The Secrets of Lovelace Academy
Marie Benedict and Courtney Sheinmel. Aladdin, $17.99 (304p) ISBN 978-1-6659-5021-3
A precocious London tween’s love of learning changes her life in this 1904-set feminist adventure from collaborators Benedict (The Queens of Crime, for adults) and Sheinmel (The Survival List). Because the Sycamore Home for Orphaned Children evicts kids at age 13, 12-year-old Lainey Philipps resigns herself to her future being “labored to the bone” at a workhouse. Then, during an open house for “wealthy visitors,” Lady Anne Blunt sees Lainey doing science experiments and stops to chat. Lady B runs Lovelace Academy, a highly regarded all-girls boarding school to which she awards Lainey a full scholarship. While Lainey is grateful, she has difficulty fitting in with her privileged peers. Hoping to prove herself worthy of her spot at the academy, Lainey travels to Switzerland to help physicist Mileva Einstein finish the important work she’s doing with her husband, patent clerk Albert. Though Benedict and Sheinmel’s plot strains credulity, spirited third-person narration and resourceful, kindhearted characters—some of whom are based off crucial historical figures in STEM—champion empathy and perseverance while spotlighting challenges faced by women in the field. Characters cue as white. Ages 8–12. Agent: Laura Dail, Laura Dail Literary. (Apr.)
Details
Reviewed on: 01/16/2025
Genre: Children's
Compact Disc - 978-1-6681-2996-8
Downloadable Audio - 978-1-6681-2994-4
Other - 1 pages - 978-1-6659-5023-7