Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie


Book Description

Abbie was afraid. She had never had to keep the lights burning by herself. But many lives depended on the lighthouse, and Papa was depending on Abbie. This is the exciting true story of Abbie Burgess, who in 1856 single-handedly kept the lighthouse lamps lit during a tremendous storm off the coast of Maine. "The Roops have done an excellent job of putting a fascinating tale into simple language. . . . Hanson's lovely watercolors evoke the mood and are far and away superior to what appears in many easy-to-reads."—starred, Booklist




Abbie Against the Storm


Book Description

The dramatic true story of a young heroine who operated a lighthouse during a terrible winter storm in her father's absence, saving countless lives out at sea. When seventeen-year-old Abbie Burgess and her family move to Maine where her father will be caring for a lighthouse, she is immediately fascinated by the lights. Abbie becomes her father's assistant, and when he is forced to make an emergency trip to the mainland, Abbie alone knows how to keep the lighthouse tower lit. Soon after he leaves, a massive storm arises, surging over the island and flooding their house. Will Abbie be able to care for her sick mother and younger sisters and make sure that the lighthouse guides ships safely through the treacherous waters? This fictionalized account of a young girl's triumph over a savage storm as well as her own fears, is based on an actual incident that took place in the winter of 1856. Gorgeously illustrated with powerful oil paintings, young Abbie will inspire readers to face all storms as bravely.




Louisiana Purchase


Book Description

The big purchase that led to fundamental questions about what America would become In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana Territory from the French for $15 million, extending the United States beyond the Mississippi River for the first time. Now the United States had big questions to answer: How would Louisiana be governed? How would it be divided? Would it be comprised of free states or slave states? What would happen to the Native Americans? With biographical sketches of the people who helped forge the answers to these questions, such as Lewis and Clark, Napoleon Bonaparte, and of course, Thomas Jefferson, this is the tale of the expansion of the United States into a new territory as well as a new era.




A Short Bright Flash: Augustin Fresnel and the Birth of the Modern Lighthouse


Book Description

Describes the life of the man who invented a new lighthouse lens, capable of shining brighter, farther, and more efficiently than existing light sources, and his fight against the scientific elite, his poor health, and the limits of his era's technology.




The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter


Book Description

On a rocky island outpost off the coast of Maine, a young girl once kept the lighthouse lamps burning for days while her father was held on the mainland by a violent storm. This heroic incident forms the basis of Arielle North Olson’s dramatic story about young Miranda and her family. They have recently moved to the lighthouse—and the reader becomes acclimated along with Miranda to the harsh and demanding way of life she finds there. Illustrated in sweeping watercolors of blue and gray by Elaine Wentworth, The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter will stir the hearts of readers as they watch Miranda struggle triumphantly against storm and rock and sea.




Kate Shelley and the Midnight Express


Book Description

Kate stared at the rickety wooden bridge. There were boards loose on its narrow walkway. There was no railing to hold on to. She was afraid to cross this bridge even in daylight. But she had to cross it now. She had to get to the train station in time to stop the midnight express. When a heavy storm destroyed the bridge over Honey Creek, near Kate Shelley's home in Moingona, Iowa, fifteen-year-old Kate bravely rushed out into the storm, saving the lives of two men and preventing hundreds of other lives from being lost. This is the true story of a young girl's resourcefulness and courage in the face of great danger.




The Original Biography of Abbie Burgess Lighthouse Heroine


Book Description

Abbie Burgess was only fourteen when she first stepped upon Matinicus Rock, off the coast of Maine. But she was no ordinary girl, as her life there proved. When her father was forced to sail to the mainland for desperately needed supplies, she tended the two light towers alone, as well as her family. During those harrowing weeks she battle record storms and starvation. Accounts of her bravery made her a legend among New England seafarers. From Publishers description.




Maine Lighthouse ABC


Book Description

A children's ABC with information on Maine lighthouses, including a fun ditty and illustrations for each letter, a photograph of an accompanying lighthouse for each letter, and in-depth back matter for older children and adults about lighthouse history, visiting lighthouses and more.




A Seal Called Andre


Book Description

Tells the true story of the unique human-animal friendship between Harry Goodridge and Andre, the harbor seal who was as comfortable in Goodridge’s home as he was in Penobscot Bay. Andre swims with Harry and rides happily in the back seat of Harry’s car. He quickly picked up tricks—perhaps the first time a wild animal has been trained in a free-release situation. He became Rockport, Maine’s honorary harbormaster and was ranked “second only to Andrew Wyeth as the state’s most acclaimed summer resident.” Year after year, Andre swam south in the winter, only to return again to Harry the next spring. It’s a timeless and iconic Maine story.




The Boston Coffee Party


Book Description

During the Revolutionary War, two young sisters help a group of Boston women get coffee from a greedy merchant.