A Northern Light

Jennifer Donnelly's young adult novel A Northern Light is the fictionalized account of the famous 1906 Adirondack murder of Grace Brown. Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy is also based on the same incident.

A Northern Light is great not only because it gives insight to local history, but because it is a challenge to read. The chronological sequence of the novel is interesting; the plot seems to begin in the middle chapter and stem out in both directions, toward beginning and end. The tale is riveting, and those who are familiar with the lakes of the Adirondacks will feel a strong connection to the young female protagonist.

In the history classroom, A Northern Light is a great way to introduce local history. The class could even just read excerpts from the novel and discuss how the author used the fact of the crime to create the story.

Scholastic rates the novel at a 7th grade reading level, yet they suggest that it may be of interest to older students as well.