A Gathering Light - Rated 
I thought this book was brilliant . It is a bout a teenage girl named Mattie Gokey . She is very smart and is dying to go to college . There are two things standing in her way , her Pa and the boy of her dreams Royal Loomis . I won't give too much away but this book is definitly one to read . Mattie has to stand up for what she beileves in . It is everything in the real world packed in to one . But what will Mattie do will she follow her dreams ? But when a muredered girls body pops up from the lake Mattie finds that she has a vital piece of evidence a could find out who the murderer is ..........
Educational and gripping - Rated 
A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
This book was a lovely period piece set in 1906, in a farm setting. This book is very educational about life on a farm, and how destitute life was in the 1900's. Although the author jumps forwards and backwards in the story from chapter to chapter it makes the story all the more interesting to read. It is based on a true murder mystery and the author took an interesting approach on what might have happened. The descriptions of how poor life was back then really makes me appreciate all the things I have. I know it is cliche to say "I couldn't put it down", but this really is a book you will want to keep with you from beginning to end. The build up of the characters really struck some emotional chords for me. Few books are able to make you really step in and feel what the characters feel, but this goes above and beyond. It makes you rally for the main character Matilda (Mattie) Gokey. I would strongly recommend this book for a winter read. Curl up by the fire, and delight in this beautiful coming of age story.
Northern Light/Gathering Light - Rated
A Northern Light and A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly are in fact the same book. Northern Light is the original title used in North America and Gathering Light is the revised title for the UK. Whatever the title though, this is a fantastic read for adults and teenage children alike, with a prose style and narrative that just draws you in so that you don't want to put the book down. Highly recommended
A Girl's Life and Her Passion for Words - Rated 
Mattie Gokey is a talented young girl with a gift for words, driven by her ambition of going to college and, someday, becoming a writer. But can she actually realize her dream with so many obstacles in her way ?
Through the story of fictitious Mattie Gokey, you get an insight into how it was for young girls growing up in small town northern U.S.A. in the early nineteen-hundreds and the different ways of life at that time. It is also cleverly linked with the true story of the murder of Grace Brown. The book also offers a variety of characters ranging from jerks, to generous, kind-hearted friends, to rebellious, ambitious individuals with a strong sense of honour and justice.
For these reasons, "A Northern Light" is definitely worth reading, however I did find that the storylines were quite predictable, despite the suspenseful air to the book.
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