Amelia+Bloomer+list

Middle Readers Fiction Murphy, Pat. __The Wild Girls.__ 2007. 304p. Viking, $16.99. (9780670062263) Gr. 6-9. Joan and Fox (aka Newt and Sarah) write stories that tell the truths of their lives, win a writing contest, and learn that even as girls, their descriptions can open the world not only for themselves, but for others.

Qamar, Amjed. __Beneath My Mother’s Feet__. June 2008. 198p. Atheneum, $16.99. (9781416947288). Gr. 5-8. In contemporary Pakistan, Nazia drops out of school to help provide for her family, sacrificing her dreams and jeopardizing her future.

Schwabach, Karen. __The Hope Chest__. 2008. 274 p. Random House, $16.99 (978-0-375-84095-1). Gr.4-8. Eleven-year-old Violet follows her older sister to Nashville, Tennessee, where she works with the suffragists who are trying to persuade an all-male legislature to ratify the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, guaranteeing women the right to vote.

Sheth, Kashmira. __Keeping Corner.__ 2007. 281p. Disney Book Group/ Hyperion, $15.99 (978-078683859-2). Gr.4-9. Widowed before she has even moved into her husband’s house, 12-year-old child-bride Leela is forced into “keeping corner”-an entire year of confinement and mourning in isolation. Through the visits of her teacher, Leela begins to learn about the outside world, gaining an interest in philosophy, sciences, and the news of Gandhi and the Great War as it affects India in 1918.

Springer, Nancy. __The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan__. 2008. 183p. Penguin/ Philomel, $14.99 (978-0-399-24780-4). Gr.6-11. Surviving on her own in Victorian London, Enola Holmes-Sherlock’s younger sister-receives a mysterious pink fan from a friend who needs her help to escape an arranged marriage.

__Non-Fiction__

Benjamin, Michelle, & Maggie Mooney. __Nobel’s Women of Peace__. 2008. 146p. Second Story Press, $10.95. (9781897187388). Gr. 5-8. In the history of the Nobel Peace Prize, only twelve women have won, from Bertha von Suttner, one of the first peace activists in the twentieth century, to Wangari Maathai, winner of the prize in 2004.

Donovan, Sandy. __Hypatia: Mathematician, Inventor, and Philosopher__. 2008. 112p. Compass Point Books, $34.60 (978-0-7565-3760-9). Gr.4-up. Hypatia’s death at the hands of a Christian mob in Alexandria, Egypt, robbed the ancient world of a brilliant philosopher and mathematician, whose theories and discoveries still inform the ways in which we view the world.

Getzinger, Donna. __Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.__ (American Workers series). 2009. 128p. Morgan Reynolds Publishing, $28.95 (978-1-59935-099-8). Gr.5-up. The fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in 1911 killed 146 people, bringing together the women’s suffrage and labor movements and emphasizing the need for laws guaranteeing worker safety.

Mysko, Claire. __You’re Amazing: A No-Pressure Guide to Being Your Best Self__. 2008. 164p. F+W Publications/ Adams Media, $8.95 (978-1-59869-713-1). Gr.5-up. A workbook celebrating girls’ lives presents strategies to deal with the pressure to be perfect that abounds in today’s society. Simoni, Suzanne. __Fantastic Female Filmmakers__. 2008. 122p. Second Story Press, $10.95 (978-1-897187-36-4). Gr.6-up. From pioneers of the early 1900s through today’s innovators, women filmmakers broke boundaries to create important stories and explore new filmmaking techniques.

Young Adult  Fiction

Bunce, Elizabeth C. __A Curse Dark as Gold.__ 2008. 395p. Scholastic, $17.99 (978-0-439-89576-7) Gr. 7-up. When an eerie stranger offers to spin straw into gold, Charlotte must discover the benefactor’s name and history before the price of his generosity destroys her village.

Cashore, Kristin. __Graceling.__ 2008. 471p. Harcourt, $17.00 (978-0-15-206396-2). Gr.8-up. The king’s bully, Lady Katsa, despised for her Grace as a highly trained killing machine as well as her gender, works secretly to right wrongs and protect those in need.

Collins, Suzanne. __The Hunger Games__. 2008. 374p. Scholastic, $17.99 (978-0-439-02348-1). Gr.7-up. When her little sister loses the lottery and becomes the tribute for the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death shown on government-sponsored reality television, 16-year-old hunter Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her place, and challenges the system in the process.

Dean, Claire. __Girlwood.__ 2008. 246p. Houghton Mifflin, $16.00 (978-0-618-88390-5). Gr.6-12. In this tale of ecology and magic, Polly Green tries to save her family and the wilderness she loves. Engle, Margarita. __The Surrender Tree:__ Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom. Henry Holt, April 2008. 192 p. ISBN 978-0-8050-8674-4 / 1-8050-8674-9 $17.95 Gr.7-up. Through three wars for Cuban independence, Rosa, called a witch by her enemies, heals sickness with herbal medicines and helps all, regardless of race or nationality. Headley, Justina Chen. __Girl Overboard.__ 2008. 352 p. Little, Brown, Young Readers, $16.99 (978-0316011303). Gr. 8-12. After a debilitating accident derails her pro-snowboarding dreams and costs her the only place she feels she can be herself, 16-year-old Syrah Cheng must re-examine who she is and where she wants to go. Klages, Ellen. __White Sands, Red Menace.__ 2008. 337p. Penguin/ Viking, $16.99 (978-0-670-06235-5). Gr.5-10. Just when Dewey Kerrigan is settling into a new life in Alamagordo with the Gordons, conflicts in the family over women’s limited career choices and involvement in the atomic bomb control movement as well as the arrival of Dewey’s long-lost mother threaten Dewey’s dream of attending university. Lockhart, E. __The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks.__ 2008. 345p. Disney Book Group/ Hyperion, $16.99 (978-078683818-9). Gr.6-up. When Frankie learns that she cannot join the all-male secret society at her exclusive prep school, she takes matters into her own hands.

Okorafor-Mbachu, Nnedi. __The Shadow Speaker__. 2007. 336p. Hyperion/Jump at the Sun, $16.99 (978-142310033-1) Gr. 7 & up. Following the detonation of the peace bomb, worldwide civilizations collapsed. In sub-Saharan Africa, Ejii comes of age in a village where women have no value and no rights. With the example of a wandering woman warrior, Ejii works to claim her powers and uses her new abilities to prevent war between the peoples of the different worlds.

Vaught, Susan. __Big Fat Manifesto__. 2008. 308p. Bloomsbury, $16.95 (978-1-59990-206-7). Gr.8-12. Senior Jamie Carcaterra, a.k.a. “Fat Girl”, uses her high school newspaper column to expose discrimination against fat people; the controversy that ensues spills over into the community attracting national attention. Venkatraman, Padma. __Climbing the Stairs.__ 2008. 247p. Penguin/ G.P. Putnam’s Son, $16.99 (978-0-399-24746-0). Gr.7-12. Against the backdrop of the movement for India’s independence from British rule, Vidya is determined to gain her own independence from her family and continue her education.

Winston, Sherri. __The Kayla Chronicles__. 2007. 188p. Hatchette Book Group/ Little, Brown, and Company, $16.99 (978-0-316-11430-1). Gr. 7-11. Kayla and Rosalie’s plan to expose the sexist selection process for their high school dance squad backfires when Kayla makes the team.

Non-Fiction Anderson, Marisa (Editor). __Rock ‘N’ Roll Camp for Girls:__ How to Start a Band, Write Songs, Record an Album and Rock Out! Illus. by Nicole Georges, Marisa Anderson, Amanda Paulk, and Jodi Darby. Forward by Carrie Brownstein. 2008. 192 p. Chronicle Books, $14.95 (978-0-8118-5222-7). Gr.8-up. Learn the nuts, bolts and business of creating a rock band-an introduction especially for girls who want to push the boundaries-and play some awesome rock ‘n roll!

Armstrong, Mabel. __Women Astronomers: Reaching for the Stars.__ 2008. 179p. (Discovering Women in Science series). Stone Pine Press, $16.95 (978-0-97289295-7). Gr.7-up. From Babylonian priestess En Heduanna to Sally Ride and Carolyn Shoemaker, women astronomers faced obstacles and prejudices as they studied and reached for the stars.

Ball, Heather. __Astonishing women artists.__ 2007. 120p. Second Story Press (Orca). $10.95. (9781897187234) Gr. 7-10. These trailblazers overcame obstacles and took control of their own lives and art to share their unique visions and inspire others. Gourley, Catherine. Ima__ges and issues of women in the twentieth century.__ Vol. 1-5. 2008. Lerner/Twenty-first Century Books. Gr.6-up. Volume 1: Gourley, Catherine. Gibson Girls and Suffragists: Perceptions of Women from 1900 to 1918. 2008. 144p. $38.60 (978-0-8225-7150-6). Volume 2: Gourley, Catherine. Flappers and the New American Woman: Perceptions of Women from 1918 through the 1920s. 144p. $38.60 (978-0-8225-6060-9). Volume 3: Gourley, Catherine. Rosie and Mrs. America: Perceptions of Women in the 1930s and 1940s. 144p. $38.60 (978-0-8225-6804-9). Volume 4: Gourley, Catherine. Gidgets and Women Warriors: Perceptions of Women in the 1950’s and 1960s. 144p. $38.60 (978-0-8225-6805-6). Volume 5: Gourley, Catherine. Ms. and the Material Girls: Perceptions of Women from the 1970’s through the 1990s. 144p. $38.60 (978-0-8225-6806-3). Traces the political and cultural roles of women throughout the twentieth century, including media representations, landmark accomplishments, and social movements.

Hein, Jessica, Heather Holland, and Carol Kauppi (Editors). __GirlSpoken__: From Pen, Brush & Tongue. 2008. 202 p. Second Story Press/Orca Books, $18.95 (978-1-897187-30-2). Gr. 7-12. Share the challenges and celebrations of being a girl in today’s world through this collection of artwork, stories, and poetry.

King, Billie Jean, and Christine Brennan. __Pressure is a Privilege__: Lessons I’ve Learned from Life and the Battle of the Sexes. 2008. 187p. Life Time Media, $19.95 (978-0-9816366-0-1). Gr.8-up. Tennis great Billie Jean King writes about her victory in the 1973 Battle of the Sexes, shares strategies of putting her beliefs into action, and gives tips and advice for the next generation. Kiviat, Katherine, and Scott Heidler. __Women of Courage:__ Intimate Stories from Afghanistan. 08 August 2007. 127 p. Gibbs-Smith. $19.95 (978-1-4236-0253-8). Gr.8-up. Portraits and intimate interviews of Afghani women show the courage required for them to survive-and possibly thrive-in the sexist culture of their war-torn country. Mortimer, Gavin. __The Great Swim.__ 2008. 325p. Macmillan/ Walker, $24.95 (978-0-8027-1595-1). Gr.10-up. In 1926, four female American swimmers faced both physical and mental challenges in the contest to be the first woman to swim the English Channel. Norgren, Jill. Belva Lockwood: __Equal Rights Pioneer.__ (Trailblazer Biography Series) 2008. 112p. Twenty-First Century Books, $31.93. (978-08225-9068-2) Grades 7-12. Long before women were able to vote, Belva Lockwood became the first women to practice law and argue before the Supreme Court before she ran for president of the United States on the Equal Rights Party ticket in 1884. Redd, Nancy Amanda. __Body Drama__: Real Girls, Real Bodies, Real Issues, Real Answers. 2007. 272p. Gotham Books, $20.00. (1592403263 / 978-1592403264) Gr. 7-up. This maintenance manual for girls’ bodies provides answers for many questions, including what is ‘normal’ and how to look and feel your best. Rudahl, Sharon. __A Dangerous Woman:__ the Graphic Biography of Emma Goldman. Illus. by Sharon Rudahl. 2007. 115p. New Press, $17.95 (978-1-59558-064-1). Gr. 10-up. Explore the life and loves of labor activist and free-love advocate Emma Goldman as told in comic book format. Shivack, Nadia. __Inside Out__: Portrait of an Eating Disorder. Illus. by Nadia Shivack. 2007. Unpaged. Simon &Schuster/ Atheneum Books for Young Readers, $17.99 (978-0-689-85216-9). Gr.9-up. While hospitalized for treatment of bulimia, Shivack uses an illustrated journal to document her battle with Ed, her eating disorder. Valenti, Jessica. __He’s a Stud, She’s a Slut__ and 49 Other Double Standards Every Woman Should Know. 2008. 219p. Perseus Books/ Seal Press, $13.95 (978-1-58005-245-0). Gr. 9-12. This catalogue of the 50 most common double standards that women deal with daily includes tips and solutions about how to respond to them and challenge the underlying sexist perceptions. Waisman, Charlotte S., and Jill S. Tietjen. __Her Story:__ A Timeline of the Women Who Changed America. 2008. 259p. HarperCollins, $29.95 (978-0-06124651-7). Gr. 4-up. This timeline shows the often unrecognized contributions of hundreds of women who changed America through their work in the sciences, education, arts, politics, and social activism, from the 1500s to the present.