The Novel A Northern Light, by Jennifer Donnelly, follows a young girl by the name of Mattie, in search of her identity. The story takes place in the 1800's, where most people, let along girls, aren't expected to have a good edgucation. They either got married or stayed at home to continue the family buisness. Mattie's father had those plans, exactly. They were having trouble making ends meet and needed her help. Mattie had other plans, though. Unlike many other girls, Mattie was extremely bright and dreamed of becoming a writer. She was offered a college scholership to a school in New York, but she must pick between family and her love of writing. Not only that, but she's starting to fall for a boy named Royal, someone much richer than her. She has three futures in front of her that she needs to choose from and quick.

Determined to persue her dream of becoming a writer, Mattie starts working at a small hotel. There, she meets a very perculear guest named Grace, who asks her to burn a pack of letters for her, which she had been to busy to do. The next day, Grace turns up dead. Do the letters hold a secret to her death?

Overall, I thought this was an alright book. It had an interesting theme and and origonal plot, but it was a little boring or confusing at times. A Northern Light isn't the kind of book that grabs your attention. It's filled with tons of detail and takes a long time to read. If you're the type of person who enjoys that kind of novel, then I would definitly advise this book.