My Imaginary Mary
(Libby/OverDrive eAudiobook)

In 18-something-or-other, Mary Godwin, daughter of the late activist-writer Mary Wollstonecraft, aches to pen an epic tale. Across town, Ada Byron is furious when inventor Charles Babbage openly claims her mathematical work as his own. Enter Miss Stamp, a fae godmother who brings the girls together and teaches them how to use their powers of creation. Thus empowered, Ada constructs Practical Automaton Number One (aka PAN), made of a meticulously calculated clockwork system--that is, the first-ever computer program. However, one dark and stormy night, when lightning and Mary's untrained fae abilities collide, PAN comes to life and falls head over heels for Mary. Meanwhile, physicist Giovanni Aldini gets wind of PAN's existence and, desperate to wrest the girls' life-giving secret from them, surreptitiously follows Mary and Ada to Switzerland, where they've located Lord Byron and poet Percy Shelley. Subterfuge and a shockingly satisfying climax at last inspire Mary to write a masterpiece. The high-voltage fifth book of this series headlining historic Marys--all penned by Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows--continues the tradition of being rooted in history while playfully accommodating fantastical elements, fact-bending chronologies, and entertaining anachronisms, including laugh-out-loud references to Monty Python, James Bond, Star Trek's Borg, The Clash, Pat Benatar, and more. Celebrating women who have made important contributions to STEM and the arts, this creative take on Mary and Ada is electrifying.

When 17-year-olds Ada Lovelace and Mary Shelley née Godwin meet at a party, they become thick as thieves in Ashton, Hand, and Meadows's (My Contrary Mary) inventive historical fiction collaboration, set in London during the Industrial Revolution. Writer Mary lives a quiet life hopelessly pining after dashing poet Percy Shelley. Meanwhile, Ada spends her time desperately trying to get her robot Pan (aka Practical Automaton Number One) to work. When Mary's purportedly fae godmother, Miss Stamp, suddenly appears from a previously unknown door inside Mary's wardrobe, Miss Stamp informs her that she's been endowed with magical abilities that "can make what we imagine real." Science-minded Ada is skeptical, until Mary brings Pan to life. Chaos ensues when, following Pan's animation, mysterious villains come knocking on the girls' door. The teens' bitingly clever alternating perspectives, interspersed via an omniscient narrator, occasionally convey historical tidbits in direct asides to the reader--as when setting the time period: "the year 18--mumble mumble (sorry, the exact date is a bit smudged)"--handily rendering a riotous romp through two prominent figures' imagined--and winningly fantastical--lives. Ages 13--up. (Aug.)

Gr 8--10--The Lady Janies are back with another irreverent take on a historic woman. This time, Mary Shelley and Ada Lovelace cross paths in the name of science, humanity, and adventure. Shelley and Lovelace are two teen girls fighting against society, family, and expectations for their own creativity. Shortly after being told they are fae, they accidentally bring a robotic man created by Ada to life, and have to abscond from England with him to save them all. Part Frankenstein precursor, part feminist wandering through early 19th-century Europe, this YA novel is about 150 pages too long and lacks the pizzazz of the authors' earlier titles together. Fans of Shelley and Lovelace will enjoy playing more in their psyche, as each woman and their creation gets a POV, but fans of the novel will be disappointed by how light this book feels, despite the chloroform. VERDICT Give this book to younger fans of historical fiction and tentative fantasy who aren't familiar with Shelley's work and want an easy entry into this time period.--Aryssa Damron

Ada Lovelace and Mary Godwin--better known today as Mary Shelley--combine forces to create a living automaton: a real boy. It's the year "18--mumble mumble," the timeline smooshed together into an imagined year when both girls are in their late teens. Ada, the abandoned daughter of famous poet Lord Byron, is a mathematical genius who creates delicate clockwork automatons. Mary's the daughter of the late, famed early feminist Mary Wollstonecraft. She's half in love with poet Percy Shelley, her father's mentee, and wonders if she'll ever succeed at writing. The girls become friends when their fae godmother arrives through a hidden door in the back of Mary's wardrobe to school them both on powers they may have inherited. Lo and behold, with Mary's help, Ada's automaton becomes a living--and lovely--boy named Pan. When villains want something from the girls, they take off, along with Pan and Mary's two half sisters, on a romp through Europe. The trio of authors responsible for this entertaining smashup series get better with every book they write. Readers don't have to know the characters' real-life backstories to enjoy this story; for those who do, the parallels are intriguing. The novel effortlessly and entertainingly combines "Cinderella," Frankenstein, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Pinocchio, and Hamilton, and the ending reminds readers not to underestimate quiet women. Energetic, clever, and absorbing. (Historical fantasy. 12-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

*Starred Review* In 18-something-or-other, Mary Godwin, daughter of the late activist-writer Mary Wollstonecraft, aches to pen an epic tale. Across town, Ada Byron is furious when inventor Charles Babbage openly claims her mathematical work as his own. Enter Miss Stamp, a fae godmother who brings the girls together and teaches them how to use their powers of creation. Thus empowered, Ada constructs Practical Automaton Number One (aka PAN), made of a meticulously calculated clockwork system—that is, the first-ever computer program. However, one dark and stormy night, when lightning and Mary's untrained fae abilities collide, PAN comes to life and falls head over heels for Mary. Meanwhile, physicist Giovanni Aldini gets wind of PAN's existence and, desperate to wrest the girls' life-giving secret from them, surreptitiously follows Mary and Ada to Switzerland, where they've located Lord Byron and poet Percy Shelley. Subterfuge and a shockingly satisfying climax at last inspire Mary to write a masterpiece. The high-voltage fifth book of this series headlining historic Marys—all penned by Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows—continues the tradition of being rooted in history while playfully accommodating fantastical elements, fact-bending chronologies, and entertaining anachronisms, including laugh-out-loud references to Monty Python, James Bond, Star Trek's Borg, The Clash, Pat Benatar, and more. Celebrating women who have made important contributions to STEM and the arts, this creative take on Mary and Ada is electrifying. Grades 8-12. Copyright 2022 Booklist Reviews.

When 17-year-olds Ada Lovelace and Mary Shelley née Godwin meet at a party, they become thick as thieves in Ashton, Hand, and Meadows's (My Contrary Mary)inventive historical fiction collaboration, set in London during the Industrial Revolution. Writer Mary lives a quiet life hopelessly pining after dashing poet Percy Shelley. Meanwhile, Ada spends her time desperately trying to get her robot Pan (aka Practical Automaton Number One) to work. When Mary's purportedly fae godmother, Miss Stamp, suddenly appears from a previously unknown door inside Mary's wardrobe, Miss Stamp informs her that she's been endowed with magical abilities that "can make what we imagine real." Science-minded Ada is skeptical, until Mary brings Pan to life. Chaos ensues when, following Pan's animation, mysterious villains come knocking on the girls' door. The teens' bitingly clever alternating perspectives, interspersed via an omniscient narrator, occasionally convey historical tidbits in direct asides to the reader—as when setting the time period: "the year 18—mumble mumble (sorry, the exact date is a bit smudged)"—handily rendering a riotous romp through two prominent figures' imagined—and winningly fantastical—lives. Ages 13–up. (Aug.)

Gr 8–10—The Lady Janies are back with another irreverent take on a historic woman. This time, Mary Shelley and Ada Lovelace cross paths in the name of science, humanity, and adventure. Shelley and Lovelace are two teen girls fighting against society, family, and expectations for their own creativity. Shortly after being told they are fae, they accidentally bring a robotic man created by Ada to life, and have to abscond from England with him to save them all. Part Frankenstein precursor, part feminist wandering through early 19th-century Europe, this YA novel is about 150 pages too long and lacks the pizzazz of the authors' earlier titles together. Fans of Shelley and Lovelace will enjoy playing more in their psyche, as each woman and their creation gets a POV, but fans of the novel will be disappointed by how light this book feels, despite the chloroform. VERDICT Give this book to younger fans of historical fiction and tentative fantasy who aren't familiar with Shelley's work and want an easy entry into this time period.—Aryssa Damron