Following Dreams and Changing the World: Stories of Inspiring Girls and Young Women
In March we celebrate Women's History Month and International Women's Day to honor the many contributions and achievements of women to history and to society. Not to be overlooked are the inspiring girls and teens who have broken barriers, broken records, and broken through with their voices at a young age. From civil rights, education, and climate activists speaking out for change to accomplished athletes competing on the world stage, their stories show that courage, determination, and talent know no age.
Picture Books
The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist
by Cynthia Levinson; illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
Presents the life of nine-year-old Audrey Faye Hendricks who became the youngest known child to be arrested for picketing against Birmingham segregation practices in 1963.
Swimming Toward a Dream: Yusra Mardini's Incredible Journey from Refugee to Olympic Swimmer
by Reem Faruqi; illustrated by Asma Enayeh
Growing up in Damascus, the pool was Yusra Mardini's happy place. And with swimming came a dream—to compete in the Olympic games. But when war came to Syria, Yusra's home—and her pool—were no longer safe. Yusra and her sister set out on a harrowing journey, crossing the sea in search of safety.
Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight for Desegregation
by Duncan Tonatiuh
Shares the triumphant story of young civil rights activist Sylvia Mendez, an American citizen of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage who, at the age of eight, worked with her parents and other community members to file a landmark lawsuit in federal district court to end segregated education in mid-20th-century California.
Sisters: Venus and Serena Williams
by Jeanette Winter
Presents the lives of the American sisters who became famous tennis players, from their coaching by their father and their early tournaments, to their overcoming of physical obstacles and their emergence as world-class champions.
Annette Feels Free: The True Story of Annette Kellerman, World-class Swimmer, Fashion Pioneer, and Real-life Mermaid
by Katie Mazeika
Tells the incredible true story of “The Original Mermaid” Annette Kellerman, who, after an illness left her reliant on leg braces, was able to dance again in the water, eventually performing water ballets, attempting daring dives, competing in swim races and fighting to wear the swimsuit she created.
I Am Ruby Bridges
by Ruby Bridges; illustrated by Nikkolas Smith
In this personal look through a child’s lens at a landmark moment in American civil rights history, Ruby Bridges tells her own story as never before and shares the events of the momentous day in 1960 when she became the first Black child to integrate the all-white William Franz Elementary School.
Flying High: The Story of Gymnastics Champion Simone Biles
by Michelle Meadows; illustrated by Ebony Glenn
A lyrical picture book biography of the international gymnastics champion touches on her experiences as a foster-care child, her introduction to gymnastics and the dedication, talent and sacrifices that shaped her Olympic and World Championship achievements.
Anne Frank: The Girl Heard Round the World
by Linda Elovitz Marshall; illustrations by Aura Lewis
An introduction to the story of Anne Frank combines accessible prose and evocative illustrations to explain how the young writer detailed her life in hiding during World War II and how her voice has echoed in a world that tried to silence her.
Our House Is on Fire: Greta Thunberg's Call to Save the Planet
by Jeanette Winter
Tells the story of Greta Thunberg, a Swedish teenage climate activist who has sparked a worldwide student movement and is demanding action from world leaders who refuse to address climate change.
Wilma Rudolph
by Ma Isabel Sanchez Vegara; illustrated by Amelia Flower
Wilma was born into a family with 22 brothers and sisters, in the segregated South. She contracted polio in her early years and her doctors said she would never walk again. But Wilma persisted with treatment, and she recovered her strength by the age of 12 and began playing basketball and running. She was so fast that she earned a spot on the Olympics track team when she was just 16. She returned once more and not only won gold in sprint events, but also broke world records.
Soar, Elinor!
by Tami Lewis Brown; illustrated by François Roca
Elinor Smith, who first flew in a "flying machine" when she was six, earns her aviation license at the age of sixteen in 1928, and when male pilots and newspapermen mock her abilities, she performs the daring maneuver of flying under all four of New York City's East River bridges.
Middle Grade
Malala: My Story of Standing Up for Girls' Rights
by Malala Yousafzai with Patricia McCormick; abridged and adapted by Sarah J. Robbins; illustrations by Joanie Stone
Raised in a changing Pakistan by an enlightened father from a poor background and a beautiful, illiterate mother, Malala was taught to stand up for what she believes. Malala's powerful memoir of risking her life for the right to go to school is now abridged and adapted for chapter book readers.
This Promise of Change: One Girl’s Story in the Fight for School Equality
by Jo Ann Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy
Chronicles the efforts of fourteen-year-old Jo Ann Allen, who in 1956, was one of twelve African American students who broke the color barrier and integrated Clinton High School in Tennessee and who found herself the spokesperson for the group.
Boosting Black Voices With Marley Dias
by Heather DiLorenzo Williams
When Marley Dias was 10 years old, she decided she was tired of reading books about white boys. She was hungry for stories she could relate to and characters who looked like her. With help from her mom, Marley started collecting books—and even wrote her own. Marley has sent thousands of books to schools in the US, Jamaica, and Ghana.
Girl from the Tar Paper School: Barbara Rose Johns and the Advent of the Civil Rights Movement
by Teri Kanefield
Describes the peaceful protest organized by teenager Barbara Rose Johns in order to secure a permanent building for her segregated high school in Virginia in 1951, and explains how her actions helped fuel the civil rights movement.
Fossil Hunter: How Mary Anning Changed the Science of Prehistoric Life
by Cheryl Blackford
Mary Anning grew up on the south coast of England in a region rich in fossils. As teenagers, she and her brother Joseph discovered England’s first complete ichthyosaur. Poor and uneducated, Anning would become one of the most celebrated paleontologists ever. Her findings helped shape scientific thinking about extinction and prehistoric life long before Darwin published his famous work on evolution.
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
by Phillip Hoose
Presents the life of the Alabama teenager who played an integral role in the Montgomery bus strike, once by refusing to give up a bus seat, and again, by becoming a plaintiff in the landmark civil rights case against the bus company.
Severn Speaks Out
speech by Severn Cullis-Suzuki; analysis by Alex Nogués; illustrated by Ana Suárez; translated by Susan Ouriou
Bringing Severn Cullis-Suzuki’s powerful 1992 Earth Summit speech to a new generation of readers, this new addition to the Speak Out series shows how a brave 12-year-old girl addressed the whole world, entreating world leaders to protect the Earth for years to come.
My Name is Phillis Wheatley: A Story of Slavery and Freedom
by Afua Cooper
A fictionalized account of Phillis Wheatley's childhood, from her capture and enslavement to her education and the publication of her poetry which she started writing at the age of 12. When Wheatley travels to London she is a media sensation, feted by the cream of English society. A book of her poems is published, and she finally gains her freedom.
Shaking Things Up: 14 Young Women Who Changed the World
by Susan Hood; illustrated by Selina Alko, Sophie Blackall, Lisa Brown, Hadley Hooper, Emily Winfield Martin, Oge Mora, Julie Morstad, Sara Palacios, LeUyen Pham, Erin K. Robinson, Isabel Roxas, Shadra Strickland, and Melissa Sweet
Introduces fourteen revolutionary young women—each paired with a noteworthy female artist—to the next generation of activists, trail-blazers, and rabble-rousers.
Rad Girls Can: Stories of Bold, Brave, and Brilliant Young Women
by Kate Schatz; illustrated by Miriam Klein Stahl
In Rad Girls Can, you'll learn about a diverse group of young women who are living rad lives, whether excelling in male-dominated sports like boxing, rock climbing, or skateboarding; speaking out against injustice and discrimination; expressing themselves through dance, writing, and music; or advocating for girls around the world.
Our Future: How Kids Are Taking Action
by Janet Wilson
Our Future shines a light on the efforts of ten brilliant and brave young activists who are making a difference for the future of our planet including protesting racial injustice, raising awareness about water pollution, and speaking out to protect wildlife. The book's final pages give ideas for how young people can try and make a difference in their own lives and communities.
Teens
21: The True Story of the Youth Who Sued the U.S. Government over Climate Change
by Elizabeth Rusch
This gripping real-life legal and environmental thriller recounts the ongoing federal case of 21 young people who are suing the U.S. government for supporting the fossil-fuel industry that is actively contributing to climate change and asks readers to think deeply about our planet’s future.
Mary Shelley: The Strange True Tale of Frankenstein's Creator
by Catherine Reef
The story of Frankenstein's creator, written when she was only 18, is a strange, romantic, and tragic one, as deeply compelling as the novel itself.
Being Jazz: My Life As a (Transgender) Teen
by Jazz Jennings
At the age of five, Jazz Jennings’s transition to life as a girl put her in the public spotlight after she shared her story on national television. She’s since become one of the most recognizable and prominent advocates for transgender teens, through her TV show, interviews, and social media. She’s fought for the right to use the girls’ bathroom and to play on a girls’ soccer team, paving the way for others.
Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March
by Lynda Blackmon Lowery; as told to Elspeth Leacock and Susan Buckley; illustrated by PJ Loughran
Shares the story of the youngest person to complete the Selma to Montgomery March, describing her frequent imprisonments for her participation in nonviolent demonstrations and how she felt about her involvement in civil rights events.
Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arc
by David Elliott
Told through medieval poetic forms and the voices of the people and objects in her life, a lyrical reimagining of the life of Joan of Arc shares insights into how she changed the course of history in spite of the misogyny and censure behind her execution.
Speak Up!: Speeches by Young People to Empower and Inspire
edited by Adora Svitak; illustrated by Camila Pinheiro
From ground-breaking scientific inventions to pleas for the environment, anti-war speeches to incredible testimony of lived experiences, the speeches collected here demonstrate the profound wisdom of youth and why it is important to speak up and out on what concerns us.
Generation Brave: The Gen Z Kids Who Are Changing the World
by Kate Alexander; illustrated by Jade Orlando
Showcases Gen Z activists who are fighting for change on many fronts: climate change, LGBTQ rights, awareness and treatment of mental illness, gun control, gender equality, and corruption in business and government at the highest levels. Includes profiles of figures such as Simone Biles, Jazz Jennings, Haile Thomas, Yara Shahidi, Nadya Okamoto, Helena Gualinga, and other amazing kids who are using their voices for good.
Summaries provided via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.