I always wanted to be a spy, but as I scare easily and canât keep a secret, it was never going to happen. My respect and fascination with the intelligence community has never abated however, and I will never pass up an opportunity to engage with spy-related content. From going to spy museums across the globe to attending lectures to watching the latest entertaining (and totally unrealistic) spy flick, I love it all. I channel that love into writing humorous spy novels that feature fun, fearless females and ripped-from-the-headlines scenarios.
A book about the long-overlooked female cryptanalyst Elizebeth Friedman that also includes fun code-breaking activities to try out? Yes, please!
Iâm not the least bit ashamed to direct people to this middle-grade book. I love that Butler Greenfield makes the world of code-breaking exciting and engaging, and I love that she puts a spotlight on a wildly talented woman who too often was seen as a helpmate to her cryptographer husband instead of as an equal (and maybe even more talented) partner.
I love that even though this is history long past, Butler Greenfield keeps me on the edge of my seat, wondering what will happen to Elizebeth next.
An inspiring true story, perfect for fans of Hidden Figures, about an American woman who pioneered codebreaking in WWI and WWII but was only recently recognized for her extraordinary contributions.
A YALSA EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION FINALIST âą A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
Elizebeth Smith Friedman had a rare talent for spotting patterns and solving puzzles. These skills led her to become one of the top cryptanalysts in America during both World War I and World War II.
She originally came to code breaking through her love for Shakespeare when she was hired by an eccentric millionaire toâŠ
Writing for children is the most gloriously tricky thing in the world, and I love doing it. With fiction, am I telling a story worth telling to someone whoâs new to the planet and new to our way of life? With non-fiction, am I distilling complexity into a shape they can grasp quickly? Am I showing them how wonderful and strange our world is, and can I make âem laugh while learning? Iâve written 18 books for kids, many commissioned by Think Equal for their global SEL program and used in the national curricula of 20 countries.
At two pages per scientist (one of which is an annotated portrait), this is a superb introduction to the theme.
The book covers a wide time period â from the brilliant, long-dead Hypatia (c.350 CE) to brilliant, modern-day scientist, Maryam Mirzakhani (1977â). It includes sciences your kids might be familiar with, like medicine and marine biology, to ones they might not be, like industrial engineering and crystallography.
Ignotofskyâs a dab hand at condensing a lifeâs work plus an introduction to a scientific discipline into the space of a page. I love how her choice of a limited colour palette works in her subjectsâ favour, reinforcing similarities and themes across the portraits. This is a gorgeous book that repays repeated reading.
The perfect introduction for learning about women throughout history who dared to do the extraordinary! Inspire our new generation of women to explore, discover, persist, succeed, and fight like a girl! A great gift for girls 9-12! Women have been doing amazing, daring, and dangerous things for years, but they're rarely mentioned in our history books as adventurers, daredevils, or rebels. This new compilation of brief biographies features women throughout history who have risked their lives for adventure-many of whom you may not know, but all of whom you'll WANT to know, such as: Annie Edson Taylor, the first personâŠ
When I was five years old, my father sat down with me in front of the television and we watched together as the Space Shuttle Columbia launched for the first time. Four decades later, Iâve authored a history of those early shuttle missions, been a part of developing future space missions, and, most importantly of all, watched several space firsts with my own son. Space exploration is humanity at its greatest â working together using the best of our abilities to overcome incredible challenges and improve life here on Earth â and Iâm always grateful for the opportunity to share that inspiration with others.
For better or worse, this isnât really a book that lives up to its name â or, at least, its subtitle. âAstronautsâ isnât really a history of women in space; itâs two early anecdotes tacked onto the story of Mary Cleave, one of NASAâs early female astronauts. And what a story it is â while many space graphic novels focus on the early years of spaceflight, âAstronautsâ relates the experience of the Space Shuttle program that made up more than half of human spaceflight history and more closely resembles the space missions of today.
America may have put the first man on the moon, but it was the Soviet space program that made Valentina Tereshkova the first woman in space. Meanwhile, in the United States, NASA's first female astronauts were racing toward milestones of their own. These trail-blazing women were admitted into Group 9, NASA's first mixed-gender class. They had the challenging task of convincing the powers that be that a woman's place is in space. But once they'd been admitted into the training program, they discovered that NASA had plenty to learn about how to make space travel possible for all humans.
I love the oceanâthe awesome power of the waves, the shifting of tides, the beauty of life below the surface, and the infinite freedom of the boundless horizon. I feel free when I walk along the ocean, at one with wild nature of which human nature is a part. I respect the life-giving force of the water that covers most of Earthâs surface, water that made life possible billions of years ago and that sustains life today. As a science writer, I feel it is my responsibility to convey my passion for the ocean and the importance of protecting it for the health of our planet and future generations.
I am inspired by people who break barriers to succeed. Ichthyologist (fish biologist) Eugenie Clark is such a person. She became a deep-sea diver at a time when not many women were in the water actively doing ocean research. All ocean creatures interested her, but her specialty was sharks! During her 92-year lifespan, she made many dives both in submersible vehicles and with SCUBA.
Because of her work, she became known as the âShark Lady.â Once, while diving, she rode on the back of a 50-foot whale shark. I have only seen sharks in large aquariums, such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, but thanks to Eugenie Clarkâs underwater research, I have learned many surprising things about them in the wild.
One of New York Times' Twelve Books for Feminist Boys and Girls! This is the story of a woman who dared to dive, defy, discover, and inspire. This is the story of Shark Lady. One of the best science picture books for children, Shark Lady is a must for both teachers and parents alike! An Amazon Best Book of the Month Named a Best Children's Book of 2017 by Parents magazine Eugenie Clark fell in love with sharks from the first moment she saw them at the aquarium. She couldn't imagine anything more exciting than studying these graceful creatures. ButâŠ
In 1990, Amy Gary discovered unpublished manuscripts and songs from Margaret Wise Brown tucked away in a trunk in the attic of Margaretâs sisterâs barn. Since then, Gary has catalogued, edited, and researched all of Margaretâs writings. She has worked with several publishers to publish more than 100 of those manuscripts, which include bestsellers and Caldecott nominees.
Amyâs work on Margaret has been covered in Vanity Fair, Entertainment Weekly, and on NPR. Her biography on Margaret, In the Great Green Room, was published by Flatiron Books, a division of Macmillan, and was named a best book of the year in 2017 by Amazon.
She was formerly the Director of Publishing at Lucasfilm and headed the publishing department at Pixar Animation studios. In addition to writing, she packages books for retailers and consults with publishers. In that capacity, she has worked with Samâs Wholesale, Books-a-Million, Sterling Publishers, and Charles Schultz Creative Associates.
I loved the way this book intertwined Florence Nightingaleâs story with images of her life. It may have been written for young adults, but readers of any age will be immersed in this well-written and graphically beautiful book. Catherine Reedâs engaging story of Nightingale combating the gruesome hygienic conditions at the Crimean battlefront, going against Victorian society expectations, creating sanitary methods still used today, and earning the moniker of The Lady with the Lamp is a testament to the difference one life can make.
Most people know Florence Nightingale was a compassionate and legendary nurse, but they don't know her full story. She is best known for her work during the Crimean War, when she vastly improved gruesome and deadly conditions and made nightly rounds to visit patients, becoming known around the world as the Lady with the Lamp. Her tireless and inspiring work continued after the war, and her modern methods in nursing became the defining standards still used today. Includes notes, bibliography, and index.
I identify as agender and grew up in Oklahoma, one of the worst places to be trans or LGBTQ because of the onslaught of anti-LGBTQ legislation thatâs flying through the Oklahoma state legislature. Writing Ugliest, a book about teen activists fighting these laws, reminded me how important standing up for whatâs right is and what powerful activists teens can be when they get together. This list has other books celebrating the strength of teens protesting and pushing against societal wrongs. Although some terrible things happen in these booksâjust like in the real worldâreading them reminds us that fighting back is worth it.
This uplifting book made me hope for the future despite the challenges to human rights and fairness we constantly face. I love how Jasmine and Chelsea wonât accept being treated as second-rate just because theyâre girls and figure out how to stand up for themselves within the schoolâs parameters with a blog.
The book includes the fierce essays and poems they post. The attention they get is good, then bad, and when theyâre shut down by the administration, itâs so inspiring to see them take things to the next level. Itâs such a powerful reminder that young people have the power to change things when they band together. Itâs also a great story about how even good friendships are complicated, and everyone has to work for them.
A stirring and unputdownable read about what it means to be a woman today. Perfect for fans of Moxie and The Hate U Give.
'This stunning book is the story I've been waiting for my whole life; where girls rise up to claim their space with joy and power. I resolve to give a copy to every teenager I know!' Laurie Halse Anderson, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of SPEAK and SHOUT
'An extraordinary story of two indomitable spirits, the power of friendship, and what leadership looks like in the hands of young people today, Watch Us RiseâŠ
Writing for children is the most gloriously tricky thing in the world, and I love doing it. With fiction, am I telling a story worth telling to someone whoâs new to the planet and new to our way of life? With non-fiction, am I distilling complexity into a shape they can grasp quickly? Am I showing them how wonderful and strange our world is, and can I make âem laugh while learning? Iâve written 18 books for kids, many commissioned by Think Equal for their global SEL program and used in the national curricula of 20 countries.
A graphic novel about three intrepid, ground-breaking scientists, working far from home.
Although aimed at kids of 12+ this is well worth reading with younger kids, too. Wicksâ cartooning is clear and vivid, and Ottaviani captures the distinct voices of his three subjects beautifully. Wicks keeps the page grids simple and uses colour effectively to tell the reader which of her subjects theyâre âhearingâ on the page.
Itâs easy to follow and the ethological work of Goodall, Fossey, and Galdikas truly benefits from comicsâ ability to depict sequential movement and, in this case, behaviour.
Bonus: Wicks worked on a book about Mary Anning, too (text by Sarah Glen Marsh)!
Jim Ottaviani returns with an action-packed account of the three greatest primatologists of the last century: Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas. These three groundbreaking researchers were all students of the great Louis Leakey, and each made profound contributions to primatology - and to our own understanding of ourselves. Tackling Goodall, Fossey, and Galdikas in turn, and covering the highlights of their respective careers, Primates is an entertaining and informative look at primatology and at the lives of three of the most remarkable women scientists of the twentieth century, with charming illustrations by Maris Wicks.
