She Dared

December 1, 2005
Gr 6-10 -An interesting, informative collection that details the lives of some of Canada's most famous and infamous women. The stories showcase explorers, spies, criminals, and pioneers in a variety of career fields. Organized chronologically from the 16th to the mid-20th century, this 12-chapter offering is historically sound and well researched. It provides an objective view of many facets of the Canadian past, such as the treatment of women and natives, although some readers may lack the background to understand some of the historical references. Each chapter opens with a full-page pencil portrait. While the writing is easy to read, it suffers from a rather formulaic delivery. Nevertheless, given the subject matter, the book is certainly worth a look." -Robyn Walker, Elgin Court Public School, St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2005
Gr. 6-9. From Marguerite de la Roque de Roberval, a sixteenth-century aristocrat who dared to love a lowly commoner, to four women who flew military planes for the Air Transport Authority during World War II, these accounts introduce 15 women who ventured into behavior considered inappropriate for women in their time. All of their experiences were remarkable, even those of the three criminals. For instance, Marguerite, whose story opens the book, was thrown off her uncle's ship when her indiscretion was discovered. Eventually, she buried her lover and her baby on the unpopulated island where she was cast away and lived alone until she was rescued some months later. Written in an engaging, conversational style, the entries are well organized and informative. Chapters vary in length, with a penciled portrait accompanying each. A list of titles for further reading is appended, but no sources are cited, nor is there an index. Most of these women, who were tied to Canada at some point in their lives, will be unfamiliar to U.S. students, so this will be especially valuable in libraries supporting women's history studies and in larger library collections.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)