If you are looking for a book that will make you laugh, worry and finally smile, 'The Lighthouse Summer' by Maya Golan is a good choice. This short novel for teenagers tells the story of two very different girls who become friends during one unusual summer by the sea.
Fourteen-year-old Anna is shy and loves drawing. She is spending the summer with her aunt in a small town by the sea, and she expects to be bored and lonely. Then she meets Lia, a loud, confident girl who knows everyone in town and is never afraid to say what she thinks. At first, Anna finds Lia annoying. Lia, on the other hand, thinks Anna is a snob because she hardly speaks.
Their friendship begins almost by accident, when both of them try to save a hurt seagull on the beach. Slowly, they discover that each of them has something the other one needs. Anna teaches Lia to slow down and notice small things, and Lia helps Anna find the courage to show her drawings to other people.
The best part of the novel is the way it shows that friendship is not always easy. In the middle of the book, Anna shares a secret with Lia, and Lia tells it to another girl. The chapters after this are painful to read, but they feel very real. The author does not offer a quick solution; the girls have to work hard to trust each other again.
The book is not perfect. The first few chapters are slow, and some of the adult characters are not very interesting. Readers who prefer action and adventure may lose patience before the story really begins.
Still, I recommend this book to anyone aged twelve and up. It reminds us that real friends are not people who never hurt us, but people who are willing to repair what was broken.