GIRL POWER

Fiction:

Daisy Comes Home
by Jan Brett
Daisy, one of Mei Mei's six Happy Hens, goes from being pecked-on by the other hens to equality after her adventures down the Lei River.

Ruby's Wish
by Shirlin Yin Bridges
Instead of aspiring to get married, Ruby, who lives in 19th Century China, wants to attend university, and persuades her grandfather to grant her wish.

Girls A to Z
by Eve Bunting
Bright, imaginative illustrations depict preschool-age girls dreaming about careers from A to Z.

Olivia Saves the Circus
by Ian Falconer
Imaginative and intrepid, Olivia exudes confidence as she accessorizes her school uniform and embellishes her report about summer vacation.

The Caged Birds of Phnom Penh
by Frederick Lipp
A young Cambodian girl longs to buy and free a caged bird to fulfill her wishes for a better life for her family, but first she must learn to select the right bird, the one that chooses freedom instead of returning to its cage.

Freedom School, Yes!
by Amy Littlesugar
Burning down the church where Freedom School fighters teach kids and adults about Black heritage during the summer of 1964 doesn't stop its small Southern community - and one young girl named Jolie learns about fear and courage.

Dahlia
by Barbara McClintock
What will Aunt Edme say when she finds out Charlotte and Dahlia, a delicate doll she gave Charlotte as a gift, have been playing in the mud and climbing trees.

School Picture Day
by Lynne Plourde
More interested in the mechanics of the bus gearshift and the school heating system than in dressing up for school picture day, Josephina Caroleena Wattasheena saves the day when the photographer's camera stops working.

The Red Wolf
by Margaret Shannon
Locked up for safekeeping in a tall, stony tower, Princess Roselupin escapes by knitting herself a magical wolf suit and guarantees her freedom when she knits her father a pair of mousy-looking pajamas.

I Want to be a Cowgirl
by Jeanne Willis
"I don't want to be a girl girl" is the cry of a child who lives in a high-rise city apartment and dreams of doing "the kinds of things/A cowgirl likes to do."

The Other Side
by Jacqueline Woodson
The fence that separates the black side of town from the white side is less of a barrier when one daring girl climbs to the top, invites the girl on the other side to join her, and finds that they have lots of company.

Non Fiction:

Fly High!: The Story of Bessie Coleman
by Louise Borden and Mary Kay Kroeger
Determined to be somebody when she grows up, Bessie Coleman leaves her life as a cotton-picker in Texas in the early 1900's to become the first African American to earn a pilot's license.

A Voice From the Wilderness: The Story of Anna Howard Shaw
by Don Brown
From her childhood hacking out a life in the Michigan wilderness to her graduation from college as a minister and doctor, Anna Howard Shaw lived as a pioneer before she battled for woman suffrage.

Far Beyond the Garden Gate: Alexandra David-Neel's Journey to Lhasa
by Don Brown
Braving ice, snow, an unknown culture and a new language, Alexandra David-Neel became the first European woman to reach the famed city of Lhasa in 1924.

Talkin' About Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman
by Nikki Grimes
In a variety of voices in poetic form, Bessie Coleman's friends and family tell how she didn't let poverty, racism and gender discrimination prevent her from realizing her dreams of flying.

Brave Harriet
by Marissa Moss
In the early days of aviation, people said that a woman couldn't fly solo across the English Channel - so Harriet Quimby did it and made history in 1912!

Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth
by Anne Rockwell
Modern illustrations in the style of African American folk art dramatically illustrate Sojourner Truth's struggle under slavery and her fight for freedom for herself and all African Americans and women.

They Called Her Molly Pitcher
by Anne Rockwell
Molly Hayes, wife of one of George Washington's generals, takes an active role during the Battle of Monmouth in 1778. 

When Esther Morris Headed West: Women, Wyoming, and the Right to Vote
by Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge
Esther Morris, a large woman with ideas to match, finds her place in frontier Wyoming when she gets elected to office after women win the right to vote in the state in 1869.

Intermediate Books

Fiction:

Aria of the Sea
by Dia Calhoun
In the kingdom of Windward, 13-year-old Cerinthe Gale dreams of being a dancer, but the anguish of experiences directs her toward her legacy of becoming a healer.

The Breadwinner
by Deborah Ellis
Eleven-year-old Parvana faces death in the harsh world of Taliban-controlled Kabul as she masquerades each day as a boy to get food for her family.

The Shrouding Woman
by Loretta Ellsworth
After the death of her mother, Evie's grief and rage initially make it difficult for her to accept the support and love of her Aunt Flo, a shrouding woman, who prepares the dead for burial and comforts the living in a time before this function was co-opted by men in the undertaking industry.

The Voyage of Patience Goodspeed
by Heather Vogel Frederick
Suddenly finding herself alone on her father's whaling ship with a mutinous crew in 1853, 13-year-old Patience uses her keen navigational skills to save her father and her brother.

Together Apart
by Dianne E. Gray
Fourteen-year-old Hannah and her friend Isaac learn that even a small prairie town in the late 19th century can be a center for women's rights, when they go to work for the unconventional Eliza Moore.

Hannah, Divided
by Adele Griffen
In rural Pennsylvania in 1934, Hannah's gift for numbers is seen as a hindrance rather than a help, but preparing for a scholarship may be her chance, if she's willing to take it.

Journey to the River Sea
by Eva Ibbotson
The contrast between the lush tropical beauty of the Amazon rainforest and the Victorian strictures of life on a rubber plantation with the abusive Carter family shapes the lives of orphan Maia and her governess in the is melodrama set in 1910 Brazil.

The Color of My Words
by Lynn Joseph
Rosa, a blossoming young writer struggling with oppression in a poor seaside village in the Dominican Republic, learns that her words have the power to transform the world around her in a country where words are feared.

Girls Got Game: Sports Stories and Poems
edited by Sue Macy
Eighteen short stories and poems show girls learning, growing, dreaming, playing - baseball, stickball, football, soccer, basketball - and celebrating their lives through sports.

Black Angels
by Rita Murphy
As the town of Mystic, Georgia prepares for the arrival of the Freedom Riders, 11-year-old Celli Jenkins is torn between the love and loyalty she feels toward Sophie, the Black woman who helps out at her house, and her fear of being cut off from the white community.

Numbering All the Bones
by Ann Rinaldi
In the shadow of Andersonville prison at the end of the Civil War, Eulinda, a 13-year-old former slave finds a mentor in Clara Barton.

At the Sign of the Star
by Katherine Sturtevant
Meg Moore, motherless only child of a bookseller in 17th century London, knows she will marry well - until her father remarries and Meg's life is thrown into disarray.

Some Kind of Pride
by Maria Testa
Ruth DiMarco, named after Babe Ruth, must come to terms with her mother's heroic death as a firefighter, her upcoming interview with Sports Illustrated, her desire to play baseball in the major leagues, and her father's comment about her incredible talent, "but I can't help thinking what a shame it is that it's all wasted on a girl."

Love, Ruby Lavender
by Deborah Wiles
Ruby fears she will have the worst time ever when her adventurous grandmother leaves Halleluia, Mississippi for a trip to Hawaii, but Ruby is resourceful and feisty - and in for some big surprises.

Non Fiction:

Down Cut Shin Creek: The Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky
by Kathi Applet and Jeanne Cannella Schmitzer
The courageous women who delivered library materials to the impoverished people living in hills and hollows of Depression-era Kentucky to carry out the Pack Horse Library Project are shown through photographs and riveting text.

Under the Ice
by Kathy Conlan
Follow marine scientist Kathy Conlan to Antarctica to research the effects of human habitation on a pristine environment.

Fiesta Femenina: Celebrating Women in Mexican Folktale
by Mary-Joan Gerson
Vibrant retellings of eight Mexican folktales with illustrations inspired by Mayan and Mexican motifs, show strong girls and women beginning with the story of the Hungry Goddess and continuing through the story of the Virgin of Guadelupe.

A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie "Peanut" Johnson
by Michele Y. Green
One of only three women to play professional league baseball, Mamie "Peanut" Johnson overcame sex discrimination and racism to become a winning pitcher for the Negro Leagues.

Find Where the Wind Goes: Moments from My Life
by Mae Jemison
Humor, courage, imagination, and a stubborn streak - that's what it takes to go from a fear of heights to the world's first woman African American to travel into space.

Scholastic Encyclopedia of Women in the United States
by Sheila Keenan
Women have always made history in the United States, but they haven't always made it into the history books, as shown in this chronological compendium of the lives of 214 women from Berenice Abbott to Babe Didrickson Zaharias.

Bull's-Eye: a Photobiography of Annie Oakley
by Sue Macy
Sue Macy presents the compelling story of Annie Oakley, both the fact and the fiction, through fascinating text, extraordinary historical photographs, and quotes from Annie herself.

Let it Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters
by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Profiles of ten revolutionary Black women from the 19th and 20th centuries who faced inequality, oppression, prejudice, and fear bring a story about challenges and triumphs of the battle for civil rights.

Born to Be a Cowgirl: A Spirited Ride Through the Old West
by Candace Savage
Vignettes of women ranchers and cowhands combined with period photographs show a rip-roaring romp through their hard, yet adventurous, lives.

The Serpent Slayer: And Other Stories of Strong Women
by Katrin Tchana
Bold, dynamic ink and acrylic illustrations highlight eighteen folktales about girls and women who use their courage, wit and intelligence to overcome obstacles.

The Sky's the Limit: Stories of Discovery by Women and Girls
by Catherine Thimmesh
Beatrix Potter was a naturalist, Donna Shirley created the Mars Rover, Maria de Sautuola discovered prehistoric paintings: these are just some of the stories in this tribute to the joys of discovery as experienced by girls and women.

Young Adult

Fiction:

Ashes of Roses
by Mary Jane Auch
In 1911, 16-year-old Margaret Rose Nolan comes to New York City and faces hardship and disappointment when both parents are forced to return to Ireland.

Hope Was Here
by Joan Bauer
Moving with her aunt from the excitement of New York to rural Wisconsin, 16-year-old Hope never expected to find herself involved in the heated arena of small-town politics.

The Ropemaker
by Peter Dickinson
As the magic protecting the Valley form the evil Empire beings to unravel, Tilja finds that she has the power to save her country because she has no magical abilities.

Sticks and Stones
by Beth Goobie
Jujube Gelb is one of the many girls whose names appear on the walls of the boys' bathroom at her high school, but she is the only one to fight back, at first.

The Strength of Saints
by A. LaFaye
In 1936, 14-year-old Nissa Bergen of Harper, Louisiana's "separate-but-equal" libraries, wants to do what's right when her hometown's growing racial tension hits close to home.

Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy
by L. A. Meyer
Thirteen-year-old Mary Faber, orphaned in 18th Century London, recasts herself as Jack and takes a position as a ship's boy to escape the dangerous streets.

Night Flying
by Rita Murphy
Georgia Hansen's rapidly approaching sixteenth birthday is the date that she will use her own wings to fly solo for the first time, just as all the other women in her family do, but first she must navigate the personalities of her family of women, especially her recently returned Aunt Carmen.

A Step From Heaven
by An Na
After her family emigrates from Korea to the United States, Young Ju must cope with not only the unusual changes of growing up and learning about a foreign culture and unfamiliar language, but also with her father's increased verbal and physical violence against her mother and herself.

The Other Side of Truth
by Beverly Naidoo
Smuggled out of Nigeria after their mother's murder, Sade and her younger brother are lost in London, terrified to tell anyone their identities for fear that the information will imperil their father.

Daughter of Venice
by Donna Jo Napoli
In the intricately detailed setting of 1592 Venice, 14-year-old Donata cannot explore the jeweled city until she escapes the bonds of her family by masquerading as a boy.

Simply Alice
by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
As a high school freshman, Alice adjusts to life without a boyfriend, supports a friend in an abusive relationship, exposes sexual harassment through the school newspaper, and finds her own path in the face of peer pressure.

Lucy the Giant
by Sherri L. Smith
Fifteen years old and over six feet tall, Lucy escapes her life in Sitka with an abusive alcoholic father and acquaintances who call her "Lucy the Giant: to pose as an adult and work as a crewmember aboard a crabbing boat based in Kodiak, Alaska.

The Edge on the Sword
by Rebecca Tingle
In ninth-century Britain, 15-year-old Aethelfaed, daughter of King Alfred of West Saxony, must train for the battles that will come when she is betrothed to King Ethelred of Mercia.

Non Fiction:

Nobody Particular: One Woman's Fight to Save the Bays
by Molly Bang
Diane Wilson, leading the fairly ordinary life of a commercial shrimper, takes on huge corporations that are dumping toxic sludge in the Texas bays and waterways in this biography in the form of a graphic novel.

33 Things Every Girl Should Know About Women's History: From Suffragettes to Skirt Lengths to the ERA
by Tonya Bolden
Photographs, personal narrative, and poetry enliven this informative and accessible presentation of United States women's history from 1776 to the present.

Jericho Walls
by Kristi Collier
South Carolina is a new world for 11-year-old tomboy Jo Clawson when her preacher father moves the family to a small town in 1957 and Jo's only friend is an African-American boy.

Where the Action Was: Women War Correspondents in World War II
by Penny Colman
Riveting text and rarely-seen photographs bring to life the stories about a few of the 127 women who managed to get "where the action was" and were expected to return to their homes when the war was over.

Things I Have to Tell You: Poems and Writing by Teenage Girls
Edited by Betsy Franco
This collection of writings by girls from 14 to 19 years of age shows the hope, disillusionment, anger, joy, sadness, and most of all, the strength of young women today.

No Turning Back: the History of Feminism and the Future of Women
by Estelle B. Freedman
The social, personal, and cultural changes brought on by women of various classes worldwide are detailed and analyzed in terms of feminism's 200-year evolution in this narrative as vibrant as the women's movement.

Blue Jean: What Young Women are Thinking, Saying, and Doing
by Sherry S. Handel
Feminism is alive and well in these excerpts from BLUE JEAN MAGAZINE, an alternative to glamour and beauty magazines targeting teen girls, written by young women in their late teens and early twenties.

A History of Basketball for Girls and Women: From Bloomers to Big Leagues
by Joanne Lannin
From its beginnings in the 1890's to the beginning of the WNBA in the 1990's, this historical overview highlights the status and role of women in the society of the United States during those years.

Fannie Lou Hamer: Fighting for the Right to Vote
by Laura Baskes Litwin
In the 1920's, Fannie Lou Hamer took herself from the shackles of poverty in the Mississippi Delta to prominence in the Civil Rights Movement and changed the face of United States politics forever.

Women With Wings
by Jacqueline McLean
Readers fly with the best in this history of women aviators told through six biographies from throughout the twentieth century.

Yentl's Revenge: the Next Wave of Jewish Feminism
Edited by Danya Ruttenberg
Some of today's brightest Jewish women writers chronicle their search for ways to be feminist in a traditionally patriarchal culture and religion.

In Real Life: Six Women Photographers
by Leslie Sills
This exploration of the lives and work of these women describes how they pushed the limits of photography to create inspiring art.

Learning to Swim
by Ann Turner
Haunting poems juxtapose the beauty and calm of Annie's family vacation at the summerhouse with her horrible secret of sexual abuse by a neighbor.  Information on national hotlines for youth is included.

MS.: the Story of Gloria Steinem
by Elizabeth Wheaton
Investigative journalist and spokesperson for the women's movement, Gloria Steinem overcame her childhood with a schizophrenic mother and an absent father to become the most famous feminist activist of her generation.