Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein, by Linda Bailey and illustrated by Julia Sarda. Tundra, Penguin Random House. 2018. $21.99 ages 10 and up

"Mary is angry and unhappy at home, and she shows it. By the time she's fourteen, she has become a Big Problem. Her father sends her away to live with a family of strangers in Scotland. The family is kind. Mary likes them. As she wanders the barren hills, she can let her imagination roam free. But at sixteen, when she returns to her family, she is still a Big Problem. And what does she do next? She becomes an even Bigger Problem."

It has been 200 years since a young girl with many difficult life experiences sat to write her first novel ... Frankenstein. The fact that it had to be published without the author's name was testament to the times. The works of women writers were not acknowledged. In fact, it wasn't until 5 years later, when a second edition was published, that Ms. Shelley was given full credit for her work.

This has been a year for books about Mary Shelley, and I have posted a few. In this book, Linda Bailey aims attention at the events in Mary's life that led to her writing such a story. From the beginning, she was a 'dreamer'. She was a writer as well, and she wanted her stories to reflect the daydreaming that she did while wandering alone. Much of her time was spent at her mother's grave. Mary Wollstonecraft was herself a writer and a champion of women's rights. Her daughter wants to follow in her mother's footsteps.

Unhappy at home, she elopes with Percy Bysshe Shelley, taking her sister Claire with them. Their life together is not an easy one. A meeting with Lord Byron leads to a conversation on a fearsome, stormy evening. A challenge to write a ghost story is put forward. The others in the group get to work; Mary takes some time to bring her monster to life. She is only 18, and about to embark on the most famous work of her life.

Linda Bailey does a wonderful job of bringing Mary to her audience. Her writing is filled with fascinating detail and succinct text, which makes it  very accessible. Julia Sarda's digital artwork is a perfect complement to the telling. She uses dark brooding tones to create a perfect mood for the story shared. It is a haunting, while also exciting, complement to Ms. Bailey's well-told tale.

This is a terrific introduction to a writer whose first novel remains a perennial favorite. Though many of the children for whom it is written will not yet have read Shelley's work, they will have some knowledge of Frankenstein. Back matter adds a lengthy and pertinent author's note, as well as a list of sources used to write this worthwhile book.