Are you ready for a book with lots of plot twists and turns? Mattie is your average 16 year old. She goes to school, has friends, and is eager to go to college. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly is set in the early nineteen hundreds. . Mattie has a talent for writing, and gets a scholarship to a college in New York. The one problem is she doesn't have money to get there. She decides to work at a local hotel, something only rich people spent their summers at. The one problem she has is that Mattie's dad won't let her go to college. He insists she stay and help with the family.
During the book Mattie gets engaged to Royal Loomis, whose family owns the property that neighbors Mattie's. At first she feels like Royal is only being nice, since everyone in the North Woods thought Royal would end up marrying someone rich and beautiful. Everyone is surprised when they find out Mattie and Royal are “sparking”.

I liked this book. It's not my favorite book ever, but it's still good. It has a good pace, but what the back cover says the book is about, isn't very important to the story. The letters Grace Brown gives her and tells her to burn before her mysterious death, aren't necessary to the story. All the letters do is add something for Mattie to think about. I also don't like the flashbacks and flash forwards. They make the book confusing at times. The main themes are to be yourself and follow your dreams. Teenage girls, who are more mature, will enjoy this book.