Lighthouse Girl by Dianne Wolfer. Illus. by Brian Simmonds

This 15th hardcover edition of the award-winning book in the Light series, Lighthouse Girl, is based on the true story of Fay Howe and shares fascinating archival material throughout. In this engaging narrative nonfiction text, Fay plays a small but important role in early days of Australia’s involvement in World War One.

Fay is a young girl living on Breaksea Island where her father is the lighthouse keeper. The Australian troops entering the war for the first time in mass numbers stop in Albany to take on water and coal before heading overseas. Fay watches from a distance as the troop ships pass by and connects with some young soldiers by using Semaphore Flags. She records the messages the soldiers have for their families and sends them off by telegraph. She also writes to some of the boys overseas and from letters and postcards sent to her, she learns about the brutal war taking place in a world away from her.

Through Fay’s journal writing we read her personal thoughts, about her daily life and how they survive on the island. Life is tough for Fay and as she grows older, her loneliness comes through with the letters from overseas, especially from her friend Charlie, providing a lifeline for her.

The inclusion of factual documents such as notes, postcards, newspaper articles, sepia photographs, and Brian Simmonds’ striking charcoal illustrations enriches the narrative, allowing the book to convey an important chapter of Australian history in a format that is both visually engaging and textually varied.

Lighthouse Girl would be a wonderful addition to a primary classroom or school library war genre collection. It is not a difficult read and the interesting articles/photos will provide a depth of factual background information for studies on WW1.

Teaching Notes Microsoft Word - Teaching notes LIGHTHOUSE GIRL.docx

Themes: Australian History, Narrative Non-fiction, World War One, Lighthouses, Loneliness, Family, Grief, Journal Writing.

Kathryn Beilby