Girls Rebel!

November 1, 2013

Gr 4-8-These books are eye-catching, engaging, and chock-full of information. With snapshot profiles of numerous inspiring and accomplished women in the fields of sports, politics, music, etc., there's a lot offered in terms of diversity of subjects. However, a lack of a table of contents plunges readers into a frenetic format: each section features a different woman, and there is no discernible order, though, the index helps a little with searching. Sporadically, a spread will focus on a subject (e.g., "Olympic Greats") and only present a text box's worth of information on individual women. The tone of the profiles themselves is also inconsistent. Some are delivered in third-person accounts, but others take a more gimmicky approach with Q & A-style interviews or first-person narratives. Not all of the profiles have time lines. The quick pace sacrifices content, but makes for interesting browsing. Numerous photographs of varying quality dominate the pages.

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2013
Grades 4-7 The title and subtitle are dramatic, but this features well-known women, many of whom have appeared in stand-alone biographies. Still, having all these trailblazers, especially contemporary women, in one volume is a good idea. The organization is scattershot: the book begins with Sally Ride and moves on to Shirin Ebadi, an Iranian advocate for women's rights. Next up, there's a two-page spread called Women of Flight. Among the others introduced are Temple Grandin, Barbara Walters, and Malala Yousafzai, a teen shot by the Taliban. The format is colorful and bold, with several time lines. Back matter is minimal (kids are directed to facthound.com), and the lack of source notes is annoying when a subject speaks in first person or there is an excerpt from an interview. Still, this is useful as a starting point to further research.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)