Women’s history month might be over, but this book can be enjoyed anytime!

Super Women: Six Scientists Who Changed the World (2017, Holiday House, Non-Fiction Middle-Grade)

What a fantastic new selection from Holiday House. I am so excited to share this new non-fiction book for younger readers with you all. I’d say the intended age range is 9 to 12 years old, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book and learned so many new things. I think anyone, whether you have a young reader in your house or not, can appreciate this book.

From the publisher:

Super Women celebrates the scientific as well as the social significance of six incredible women who broke new ground with their research, busted through glass ceilings with their careers, and advanced humanity’s understanding of our world in the process. These amazing women defied prejudice to succeed in the sciences using genius, ambition, and perseverance.

ALA Notable Book author Laurie Lawlor deftly paints portraits of each of these pioneers who refused to take no for an answer, pursuing their passions through fieldwork, observations, laboratories, and research vessels in the face of sexism. This diverse group of women, all with awe-inspiring accomplishments, were active mentors and determined people who wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Review:

Super Women, written by Laurie Lawlor, tells the incredible stories of six different female scientists. The book is divided into six sections with each section being a mini-biography of a woman. The biographies include key discoveries, scientific merits, as well as interesting personal stories for each scientist. The text is accompanied by black and white photographs of the women as well as appropriate photographs or diagrams pertaining to their work.

Scientists featured include Katherine Coleman Johnson, a mathematician who calculated trajectories for NASA flights; Eugenie Clark, an ichthyologist who swam with sharks; Marie Tharp, a cartographer who mapped the ocean floor; Florence Hawley Ellis, an anthropologist who made significant progress in tree-ring dating; Gertrude Elion, a pharmacologist who developed treatments for deadly illnesses; Margaret Burbidge, an astrophysicist who helped create the Hubble telescope.

These women have been carefully selected for their scientific and historical importance, as well as the fact that their names might not be as well-known as other women scientists such as Marie Curie or Sally Ride. Children and adults will find the biographies engaging, interesting and eye-opening. The work these women pioneered was incredible and they were all independent, adventurous souls who make for fascinating reads.

While this book is similar in format to a non-fiction picture book, the complexity and layout of the content makes it more appropriate for children ages 9 and up. Younger children might be bored with the long biographies but there’s no reason a parent couldn’t summarize the passages for younger children while they look at the photographs.

Overall, an excellent addition to any home or school library, and a fantastic non-fiction read for anyone, whether they have a passion for science or not.

5 stars for science!

Thank you to Holiday House for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Super Women will be released April 26, 2017 and is available for pre-order now at Amazon