren Wolk’s are why I love to read.

I wanted to spend more time immersed in the setting of Candle Island. This story is filled with complex situations and emotions that are easily accessible to middle grade readers because of the way the story is crafted. The use of historical tidbits and quotes helps young readers trace development of themes. This book lends itself to discussions of conservation, social classes, friendship, creativity and art, loss, and so much more. I loved everything about this title!

Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Candle Island is a conundrum. Not the location so much as the book. There was a lot to like about the story, but the writing kept me at bay (see what I did there?). Ultimately the protagonist's thoughts coming across like a middle-aged narrator rather than a child made me feel overly conscious of the writing and made it difficult to settle into the story.

As with all of Lauren Wolk's books, I loved this, and I would recommend it for YA readers and adults alike.

In this story we follow Lucretia who has recently lost her father and now she and her mother have relocated to Candle Island off the coast of Maine. Lucretia grapples with her big secret of being a famous artist while she tries to befriend kids her ago on the island who are leery of newcomers. Along the way Lucy also befriends a osprey chick and a goat, and discovers that her new friends have hidden talents of their own. Together they each confront their own grief, share their secrets, and find comfort in one another.

I love Wolk's writing style, from her wonderful names (a horse named Hog, a dog named Tuppence) to her descriptions and clear love of nature ("lots of brave and determined oaks", "a shy toadstool", "the first chapter of night"), to lovely turns of phrase ("I gentled the bird into my basket"), and how she weaves intrigue into a coming of age story. I also loved the descriptions of color as Lucretia sees them in her life.

One aspect of the book that didn't ring as true for me is how unfailingly polite, helpful, and mature Lucretia always is to her mother. Perhaps 12 year olds really can be this way! But as the mom of an almost-12 year old, that has not been my experience. I think if there were even a few instances of sassiness or disrespect then the character would feel even more real to me, and perhaps even more relatable to other tweens and teens reading the book?

Still, an overall hearty recommend.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group and Net Galley for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After moving to Candle Island after an accident. This is a beautiful look of dealing with grief and trying to move forward. We get different points of view for dealing with grief. As they settle in on the island, they find some secrets and connections. Ones that might help them move forward.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

A gorgeous book of love and loss and healing. I loved these characters; imperfect, caring, broken and luminous. The setting is described so beautifully and made me want to visit. The writing is so moving, this book and the characters will stay with me forever. Highest of recommendations!

After her father’s tragic car accident, twelve year-old Lucretia Sanderson and her mother crave a new start so they move to the close-knit community on Candle Island, Maine. There is another reason for their move: privacy. They are sharing a deep secret about the origin of the notorious paintings, on whose sale profits they live. As Lucretia tries to fit into her new life, she becomes involved in the conflict between the townies and the summer folk. Lucretia's introspection permeates the book, making for lovely writing but not so relatable to the many typical twelve year olds.

The book did a great job of showing different ways people handle grief including children. It also was a great story about a girl learning how to make friends and be ok with who she is. I would recommend this book for preteens and teens.

Lauren Wolk's prose is always an absolute treasure. This book features much of what I expect from her work: a strong sense of place, caring for animals, complex characters without easy resolutions. I appreciated how the book showed, without feeling the need to outright explain, the difference between people who lash out from pain and people who lash out because they can. The plot unfolds slowly and yet sneaks up on the reader; I knew something was building but didn't see all the pieces until they came together.

Often when grieving a loved one, a person seeks solace and peaceful surroundings, and that is what Lucretia Sanderson and her mom, Eliza, are hoping to find by moving to Candle Island, Maine. As I was reading, I felt like I was watching a new Netflix series unfolding right before my eyes. I was totally immersed in the story. Lauren Wolk weaves together a wonderful story for middle grade readers, but I firmly believe all ages can benefit from reading this novel.

This was the first book I have read by Lauren Wolk, but it will definitely not be my last. In fact, I have already read Wolf Hollow after finishing Candle Island. Candle Island is a middle grade masterpiece and can be enjoyed by older students as well as adults. Wolk draws the reader in to the story with great characters, wonderful descriptions and a captivating setting. I wanted to keep reading to find out what happens to Lucretia and her mother along with the eclectic cast of island characters and animals. Wolk is able to keep the reader's attention by including some mysterious incidents as well as the conflict between the islanders and the rich summer inhabitants. I hated to see this book end and I can see myself reading it again in the future. Thank you to the publisher for the review copy - I received a digital eARC for my honest opinion.

Lauren Wolk excels at writing stories that are slow, set in rural areas but have one hook that gets its claws into you. You can tell there's something under the surface with Lucretia, but it's hard to say what for about half of the book. There's a plot about painting, and one about summer kids versus island kids and one about friendship. But it's still not much of a plot, more focused on Lucretia learning her new home and falling into a new rhythm with her mom, and hopefully new friends. It's set kind of oddly in time--like it could be now, but there are no cell phones mentioned so it's probably like 1995. If you like her work, this one is great. I particularly like books set on small islands in Maine so this was perfect.

A lovely slice of life story of a young girl. There are townies and vacationers and then there are those in between, a part of neither. But human decency prevails, setting an example for us all.

First, Lauren Wolk knows how to craft a beautiful sentence. She writes in a really lovely, vivid way. I felt invested in this book’s characters and setting (I wanted to spend much more time on Candle Island). I was interested until the end, and I think kids would find this story appealing overall.

But… the credibility. This is about 12-year-old Lucretia (white), who moves to fictional Candle Island off the coast of Maine with her mom. They’re grieving Lucy’s dad’s death, and Lucy’s mom wants to be left alone to paint in peace. After the First Lady bought one of her paintings, she’s been hounded by art critics wanting an interview. There’s tension on Candle Island between “townies,” who live there year-round, and “summer people,” and Lucy quickly stirs the ire of individuals from both groups. Three truly horrible summer kids target her, and a townie named Murdock immediately dislikes Lucy because Lucy and her mom live in Murdock’s old house, which had been seized by the bank. Murdock, whose parents are deceased, is close with her cousin, Bastian, who becomes Lucy’s friend.

There are several threads that come together in this story. First, there’s the osprey chick that Lucy finds and takes home; she plans to care for him until he’s old enough to survive on his own, though she knows that doing so is illegal. There’s the mysterious Italian aria that Lucy hears when she is out exploring. There's a secret about the paintings. And there’s the rash of crimes taking place around the island. These threads all come together in a satisfying, yet rather contrived, way.

There is just so much in this novel that is either 1) an incredible coincidence (i.e. contrived), or 2) simply unrealistic. For instance. I suppose I could accept–grudgingly–that Lucy is a child painting prodigy (though I find it very unlikely that all her art teachers up to that point would simply tell her she was doing it “wrong”--if she’s that talented, someone would surely recognize it). But she moves to this island and happens to meet a boy who is something of a prodigy himself, apparently (in opera). And then there are the coincidences. Of course Lucy finds the missing cat from the posters she sees in town, and naturally it belongs to an art critic who lives on the island and is familiar with her mother's art.

There's also the matter of the remarkable competence and skill of Bastian and Murdock. Everywhere Lucy goes, she runs into one or both of them. She wants to learn how to sail around the rocky island? Bastian can teach her. She looks out at the water and sees a lobster boat? Bastian and Murdock are working it. She goes to the library to look something up? Murdock works there. She peeks into the forge? There are Murdock and Bastian MAKING BELLS OUT OF MOLTEN BRASS. These kids are twelve. Related to that, Lucy has the emotional maturity of a 30-year-old. The way she talks and reasons and responds to situations… no 12-year-old would ever.

On the one hand, I was really invested in this story and enjoyed the writing, and on the other, I felt myself getting more and more incredulous as I read. But perhaps this won't bother young readers at all!

phew. I devoured this book in one sitting. what an incredible look into grief and how it affects all of us.

Lucretia Sanderson and her mother relocate to a secluded Maine island to escape the aftermath of her father's death and her mother's unwanted fame. While Lucretia finds solace in island life, she soon discovers that Candle Island holds its own mysteries, including a hidden room and an enigmatic boy, which will inevitably draw her into their depths.

Lauren Wolk is a fantastic storyteller. This story, with its interesting and complex characters, will stay with readers for a long time. It is a story of hope, resilience, and embracing who we are and are meant to be.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for this honest review.

This was a great read that kept calling me back when I had to put it down. I appreciated the mysterious and reflective parts of all the characters stories. It did drag a bit in parts, but still wanted to keep reading. Lots of great lessons to be learned in this book!

That was lovely! I always enjoy Lauren Wolk’s writing so much. What a treat to be able to read and be ready to recommend Candle Island the moment it’s released.
Thank you, NetGallery, for the ARC.