Doerr, A. (2014). All the light we cannot see. NY: Scribner. Marie-Laure LeBlanc is the protagonist in All the Light We Cannot See. In the novel, Marie-Laure goes blind at age six. At age twelve, the Nazis close in on Paris, forcing Marie-Laure and her widowed father to flee to Marie-Laure’s great-uncle’s house by the sea. With them, they have the Sea of Flames, a valuable jewel from the museum where Marie-Laure’s father works. Meanwhile, greedy, selfish Nazi Sergeant Major von Rumpel sets out to find the Sea of Flames. The novel ends with Marie-Laure, now 86, showing her grandson where she grew up. I think the intended audience for All the Light We Cannot See might be for ages 12 and up. Recommendations for follow up reading include The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, Go See the Watchman by Harper Lee, and The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. I think All the Light We Cannot See meets the physical developmental criteria because Marie-Laure is permanently blind-stricken at age six. She can navigate through her neighborhood with a scale-model her father built for her. All the Light We Cannot See meets the emotional developmental criteria because Marie-Laure and her father must deal with the Nazis taking over their home and chasing them for the Sea of Flames. All the Light We Cannot See also meets the social developmental criteria because, through all the destruction and devastation, Marie-Laure and Werner manage to cross paths and form a strong bond.
