Written by Dianne Wolfer
Illustrations by Brian Simmonds
Published by Fremantle Press, 2009
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About
Fay lives alone with her father on bleak, windswept Breaksea Island, but her isolated life takes a dramatic turn with the outbreak of World War I.
Fay collects the messages of lonely soldiers heading to the front line. She is their last hope of getting messages telegraphed back home. After their departure for the battlefields of Egypt and Gallipoli, she follows their fortunes and continues her long distance conversations with letters and postcards.
Then one day, a single, sad telegram arrives, and the war is brought brutally home.
In 1914, the lighthouse keeper’s daughter, Fay Howe, signalled to homesick soldiers travelling to World War One battlefields as part of the 1st AIF convoy. There were 36 ships carrying 30,000 troops and over 7500 horses in King George Sound. For many soldiers, Albany was their last sight of Australia.
Based on the true story of Faye, this gentle tale brings to life the hardships of those left at home during the war – waiting, wondering, hoping.
Drawing on fascinating archival material, and interweaving fact with fiction, award-winning author Dianne Wolfer deftly recreates this period in Australian history from the perspective of a young girl.
Awards
- Winner, West Australian Young Readers Book Awards
- Shortlist, NSW Premier’s History Awards
- Shortlist, WA Premier’s Awards
- Shortlist, CBCA Crichton Award
- Shortlist, CBCA ‘Notable Book’
Other book in the series
Book trailers
The clip below was projected onto Albany Entertainment Centre’s roof in 2014 during the 100th commemoration of the troopships leaving Albany and signalling to Fay:
Teachers’ Notes
Download teachers’ notes (pdf)
Teaching Activity – Semaphore flags (pdf)
Reviews
Using the viewpoint of Faye, author Dianne Wolfer has sensitively balanced the factual content in a way which will appeal to a contemporary teen reader.
There’s a traditional feel to the heavy, red cover and the tactile sense that this is a book to keep.
What will make Lighthouse Girl so attractive for educators, is not just the inspiring story of a real Australian girl, WW1 facts nor that the graphic collage is suitable for older readers, but it fits patterns of text structure and organisation of various kinds of texts, including narrative, exposition, verse, narrative voice and point of view which the curriculum requires.
Highly recommended.
-Hazel Edwards, award-winning author of “There’s a Hippopotamus on my Roof Eating Cake”.
Behind the Scenes
I didn’t travel far to research Lighthouse Girl. Breaksea island is just off the coast of Albany in Western Australia’s south-west region. An Interview with me for Channel 9’s Destination WA on Breaksea Island gives further insights into Fay’s story and shows evocative scenes from the island.
Since publication in 2005, Lighthouse Girl has featured in documentaries, Illuminart story projections, and been serialised in the West Australian newspaper. It has inspired a song by Caddy Cooper, as well as many school productions and even professional stage adaptations.
‘The Lighthouse Girl’ by playwright Hellie Turner and Black Swan Theatre opened in Albany/Perth in April 2017. It has also been adapted for CineStage by Theatre 180.
The story of Fay even provided inspiration for the Little Girl Giant in the amazing Royal De Luxe Theatre’s performance of The Giants. See Dianne’s personal gallery or follow this link for photographs.
More resources
Hear an interview with the author on ABC Great Southern radio (external link)
Some information about The 2014, 100-year commemorative events in Albany
Some information about the 2020 restoration works at Breaksea Island: Maintaining Lighthouses; Family descendants.
Read an article about the ‘Light’ series on the Chauvel Foundation website.
Watch Dianne reflect on ANZAC Day 2020 at the Desert Mounted Corp Memorial overlooking King George Sound, Albany.
diannewolfer 
Hello Dianne,
I have read Lighthouse Girl many times and think it is amazing you are a great author!
Thank you Lucy, I’m glad you enjoy my books 🙂
Just read the book and was very impressed. Interested to know about her later life – is this available?
HI Mike
Thanks for that lovely feedback. More info is available under the Books Tab (then LHGirl, then The Real Fay)
https://diannewolfer.com/books/historical-fiction/lighthouse-girl/the-real-fay/
best wishes
Dianne
Hi Diane , I’m 13 and I loved the book just wondering if you know of any information about Charlie
Hi Aimee, huge apologies for the slow reply. I’ve only just discovered that there are comments awaiting my reply!!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed Lighthouse Girl 🙂 To answer your question, although Fay is based on the real Fay Catherine Howe, Charlie is a fictitious character. I read many WW1 diaries and researched several soldiers so he is a compilation of many men. Best wishes and there is a third in the series coming out next April…
I haven’t read it yet but I’m sure it’ll be amazing
Thank you Elliana and apologies for the delay in replying. I’ve only just found your message from May. Very best wishes and I hope you enjoyed it 🙂
It’s so great that you should make a movie — or have you already
Hi Bob, thank you for your kind comment and apologies for the slow delay (I must have overlooked your message). A movie option has been signed however funding and so many other factors make this a slow process. Fingers crossed that a screen version may one day be released…
Hi, my name is Aimee and I have just read your book. What inspired you to write this wonderful book?
Hi Aimee, thanks for your lovely feedback. The idea began many years ago when I read a sentence in the newspaper about the daughter of the Breaksea Island lighthouse keeper signalling to departing troops. And then my imagination took over 🙂
Hi Dianne
We are enjoying studying your book ‘Lighthouse Girl’ for English. Is there a movie of this book available for purchase?
Hi Ian, no not yet 🙂 I have signed an option contract but these things usually take many years … Hope you enjoy Fay’s story.
Hello my names Isatu and I have to write a few things about your book for school
and I was wondering if you could tell all the special little things about your book
Thank you,
Isatu
HI Isatu, I’m so sorry for the slow reply. I have been traveling interstate and cracked my computer screen, just collected it yesterday. It’s probably too late now, but meeting Fay’s son and becoming close to their family has been special, as was going out to visit Breaksea Island. And there is a movie contract signed… Fingers crossed that it will be developed for the screen. Best wishes, Dianne 🙂