This story takes place in 1850 where Quila a 12 year old girl lives with her father, a light house keeper, on a remote island off the coast of Maine. Quila's mother has just died and now Quila must take on the adult tasks of cooking, cleaning and the other endless chores involved with keeping up a light house on this lonely island. One day after a severe storm, something washes ashore that changes her life forever. It is a baby who Quila and her father lovingly name Cecelia, which means gift from the sea. Taking care of Cecelia helps alleviate the loneliness and grief Quila and her father feel. One day however, Margaret arrives looking for information on here sister who died in a shipwreck two years earlier. She is Cecelia's aunt and Quila and her father face the heartache of giving up their gift from the sea. Good light descriptions of life in a lighthouse. Good for younger girls.
Another beautiful gift from Natalie Kinsey-Warnock. This story tells of a young girl who lives on an island in Maine, where her father tends the lighthouse. The story starts on the day she and her father have buried her mother, and 12 year old Quila is certain that she can never be happy again. What she doesn't know is that she and her father are soon to receive an amazing gift from the sea - a baby who somehow survived the sinking of a ship in a storm. The baby, Cecelia, lifts them from their doldrums as they have to care for the child and take her on as their own. All goes well for two years until something else arrives from the sea, but this time Quila and her father are uncertain as to whether it is a good gift or a bad one.
This is a sweet, quick little read about family and adoption and learning to make and sustain ties of friendship, romance, and family. It's fairly predictable, and the language is very basic, as suits a children's book, but even for an adult it's a good read. There are a few story kinks that I didn't quite understand-- the woman who died and was buried on the island felt like it should have had some kind of resolution, as did the whole thing with the seals. Still, it's a sweet story. Maybe for a sunny afternoon when it's been snowing and you have a cup of tea.
—Kathleen
Haha! That was adorable..yet awkward! Cecilia sounds like a sweet little girl with the most wondrous family! I'm soooo glad that everyone was happy in the end!
—Tara
I think this book was amazing, because it made me want to read more and more. In my opinion, this book was okay at first, because at first the writer said that the mother died and that made me depressed and a little uncomfortable. But after the first chapter it got really interesting, because it was talking about how Quilas mother died affected Quila's life. This writing is powerful, because it tells how powerful love is. I would recommend this book for people who like it when the people in the book have the emotions of love, nervousness, sadness, and happiness.
—Nora Wilcox
