Douglas Evans

The Last Lighthouse Giant Douglas Evans

Meet Blanco, the Last Lighthouse Giant! Ages ago, giants arrived on the coasts of the world. They built tall round houses on the dark headlands. Out their high windows they shone bright lanterns to guide ships safely past their homes. Blanco is the last of the lighthouse giants. From sunset to sunrise he shines his fish-oil lantern from his house on Cape Humbug, to aid steamer ships along the Oregon coast. Jenny Hughes, age ten, is Blanco's friend. Jenny lives with her father, Jacob, on the Hughes Dairy Ranch below Cape Humbug. Each day Jenny and her father bring Blanco a kettle of clam chowder for his daily meal. Jenny teaches Blanco reading and writing. In turn, the lighthouse giant teaches Jenny, who wishes to become a marine scientist, the ways of the ocean and its creatures. Blanco's job is threatened when a conman arrives in Port Beaver, hoping to replace the giant with a first-order Fresnel lens and modern machinery. Can Jenny help save giant's lighthouse job? A tough task considering the entire town is against her.