Becoming Grace

This short, accessible read is a love-letter to female bravery. It tells the story of Grace Darling, a young girl whose family lived and worked in lighthouses near Bamburgh on the coast of Northumberland in the early-19^th Century. Her determination and daring on one fateful evening led to the rescue of survivors from a shipwreck close to her family’s lighthouse who those around her believed to be unreachable. What I found most powerful was that Grace herself joined the rescue mission despite being afraid of boats and bad weather! She truly is an historical figure worthy of discussion and celebration.

The story itself tells Grace’s life story from a young age to the time of the rescue. It sets the scene beautifully for a life lived in a lighthouse and how her father was the lighthouse keeper who moved the family further from their community to allow him to better protect those at sea.

Grace’s character shines throughout as a concerned but proactive voice in the family, despite her being one of the younger children. The setting too comes to life to the point you can almost feel the salty sea breeze on your face. How different Grace’s childhood was compared to our modern-day life!

It’s a gentle read, full of atmosphere and action that would be great to share with young readers or to be read independently. It comes with both Barrington Stokes accessible formatting to engage readers of all abilities and Hilary McKay’s timeless storytelling style to bring you close to the Grace and her story.

The study of Grace Darling and her life compliments several primary school curriculum topics from ‘people who help us’ to safety, coasts and inspiring women. The accessible nature of the story would make this a useful read for both primary and secondary aged pupils, both in a curriculum sense but also as a moving leisure read.