The Secrets of Lovelace Academy
London, 1904. At twelve years of age, Lainey Phillips has spent nine years living in the squalor of an ill-run orphanage. Even without attending school, she’s taught herself to read, has read the dictionary several times, and loves math and science. When the opportunity to get a scholarship to the girls’ boarding school, Lovelace Academy, occurs, Lainey moves into a new world. Conflicts arise, and fearing expulsion, she takes on a secret mission to help Albert Einstein’s wife in Switzerland.
Lainey is a delightful heroine: kind, intelligent, curious, and moral, and readers will cheer for her in all her endeavors. The story moves at a quick pace, with difficulties around every corner and surprise twists. The message of female empowerment is inspiring, using both fictional and real women to make its points. A few details are a bit off. Lainey’s ability to speak German is explained, but she also communicates well with people in France, and her illiterate traveling companion seems fluent in English, French, and German. Some interactions between Lainey and two of her supporters at the end of the book are rather odd. Is there to be a sequel? The epilogue, in which Lainey is a grown woman, makes one feel there won’t be. There is much to love in this engaging, fun story, but it sadly has a few minor problems. Ages 8-12.
