Susan Lautenslager
Middle Grade Fiction
Works in Progress
Middle Grade Fiction
Works in Progress
When her parents take temporary jobs at a remote living history museum in New Hampshire, 13-year-old Effie is thrilled about skipping the start of eighth grade—until she discovers the museum’s actors aren’t living at all, and she must save her family from becoming permanent exhibits.
STATUS: Querying
When a thirteen-year-old, nature-loving girl tries to save an abandoned campground from being destroyed by developers, she meets the ghost of a teenage boy who is trying to reveal the hiding place of his killer.
STATUS: Querying
Unhoused, eighth grader Sage just wants a normal life in the suburbs, but when her parents come into money and buy an abandoned mineral springs resort, normal is nowhere in sight. Strange creatures live in the springs beneath the rundown hotel, the surrounding forest is mysteriously off-limits, and town residents are outright hostile. That they should leave right now is pretty obvious to Sage, but her ever-optimistic parents are oblivious.
STATUS: Draft 3 complete
When 11-year-old Cody spends the summer with his archeologist Mom, mystery surrounds the repeated destruction of her excavation site—until he discovers that a 19th century stone giant hoax might not be a hoax at all, and they are all in danger.
STATUS: In development
When accidents start happening at the historic wedding venue run by her father’s girlfriend, twelve-year-old Melia must overcome her dislike of the girlfriend and use her newfound connection to trees to stop ancient green magic from turning deadly.
STATUS: In development
An anxious, allergy-prone eleven-year-old who hates his new city home must overcome his fear of cats—both real and alien—to stop extraterrestrials from stealing a meteorite that could pay for his family’s return to the suburbs.
STATUS: Querying
After walking the Camino de Santiago in 2010, I launched a new career writing fiction for middle grade readers. In my former life, I lived in Hawai'i and taught for many years at the Honolulu Waldorf School. I currently live near Rochester, New York. I'm a member of SCBWI, RACWI (Rochester Area Children's Writers & Illustrators), and a long-term critique group.