Other editions of book Captain January

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Captain January was written in 1891. Captain January saves an infant girl from a shipwreck in which her parents were drowned. He names her Star. He raises her for several years. The wealthy sister of Star’s deceased mother sees her when she visits Maine and wants to adopt her but the young girl Star emphatically refuses. Captain January dies shortly thereafter. The story ends with the Captain, near death, makes arrangements for the wealthy sister to be notified. The book Captain January was made into two movies: A 1924 silent film starring Baby Peggy and the 1936 musical starring Shirley Temple.

The story of Star Bright, who is rescued by Captain January (a former seaman who is now a New England lighthouse keeper) after her parents are drowned in a shipwreck. Captain January rescued Star when she was two or three years old. Everyone else aboard was lost. January made a token effort at finding Star's relatives, then just kept her for himself. Now, four years later, he has a truant officer breathing down his neck because he didn't send Star to school promptly at age six but "home-schooled" her instead; and he's about to become unemployed again due to the installation of an automatic lighthouse beacon. Star is of course an irrepressible little bundle of happiness, but very distraught at the thought of being taken away from "Cap." January taught Star from the Bible and a nautical manual because "they both show you how to steer a straight course"), they're willing to steal the answers to Star's school entrance exam (but grab a High School exam by mistake). Captain January (originally published in 1890), a best seller, was twice made into movies, and the second time starred Shirley Temple. Laura Elizabeth Richards was born in Boston in 1850, daughter of the poet Julia Ward Howe, is perhaps best known as the author of "Battle Hymn of the Republic." She wrote many other books for children. Among her adult nonfiction works were a two-volume biography of her father, Letters and Journal of Samuel Gridley Howe (1906-09); a joint biography of her parents, Two Noble Lives (1911); and, most importantly, the two-volume biography of her mother, Julia Ward Howe (1915), the first biography to be honored by the Pulitzer Prize.

The Captain had sold all his lobsters. They had been particularly fine ones, and had gone off "like hot cakes," everyone who passed by the wharf stopping to buy one or two. Now the red dory was empty, and the Captain had washed her out with his usual scrupulous care, and was making preparations for his homeward voyage, when he was hailed by a cheery voice from the street. "Hillo, January!" said the voice. "Is that you? How goes it?" and the owner of the voice, a sturdy man in a blue coat with brass buttons, came down the wharf and greeted the Captain with a hearty shake of the hand. "How goes it?" he repeated. "I haven't seen ye for a dog's age." "I'm hearty, Cap'n Nazro!" replied Captain January. "Hearty, that's what I am, an' hopin' you're the same."

Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards (1850-1943) was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to a high-profile family. During her life, she wrote over 90 books, including children's, biographies, poetry, and others. A well-known children's poem for which she is noted is the literary nonsense verse Eletelephony. In 1917, she won a Pulitzer Prize for The Life of Julia Ward Howe, a biography, which she coauthored with her sister, Maud Howe Elliott. Among her most famous works are: Queen Hildegarde (1889), Captain January (1890), Melody (1893), Marie (1894), Hildegarde's Neighbors (1895), Nautilus (1895), Three Margarets (1897), Geoffrey Strong (1901), The Green Satin Gown (1903) and The Silver Crown: Another Book of Fables (1906).

Helen "Star" Mason is a foundling rescued from the sea as a baby by Captain January, a lighthouse keeper. The two live in the lighthouse at Cape Tempest. Agatha Morgan, a truant officer in the area, demands that Star be enrolled in school and removed from the care of Captain January, who never legally adopted her. The possibility of being separated is devastating for both January and Star. Meanwhile, January loses his job at the lighthouse when the lamp is replaced with an automatic one. Things look desperate for Star and January. Nazro, January’s friend, tries to help and traces Star’s relatives to Boston. He contacts them and they arrive at Cape Tempest to claim her. To Star’s surprise and delight, her wealthy aunt and uncle buy her a yacht and hire January as helmsman, Nazro and Roberts as crew, and Mrs. Croft as cook.