Teen Trailblazers: 30 Fearless Girls Who Changed the World Before They Were 20

by Jennifer Calvert, Vesna Asanovic (Illustrator)

Overview

True stories of young women who made a big difference! From authors to activists, painters to politicians, inventors to icons, these inspiring teenagers are proof that girls can change the world.

Joan of Arc. Anne Frank. Cleopatra. Pocahontas. Mary Shelley. Many of these heroines are well-known. But have you heard of Sybil Ludington, a 16-year-old daughter of an American colonel who rode twice as far as the far better-remembered Paul Revere to warn the militia that the British army was invading?

This fascinating book, Teen Trailblazers, features 30 young women who accomplished remarkable things before their twentieth birthdays. Visually compelling with original illustrations, this book will inspire the next generation of strong, fearless women.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250200204
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/02/2018
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	351,186
Product dimensions:	7.60(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

JENNIFER CALVERT is a writer, editor, and all-around book-loving nerd. When she’s not highlighting the accomplishments of incredible young women, you’ll find her curled up with a soft cat and a hardcover. She is the author of Teen Trailblazers.

Vesna Asanovic is an artist and illustrator based in Toronto, Canada. She holds a BDes from Ontario College of Art and Design. She works primarily digitally with a particular interest in bright, bold colors and graphic shapes. In her free time you can find Vesna drawing in her sketchbook on a sunny patio.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Cleopatra

Joan of Arc

Pocahontas

Eliza Lucas

Phillis Wheatley

Élisabeth Vigée-LeBrun

Sybil Ludington

Jane Austen

Sacagawea

Mary Shelley

Anita Garibaldi

Margaret Knight

Anna Elizabeth Dickinson

Elizabeth Cochran, a.k.a. Nellie Bly

Mary Pickford

Frida Kahlo

Jackie Mitchell

Anne Frank

Barbara Johns

Claudette Colvin

Elizabeth Eckford

Susan Eloise Hinton

Samantha Reed Smith

Emma Watson

Tavi Gevinson

Malala Yousafzai

Emma Gonzalez

Katie Stagliano

Maya Penn

Jazz Jennings

Editorial Reviews

2018-07-30

This latest addition to the rapidly expanding genre of compilations of biographies of pioneering women focuses on extraordinary teens.

Beginning with Cleopatra in 69 B.C.E. and concluding with 21st-century heroes such as Emma González, readers learn about young women who accomplished extraordinary things as teenagers. Each brief biography is accompanied by appealing full-color illustrations, including a portrait of the subject and inspirational quotes. The book also includes ideas for becoming involved in community activism. While 12 profiles feature nonwhite women, only three are from the global south (Cleopatra, Frida Kahlo, and Malala Yousafzai), thus erasing important historical context for Western readers. The section on African-American poet Phillis Wheatley calls her emancipation a "pleasant surprise" handed to her by a benevolent slave owner. Sacagawea, the Shoshone girl who guided Lewis and Clark on their expedition, is called out for representing "the interests of the U.S. government," but there is no mention that this same government decimated her people. Particularly unfortunate is the use of an insensitive quote from Lewis' journal about this likely traumatized young woman—kidnapped at 12 and married to a white man who won her through gambling—to praise her resilience: " ‘If she has enough to eat and a few trinkets to wear, we believe she would be contented anywhere.' Which is to say, Sacagawea rolled with the punches."

The book's tonal missteps make it an unnecessary addition to an already crowded field. (Nonfiction. 12-16)

Kirkus Reviews