This is what quality nonfiction for kids looks like. Kate Schatz and Miriam Klein Stahl don't just rehash the same tired list of 'inspirational women'—they dig into history and pull out stories that genuinely surprise and inspire.
The cut-paper artwork elevates this beyond typical biography collections, and the range is impressive: ancient Egyptian pharaohs, teenage punk rockers, Antarctic explorers, Nobel Prize winners. It's the kind of book that sits on a shelf and gets picked up repeatedly, with kids gravitating toward different stories as they grow.
The 4.8 Amazon rating and widespread classroom adoption tell you this isn't just virtue signaling—it's actually well-written and engaging. The inclusion of 250 additional names is a nice touch for kids who want to keep exploring.
It's not a gripping narrative (it's a reference-style biography collection), so don't expect reluctant readers to devour it cover-to-cover. But for curious middle schoolers who want to see themselves—or discover people completely unlike themselves—in history's pages, this delivers.
