Eleven-year-old best friends Dylan and Alexandria, or Alex, went to explore Rat Island on Dylan's sailboat, Thunder, after hearing news about a lost pirate treasure. There, they found a skeleton with a small hole in the head and an old ship's bell. On their way back home to the town of Salvation Point, something went wrong. The children heard an unusual sound and noticed that the familiar dock was gone. Also, sailboats of all types came into view instead of modern ones. People were wearing old-fashioned clothes, horse-drawn carriages were everywhere, and the kids couldn't buy anything with the money they had. Somehow, Dylan and Alex found themselves in 1893 and could only hope for Dylan's old friend, Matthias, to arrive. But will Matthias, a down-to-earth lighthouse keeper, believe their fantastic story about time travel? The Lighthouse Back Home by Jodi L. Auborn, the second book in a series, is a captivating read for children from 9 years of age and all those who enjoy a good adventure.

In The Lighthouse Back Home, Jodi L. Auborn provides us with a well-researched historical background. The author describes the views and customs of the end of the nineteenth century in a confident and humorous manner. It is impossible not to smile while reading about Matilda MacMurray's attempts to instill good manners in rude sailors or to find a suitable match for her grumpy son, Matthias. Overall, Matilda, or Mama, is a character to remember. Her tender, loving nature doesn't prevent her from defending herself with a gun if necessary. Dylan and Alex are wonderful characters, too. Both are brave and quick-witted in the face of danger. They do not hesitate to risk their lives for each other or their friends. The Lighthouse Back Home is a coming-of-age story with believable development of the main characters. I liked the adventurous aspect of the book and its dynamic narrative. The eventful final chapters are very engaging, and the outcome of the main storyline offers us many surprises. Readers who love the adventures of the great Mark Twain will enjoy The Lighthouse Back Home as well.

The Lighthouse Back Home by Jodi L. Auborn is narrated by Dylan, an eleven-year-old boy living with his family in a lighthouse in Maine. While exploring a nearby island with his friend Alex, he makes a couple of exciting discoveries - a ship’s bell from 1869 and a human skeleton. The mysterious bell transports the two children back in time, where they meet Mathias, the lighthouse keeper whose ghost had been friends with Dylan the previous year. Mathias and his mother, Mama, continue caring for them while the two friends try to figure out a way to get back home. With challenges heading their way one after another, they must be brave, smart, and determined to reach their goal.

Jodi L. Auborn’s The Lighthouse Back Home grabbed my attention immediately with its interesting start. Jodi took time to build the setting and the characters, and thus let the story settle deeper into my mind. While reading the last few pages, I could, in fact, feel a strange sense of sadness envelop me. I loved the main characters, especially Mama. While she is strict when it comes to religion and what she believes is the right way to behave, she has a tender and nurturing nature that makes her truly admirable. I feel that Jodi did a good job in portraying Alex and Dylan as kids who are in a stage between childhood and puberty; they appear natural and believable throughout the story. I would recommend this book to anyone who appreciates a slow-paced adventurous story.