Madeket Millie - Hardcover

The jacket copy says it's a true story, the CIP calls it fiction, and there is something of the tall tale in the exploits of Mildred Jewett. A salty character if ever there was one, she took it upon herself to replace the Madaket Beach lifesaving service at the end of Nantucket Island when the Coast Guard closed its station after WW II. For more than 40 years, Millie patrolled the shore and was often the first to raise the alarm when a boat was in trouble. Islanders relied upon her ``weather eye'' to predict the severity of hurricanes, and the Coast Guard made her an honorary commander. Formidable in both physique and personality, Millie became a Nantucket legend, and died in 1990. Weller (I Wonder If I'll See a Whale, 1991, etc.) recounts the colorful details of this eccentric life in vernacular prose as laconic as the speech of Nantucket Islanders. Sewall's depictions of the Massachusetts coast are familiar from Thunder from the Clear Sky (1995) and its predecessors; here they feature strong masses of weathered-looking color enclosed within heavy black outlines, suggesting the windswept, sun-bleached island landscape. A strong book about a strong woman who took to heart the admonition ``Where life has set you, make a difference.'' (Picture book. 6-10) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Gr. 2^-4. Millie Jewett was raised in Madaket, the ocean edge of Nantucket Island, by her grandmother, who taught her a lesson that shaped her character: "Where life has set you, make a difference." And what a difference she made. Knowing there were no women in the lifesaving service, strong-minded Millie demanded to know why not. Turned down by the Coast Guard when she tried to enlist during World War II, Millie proved her mettle in other ways: by training dogs to patrol the beaches, by unofficially staffing the Madaket Coast Guard station when it was closed down, and by watching out for anyone in trouble. "I'll take care of you" became Millie's motto. Strong in body as well as in mind, she always followed her words with deeds. Ultimately, the Coast Guard relented and adopted her--or was it the other way around? This beautifully written fictionalization of a true story is an inspiring tribute to a woman who became a legend on Nantucket, but who would have made a difference wherever life set her. Veteran illustrator Sewall's pictures are a delight--as strong and colorful as Millie herself. Michael Cart