The best stories have a big secret that isn’t revealed until close to the end. This is the case in Lauren Wolk’s Candle Island. Lucretia and her famous artist mom relocate from Vermont to Candle Island in Maine after the death of Lucretia’s dad. Lucretia must navigate the initial hostilities of islanders and flatlanders and learn how to put their lives together. But she gradually builds a friendship with Bastian, a boy who wants to sing, and Murdock, a girl who’s experienced multiple hardships and writes poetry. Lucretia learns to sail and fish and enjoy the islander life. When the flatlander kids steal what doesn’t belong to them and injure Lucretia’s horse, she has a chance to build closer bonds with her new friends. This art-supportive novel keeps the secret of who the real artist is in Lucretia’s family until the end. Throughout, Wolk writes beautifully about the synesthesia condition as well. Lucretia’s character arc is sensitively mirrored through the growing independence of her rescue young osprey, Gulliver. In the end all of the story pieces fit together and Lucretia has found a forever home on Candle Island. Wolk is also the author of Wolf Hollow, which I found to be an even more compelling read.