A Northern Light

An astonishing and heartbreaking debut—the story of a young woman's coming-of-age and the murder that rocked turn-of-the-century America

Publishers Weekly

Donnelly weaves the fictional story of 16-year-old Mattie into the events of the Gilette murder case (also the inspiration of Dreiser's An American Tragedy). "The author's ability to recast the murder mystery as a cautionary tale for Mattie makes the heroine's pending decision about her future the greatest source of suspense," said PW's Best Books citation. Ages 14-up. (Sept.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

JENNIFER DONNELLY is the author of a novel for adult readers, The Tea Rose, and a picture book, Humble Pie. For A Northern Light, her first teen novel, she drew on stories she heard from her grandmother while growing up in upstate New York. She now lives in Brooklyn, New York.