Describes the purpose and history of lighthouses, how they work, who keeps them, and relates stories about famous American lighthouses.

Inspired by the logs and adventures of Juliet Fish Nichols, a female lightkeeper who kept the light shining through the fog following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake,

Celia Thaxter grew up on a desolate island off the coast of Maine, where her father worked as lighthouse keeper. Amid the white and gray of the sea, the rocks, and even the birds, young Celia found color where she could: green mosses and purple starfish and pink morning glories by the shore. And she planted her first garden, tucking bright marigolds between rocky ledges. When she was twelve, Celia's family moved to nearby Appledore Island, where her...