Candle Point

In this fourth volume of a graphic-novel series for early-grade readers called “Sueño Bay Adventures”, Kay feels crowded out of her family’s home and lives in an old bus on their property. However, when a winter storm causes a power outage, she decides to go on her own to visit her Aunt Gayle, the lighthouse keeper of Candle Point. On the way, Kay stumbles upon one of the island's mysterious Moon Creatures who’s become separated from his family. Unable to reunite them, she gets her friends to join her at the lighthouse and help her find “moon crystals” to nurse the creature back to health. But taking too many of the crystals causes the land bridge to the Point to collapse, leaving Gayle to take her boat to town to ask for a temporary bridge to be erected. Returning the crystals to the tunnels under the Point, Kay realizes that there are more crystals powering the lighthouse and takes those, an action which results in Gayle’s getting lost on her return. Kay and her friends desperately return the crystals to guide Gayle back, and the newly energized Moon Creature flies to Gayle’s boat to bring a rescue buoy to her. Gayle is saved and invites Kay to stay at the lighthouse as long as she wants.

As with previous books, the premise of the story, the mysterious Moon Creatures who need the island’s crystals to survive, is both charming and offbeat, but somewhat difficult to grasp. The character of Kay, headstrong and independent, is a useful vehicle for the trouble the kids find themselves in, and grumpy Aunt Gayle redeems herself when she reveals her frustration that no one ever believes her about the creatures and the crystals. Kay’s three friends, along for the ride, are mostly superfluous other than to complain about the situation, except when young Sleeves realizes the creature can fly to save Gayle.

Like the earlier volumes, the illustrations provide a focus and will require more time to digest and decode than the text, which is mainly dialogue. While the sense of place is strong, the Moon Creatures are not particularly appealing and almost seem formless, and it is sometimes difficult to make out the presence of the light-filled crystals or to grasp the abandoned creature’s rejection by its family. The story is at its most salient when Gayle talks about why it is important not to upset the balance of the island by taking too many crystals, but it is never explained why she would use them to power a lighthouse and who would have built the stairs and tunnels to access them. Charming and innocent graphic novels for young readers like this have an important place in any collection, but Candle Point produces mixed results.