Author Marie Benedict had no plans to pen a children’s book — until her readers asked her to.
“When I would do events, so many women, mothers, grandmothers, would ask if I’d ever consider telling these stories for younger audiences,” Benedict tells Pittsburgh City Paper. “They wanted something for their daughters, their granddaughters, even their sons.”
And while mature middle schoolers might take on one of her adult historical novels (including The Mystery of Mrs. Christie, The Only Woman in the Room, and The Personal Librarian), she knew younger readers would connect more deeply with a character closer to their age.
That question lingered until it bloomed into The Secrets of Lovelace Academy, a historical adventure bringing Benedict’s trademark mission of recovering women’s contributions throughout history to a new generation.
Co-written with children’s author Courtney Sheinmel, The Secrets of Lovelace Academy follows Lainey Phillips, a curious and determined orphan in early 20th-century London who escapes the harsh confines of the Sycamore Home for Orphaned Children. She’s unexpectedly invited to Lovelace Academy, a lush, secretive boarding school named after pioneering mathematician Ada Lovelace.
Benedict and Sheinmel crafted the book as an imagined answer to the question, What if Lovelace had created a school to nurture bright young girls overlooked by society? “We weren’t able to find anything exactly like it in history,” Benedict says, “but we wanted to invent a place that could have existed. A place for girls who weren’t getting the education they needed and deserved.”
At first glance, Lovelace Academy seems like a dream — a haven for bright young minds who love to learn. However, Lainey soon discovers the school has more in store than algebra homework. The academy is home to the Lovelace Society, a secret network committed to preserving the legacies of forgotten women in STEM, including physicist and mathematician Mileva MariÄ Einstein.
“We wanted to introduce younger readers to Mileva’s brilliance and struggles,” Benedict explains. “It’s the same themes I always explore, but this time, the lens is younger — and the stakes are, in many ways, just as high…[and] here we did it in a way that’s fun, fast-paced, and accessible.”
Benedict previously wrote about Einstein in her adult novel The Other Einstein, but crafting a story for kids required a new approach. That’s where Sheinmel’s middle-grade expertise came in. “Courtney brings all the youthful perspective — the language, the day-to-day emotional dynamics, the sense of voice. I bring the history,” Benedict says with a laugh. “It’s been such a great partnership. We’ve learned so much from each other.”
The book’s main character was partly inspired by Sheinmel’s mother, a gifted STEM student in her youth. “Unfortunately, she passed away a few years ago,” Benedict says. “But Courtney really brought her mother’s spirit into Lainey’s character, this bright, resilient girl who refuses to let her circumstances define her.”
Though the setting is fictional, Lovelace Academy draws inspiration from Benedict’s own backyard. “I live in Sewickley, and I was definitely influenced by the historic architecture here and around Pittsburgh,” she says. “There’s something about the buildings from that era, the late 1800s, early 1900s, that really helped me visualize the school.”
Benedict hopes that by immersing readers in a compelling adventure, the book will also spark curiosity about real-life figures like Einstein and Lovelace. But she’s equally passionate about what young readers might see in themselves.
“I hope it’s inspiring,” she says. “Sometimes, unless you see someone face enormous challenges and overcome them, it can feel like those obstacles are too big. But these historical women, what they endured, what they achieved — it’s extraordinary. And it shows what’s possible.”
The publication of Lovelace Academy also marks a personal milestone: the book will launch on Tue., April 22 at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, which Benedict credits with helping her forebears get their start. “My Irish immigrant ancestors used that library as a stepping stone to education,” she says. “I wouldn’t be doing this work if it weren’t for that building. So to launch this story — one that’s all about the power of education— there, it feels like a full-circle moment.”
Though this is her first foray into children’s literature, it likely won’t be her last. “That’s the plan,” Benedict says. “There are so many incredible women in STEM whose stories are still untold. I’d love for the Lovelace girls to meet them in future adventures.”
Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures presents Marie Benedict and Courtney Sheinmel. 7 p.m. Carnegie Library Lecture Hall. 4440 Forbes Ave., Oakland. $25. pittsburghlectures.culturaldistrict.org
This article appears in Apr 16-22, 2025.
