Why am I passionate about this?

I love middle-grade books (for eight to twelve-year-olds), which is why I write in that genre. My Summer of L.U.C.K. trilogy is sprinkled with magical adventures, but each one has real-life kids struggling with real-life problems and finding real-world solutions. I believe that books whose characters experience magical elements along with themes of friendship, perseverance, and self-acceptance will help them learn, as I did when I was a young reader, that whatever troubles they're experiencing, other kids have those troubles too, that they're not alone, and that help is possible.


I wrote...

Summer of L.U.C.K.

By Laura Segal Stegman,

Book cover of Summer of L.U.C.K.

What is my book about?

Three struggling kids stumble upon a magical carnival that’s about to change their world.

Stuttering Darby is never perfect enough…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Miraculous

Laura Segal Stegman Why did I love this book?

I’m a sucker for books about restored faith, particularly one with a Victorian house on the cover (see The Diamond in the Window below). That’s what caught my eye about Jess Redman’s beautifully written book, but the main character, a kid named Wunder, really drew me in and kept me reading.

I loved following Wunder’s journey as his faith in miracles falters after the death of his newborn sister. What touched me the most was how his connection with a woman–maybe a witch–who resides in the crumbling Victorian house helps reawaken his belief in everyday magic. This is one of my top favorite magical middle grade books of all time.

By Jess Redman,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Miraculous as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

An Amazon Best Children's Book of 2019

In the tradition of heartwrenching and hopeful middle grade novels such as Bridge to Terabithia comes Jess Redman's stunning debut about a young boy who must regain his faith in miracles after a tragedy changes his world.

Eleven-year-old Wunder Ellis is a miracologist. In a journal he calls The Miraculous, he records stories of the inexplicable and the extraordinary. And he believes every single one. But then his newborn sister dies, at only eight days old. If that can happen, then miracles can’t exist. So Wunder gets rid of The Miraculous. He stops…


Book cover of Sticks & Stones

Laura Segal Stegman Why did I love this book?

Did anyone ever call you names? Did you ever call yourself names? I loved this book by Abby Cooper because its clever concept examines the impact of peoples’ critical words and thoughts, including our own. We learn that when kids insult a middle school girl named Elyse, an unusual condition causes their words to literally appear on her arms and legs as temporary tattoos.

Like every book I hold dear, this touching story unfolds as we accompany our ever-so-relatable heroine on her journey of self-discovery and empowerment.

By Abby Cooper,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Sticks & Stones as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 10, 11, and 12.

What is this book about?

Sticks & Stones by Abby Cooper is a feel-good middle grade debut with just a dash of magic...

Ever since she was a baby, the words people use to describe Elyse have instantly appeared on her arms and legs. At first it was just "cute" and "adorable," but as she's gotten older and kids have gotten meaner, words like "loser" and "pathetic" appear, and those words bubble up and itch. And then there are words like "interesting," which she's not really sure how to feel about.

Now, at age twelve, she's starting middle school, and just when her friends who…


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Book cover of The Yesterday Dress

The Yesterday Dress by Teena Raffa-Mulligan,

Everyone in Angelina's big family has a story to tell.

The Yesterday Dress is a story for seven to nine-year olds about family connections and how learning about the past gives us a stronger sense of where we come from, who we are and how we fit into our world.…

Book cover of Holes

Laura Segal Stegman Why did I love this book?

I almost didn’t include this Newbery Medal winner book by Louis Sachar on my list of magical middle-grade books set in the real world. Is it really magical? Is it set in the real world? With a fourteen-year-old protagonist, Stanley Yelnats, is it even middle-grade?

Here’s why my love for this book won out. Sachar weaves together a quirky, complex story, just interconnected enough to qualify as “magical.” The setting, a juvenile prison camp with a sadistic warden, is “real-world” enough. And Stanley, though emotionally young for fourteen, is a kind, thoughtful kid well worth rooting for.

About halfway through reading, its darkness almost prompted me to lay this book aside. I’m so glad I didn’t. In the end, its themes of perseverance, hope, and redemption shone through.

By Louis Sachar,

Why should I read it?

8 authors picked Holes as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

WINNER OF THE NEWBERY MEDAL WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD SELECTED AS ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 BEST YA BOOKS OF ALL TIME Stanley Yelnats' family has a history of bad luck, so when a miscarriage of justice sends him to Camp Green Lake Juvenile Detention Centre (which isn't green and doesn't have a lake) he is not surprised. Every day he and the other inmates are told to dig a hole, five foot wide by five foot deep, reporting anything they find. Why? The evil warden claims that it's character building, but this is a lie. It's up…


Book cover of Eleanor, Alice, and the Roosevelt Ghosts

Laura Segal Stegman Why did I love this book?

I’m interested in anything Roosevelt family-related (Theodore and/or Franklin), so I had to read this book by Dianne K. Salerni, a supernatural mystery set in an alternate history. While this fast-paced ghost story is the author’s creation, the family situations of the two fourteen-year-old cousins circa 1898 reflect the realities of their lives at the time.

If I hadn’t already known so much about Eleanor’s inspiring life and Alice’s unconventional one, I absolutely would have wanted to after reading this entertaining book.

By Dianne K. Salerni,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Eleanor, Alice, and the Roosevelt Ghosts as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, 11, and 12.

What is this book about?

Murderous ghosts and buried family secrets threaten young Eleanor and Alice Roosevelt in this thrilling middle-grade novel that puts a supernatural spin on alternate history.

It's 1898 in New York City and ghosts exist among humans.

When an unusual spirit takes up residence at the Roosevelt house, thirteen-year-old Eleanor and fourteen-year-old Alice are suspicious. The cousins don't get along, but they know something is not right. This ghost is more than a pesky nuisance. The authorities claim he's safe to be around, even as his mischievous behavior grows stranger and more menacing. It's almost like he wants to scare the…


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Book cover of Brigitta of the White Forest

Brigitta of the White Forest by Danika Dinsmore,

For those who enjoy fantasy adventure, the Faerie Tales from the White Forest series offers a new twist on the traditional faerie tales so loved by young readers.

From devastating curses to death-defying quests, Brigitta and her growing collective of misfit friends face greater and greater challenges when destiny calls…

Book cover of The Diamond in the Window

Laura Segal Stegman Why did I love this book?

This book by Jane Langton, which inspired me to write my own books, is another one of my all-time favorite magical middle-grade books. Written in the 1960s and set in Concord, Massachusetts, it drew me in right away when siblings Eleanor and Eddie discover a magic attic room with a roadmap to treasure that might just save their remarkable old home.

My favorite chapters deal with the self-acceptance that helps Eleanor choose wisely for her future (The Gift of the Mirror) and Eddie’s discovery of the importance of helping others (The Chambered Nautilus).

By Jane Langton, Erik Blegvad (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Diamond in the Window as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

Foreword by Gregory Maguire.

The Halls' house stood out like an exotic plant amidst all the neat, square houses in Concord. It had porches, domes and towers and a tiny window in the attic whose raised center pane shone out like a brilliant diamond.

There had been jewels once in the house, the gift of an Indian prince to two children, Ned and Nora. The prince had devised ingenious games so that the hidden jewels could be found. And then, suddenly, mysteriously the children and then Prince Krishna disappeared...

Years later, Eleanor and Eddy, niece and nephew of the lost…


Explore my book 😀

Summer of L.U.C.K.

By Laura Segal Stegman,

Book cover of Summer of L.U.C.K.

What is my book about?

Three struggling kids stumble upon a magical carnival that’s about to change their world.

Stuttering Darby is never perfect enough for her mother. Justin’s been silent since his dad died. Naz is trying to learn English. But after they meet at summer camp, mysterious calliope music from an abandoned warehouse grants them power to communicate without words. When they sneak inside, the dark, empty space bursts into a magical carnival. They’re greeted by the ghost of Leroy Usher, who asks for their help convincing his family to restore the carnival to its former glory. In return, he promises to teach the kids how to find their voices. As Darby, Justin, and Naz are swept off on a series of midnight adventures via Mr. Usher’s carnival rides, they discover they’re capable of more than they ever imagined. With each challenge, their confidence in communicating – and in themselves – grows. Meanwhile, they scheme to persuade the Usher family to revive the carnival. But when Darby’s bunkmates trick her into starring in the camp talent show, her budding confidence falters. Can she risk being less than perfect by performing in the show and speaking up to Mr. Usher’s resistant son? If not, she’ll put the carnival in danger and sabotage her most important quest: to believe in herself, stutter and all.

Book cover of The Miraculous
Book cover of Sticks & Stones
Book cover of Holes

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