Rating: 
Summary: A Light In The Storm
Review: Amelia Martin lives on Fenwick Island with her parents, and her father is assistant lighthouse keeper. Amelia does more than what is usually expected of a lighthouse keeper's daughter, and she is so good at her job that the head of the lighthouses paid a visit to the island just because of her.
But life is hard for Amelia. Her parent's don't get along, and she is stuck between the two sides of the civil war. Her mother is for the south, and her father is for the north.
When Amelia's best friend is called off to war, can Amelia survive the war in her own heart?This book is really good. If you like stuff about the civil war, this book is for you.
I felt so sorry of Amelia. I mean, her parents' divorce one of her friends' dies and another one goes off to war. But Amelia was strong, and she didn't let her troubles get the best of her. Now that 's what I like in a girl.
Rating: 
Summary: A Light in the Storm
Review: I absolutely love this book. Why some people don't like it I'll never know. My opinion is: READ IT!!!
Rating: 
Summary: A compelling look at the Civil War through a girl's eyes.
Review: I found this book to be one of the better of the Dear America series. All of them are well written, but very few manage to capture that, "this is a real person" feel. Some of the books read more like a "this is what is happening in the world" rather than a real diary. However, this book has an engaging character, and a real plot of her parent's seperation. Another interesting thing to note is the way that this book has many layers that were written that the main heroine doesn't neccessarily understand, such as the relationship of her uncle and the freed slave, or her grandmother and her mothers. I also enjoyed watching the relationship between her and a friend's brother grow from a friendship to something more. Overall, I would highly reccomend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Very good book!
Review: I liked this book alot. At times it seemed a little boring, but it was very good. I would change it some what, though. It really bugged me that when the guy she liked left for the war (I forgot his name) he just said, "Wait for me." I just sat there reading like a maniac to see what exactly would happen, but nothing interesting did happen between them. I would probably read this book again, but I will probably not be. Worth reading, though.
Rating:
Summary: A Light In The Storm
Review: I liked this book because it had to deal with a lighthouse on Fenwick Island in Delaware during the Civil War in 1861. I don't like the book because Amelia's parents fight a lot like the father is from the north, and the mother is from the south so they have dirrerent opinions, and views. Also I didn't like it because the characters and the setting are not very descriptive; ike the mom, dad, grandpa, and grandmother don't have names or what they look like or how they dress. I think the worst part is when Inspector Howle talked to Amelia's father and said that she shouldn't be allowed to be an assistant lighthouse keeper because she was to young. Like I said in the first paragraph, when the parents argue is when the book gets sad, and that all she wanted was for their family to be together. Its also kind of sad when her mother wants to leave the island. The setting is a little island off of Delaware. The characters are Amelia, mom, dad, grandpa, grandmother, and Oda. The conflict is their parents are always fighting. The conflict is Amelia's parents divorce because during the whole book the parents are always fighting. (...)
Rating:
Summary: Except for the divorce bit, it was quite enjoyable.
Review: Part of the "Dear America" series, this is the diary of Amelia Martin, a sixteen-year-old lighthouse keeper living with her parents in Delaware during 1860. I found it was one of the better ones of the series. (Since there are many authors, the quality of Dear America books tends to vary.) Delaware was a border state, and consequently there was a lot of arguing over slavery and cecession and the Civil War. Amelia's father sided with the North. He had used to be a ship captain but was fired when he was caught transporting escaped slaves up north, so now he works at the lighthouse with Amelia's help. Amelia's mother sided with the South. Her parents' political differences, as well as Amelia's mother's hatred of living so close to the sea, tore their marriage apart. They actually got divorced, which was quite a rarity back then. There are many reasons why I liked this book so much. Amelia's descriptions of lighthouse work were very detailed. I could clearly see how difficult a job it was: standing in the lighthouse on eight-hour shifts keeping the flame lit and staring out at the sea, and having to row out and save lives whenever a ship foundered on the rocks. I see how much Amelia loved her job, and how much her mother hated it, and why. Amelia's confusion and worry over the war was quite understandable. At the beginning of the story she thought slaves were simpleminded creatures who needed to be enslaved cause they couldn't look after themselves. But as the book progressed her opinion turned until she sided with her father. Amelia's boyfriend was off fighting for the Union and she missed him a lot. There were only two problems I had with the book. One was the divorce. There were, like, six million married couples back then and only six thousand divorces. While I saw that Mr. and Mrs. Martin couldn't live together, I don't think they would have actually filed. I think it would have been more realistic if they just went their separate ways. Also, in the epilogue it says Amelia married her boyfriend but they split up a short time later and never lived together again. That didn't ring true with what I knew about their characters. I wish that had been more adequately explained. But other than that I really enjoyed this diary.
Rating:
Summary: Great Main Character, Time Period Info, and Journal Format
Review: The main character, Amelia, is nicknamed 'Wickie" because of her work in the lighthouse and dealing with the wicks. Her gender role is very uncommon for the time period as is her political interests. Wickie's family lives at a lighthouse where her father is the assistant light keeper. Wickie takes equal shifts with her father and the head light keeper and truly enjoys her position. Her mother is very unhappy on the island away from her mother and has several physical ailments which leave her cross and quarrelsome throughout the book. Amelia is also a helper at the local school on the mainland. She is certainly a character of many strengths. She works hard, helps her family, and cares about those around her. She is a great role model for today's readers. The journal style format of the Dear America series makes it easy to read and is great for introducing this type of writing to any young student. The pictures and documents at the end of the book are helpful and lend to the information provided on that time period in America's history. Amelia's story revolves around working at the lighthouse and on the mainland, becoming active in the political views of the Civil war, and falling in love with a fellow neighbor. It is a very enjoyable book to read and I recommend it for any student studying the Civil War or that time period in America's history.
Rating:
Summary: Great Main Character, Time Period Info, and Journal Format
Review: The main character, Amelia, is nicknamed 'Wickie" because of her work in the lighthouse and dealing with the wicks. Her gender role is very uncommon for the time period as is her political interests. Wickie's family lives at a lighthouse where her father is the assistant light keeper. Wickie takes equal shifts with her father and the head light keeper and truly enjoys her position. Her mother is very unhappy on the island away from her mother and has several physical ailments which leave her cross and quarrelsome throughout the book. Amelia is also a helper at the local school on the mainland. She is certainly a character of many strengths. She works hard, helps her family, and cares about those around her. She is a great role model for today's readers. The journal style format of the Dear America series makes it easy to read and is great for introducing this type of writing to any young student. The pictures and documents at the end of the book are helpful and lend to the information provided on that time period in America's history. Amelia's story revolves around working at the lighthouse and on the mainland, becoming active in the political views of the Civil war, and falling in love with a fellow neighbor. It is a very enjoyable book to read and I recommend it for any student studying the Civil War or that time period in America's history.
Rating: 
Summary: Dry and Boring
Review: This book is cerainly an exception to the "rule" that "Dear America" books are always good. I don't know...it just didn't draw me in. I couldn't finish it (a rare thing for someone who finishes a book 99% of the time!) and there really didn't seem to be any action, save for Amelia endlessly tending her lighthouse. Her family relationships were a little strange and unrealistic, too...I thought divorce really NEVER happened back then. This diary seems more focused on HISTORY than PEOPLE, and I think "people-focused" historical fiction is what makes the "Dear America" books so believable and well liked. I was disappointed by this book...but don't worry, you really can expect more for almost any other "Dear America" book.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a "feel good" story
Review: This book is not up to the usual standard of the Dear America series. I think it would be enjoyed more by older readers (13+)than younger as it does not have as much "action" as the other books. This book has a more philosophical bent. The book is not one I would buy, I recommend getting it from the library instead.
I find it very very hard to believe that the parents in the story would actualy get divorced, live separately - sure, but divorce in that day and age - no.
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