Named after a catastrophic storm, Wanda is born into a world that’s rapidly changing. Rising sea levels and devastating weather patterns transform her coastal Florida town. As she moves from childhood to adulthood, Wanda adapts to this remade landscape, finding adventure, love, and purpose in a place largely abandoned by civilization.
Told in four parts—power, water, light, and time—The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton is a meditation on the beauty and violence of an untamable wilderness. It considers the dissolution of the human-made world, and helps us see how human connection, adaptability, and a little bit of magic might guide us to a new future.
For the 23rd year of the Vermont Reads program, we invite Vermont communities to plan projects centered around The Light Pirate and its themes of resilience, strength through community, and the unstoppable power of the natural world.
Please note: all of our books have been claimed, and we are no longer accepting Vermont Reads 2025 applications. Learn more about Vermont Reads 2026: Charity and Sylvia.
