Monday, May 25, 2026

A Hundred Magical Reasons Tour & Giveaway

About the Book

Book: A Hundred Magical Reasons

Author: Laura DeNooyer

Genre: Biographical historical fiction, literary fiction, book club fiction

Release Date: January 7, 2025

Most fairy tales have happy endings, but is it too late for this one? After all, Mrs. Charlotte Rose Gordon, the disgruntled town recluse, is eighty-eight and has grown weary of fighting the dragons of her past—including the desire to clear her husband’s name of a 1918 crime.

Dragons of a different kind pursue Carrie Kruisselbrink.

During 1980, the summer of her private rebellion, Carrie defies parental expectations and pursues her café dream. While waiting for funding, she takes a job with Mrs. Gordon.

As Mrs. Gordon unfolds the story of her oppressive childhood and delightful friendship with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz author, L. Frank Baum, Carrie never expects to encounter her own fears and soul-searching.

In this modern-day fairy tale that weaves between 1980 and the early 1900s, Mr. Baum’s influence impacts each woman’s personal quests on a hero’s journey neither anticipates. Can Carrie and Mrs. Gordon find common ground in battling their respective dragons?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Laura DeNooyer thrives on creativity and encouraging it in others. A Calvin College graduate, she is a teacher, wife, parent of four adult children, and an award-winning author of heart-warming historical and contemporary fiction. Her novels are perfect for fans of Patti Callahan Henry, Erin Bartels, or Amanda Cox. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her reading, walking, drinking tea with friends, or taking a road trip.

More from Laura

Smitten!

That was me—smitten—after reading a biography about L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900). Baum was an innovative, larger-than-life personality—no surprise there, given that he created the Land of Oz.

He was also a family man with a keen understanding of children and a high regard for women. (His mother-in-law was a suffragist!) His humor and creativity gave him the capacity to bounce back from failure many times.

Having always wanted to write a novel set in the turn of the century, Baum fit perfectly into my plans.

Fun fact: The Baum family summered at the same lake where our family vacations yearly. Though we were at opposite ends of Lake Macatawa near Holland, Michigan—and opposite ends of the century—I felt a connection.

Unstoppable Imagination meets Doubt & Fear

Imagination plays a huge role in the story. My main character Janie is at odds with her rigid parents who have no use for fiction, fantasy, or fairy tales. She is only allowed to read The New England Primer, The Pilgrim’s Progress, and the Bible. Then eight-year-old Janie meets the inimitable L. Frank Baum who stretches her imagination in every way possible. This is a major tension throughout the story.

This ties to 1980, where my protagonist Carrie wants to run a literary-themed café against her parents’ wishes. They have their own goals for her. As grown-up Janie (now eighty-eight-year-old Mrs. Gordon) unveils her childhood troubles to Carrie, they both make startling discoveries.

Bonded by stories and baking Oz-inspired recipes, Carrie and Mrs. Gordon’s intergenerational friendship gradually grows and deepens—one facing fears about her future, the other living with regrets about her past.

Brains, Heart, & Courage

Whether you’re an Oz fan or not, I believe you’ll enjoy getting to know L. Frank Baum. Besides getting the facts straight, I wanted to create his essence on the page so readers experience what it was like to sit on the Baums’ Macatawa porch with him, whether running a printing press or drinking lemonade.

Baum’s stories are all about stirring the child’s imagination, and that’s a key element of my novel. Since we’re all made in the Creator’s image, everybody is creative in their own way. I hope this story inspires readers to use their own imagination to pursue dreams.

But dreams only grow in the soil of confidence. As Mrs. Gordon challenges Carrie, “Do you want to live by your passions or by your fears?” One of those fears is being yourself vs. wearing a mask.

Join the journey of two women who are hugely impacted by the wisdom, heart, and courage of the creator of Oz.

MY REVIEW

My all time favorite movie is The Wizard of Oz. I have watched it every year since I was a small child. Dorothy captured my attention with her adventure and magical world. Not knowing much about the author of this story I was intrigued to see where this would go. L. Frank Baum is a brilliant writer who many enjoy reading books from.

As a dual -time story this book gives readers a look at the past where Charlotte is desperate to discover the truth to get her husband’s name untarnished. Her life was so exciting to follow with children’s books to meeting none other than L. Frank Baum. I felt so bad for her growing up because her parents were so hard on her. They thought the books she loved to read were useless. We see her struggles and derp desire to be accepted and wanted. Meeting such an incredible writer gave her hope as they became dear friends.

Carrie loves to dream of the day she will own her own cafe/bookstore. She has gone to college to get her teaching degree. This part caught my attention because Carrie pursued her degree in something she wasn’t interested in. She only did it to appease her parents since they would only pay is she stuck with this. I wonder what her parents will think when she has to deliver bad news about her degree? Her boyfriend doesn’t seem to encourage her much and I’m hoping she will find the courage to stand up to those who don’t support her.

I like how the author brings these two women together. This relationship finds them both learning to be accepted and loved. Their past has hurt and rejection from those they cared about. Above everything they go through one thing is constant. They each find themselves discovering how strong they are. Overcoming the past is not easy but the author does such a great job of having characters that intersect each other.

We can’t forget about the mystery that continues throughout the book. The ending is a great one. I appreciate the research done for this book and the many facts we learn about L. Frank Baum. The story is a slow paced one with deep emotions as you learn to follow your dreams.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.