I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark by Debbie Levy & Elizabeth Baddeley (Picture Book Review)

I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark
by Debbie Levy

Illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley

Published by Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

on September 20, 2016

Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography

Length: 40 pages

Ages: 4-8 

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Literary Awards:

Sydney Taylor Book Award for Young Readers (2017)

NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book (2017)

Blue Stem Book Award Nominee (2019)

Synopsis:

Get to know celebrated Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg--in the first picture book about her life--as she proves that disagreeing does not make you disagreeable! 

Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has spent a lifetime disagreeing: disagreeing with inequality, arguing against unfair treatment, and standing up for what's right for people everywhere. This biographical picture book about the Notorious RBG, tells the justice's story through the lens of her many famous dissents, or disagreements. 

My Thoughts:

"Disagreeing does not make a person disagreeable. In fact, it can change the world!"

In a time where girls were only supposed to think about growing up to be wives and mothers, Ruth Bader Ginsburg stood out and went above to become who she is today; a well-known and celebrated Supreme Court justice. 

Luckily, Ruth had a mother that fostered her love of learning and instilled a sense of higher purpose, letting her know that girls could be whatever they put their minds to. 

And she did. Ruth went to college and law school and worked her way up, disagreeing with the status quo and making her mark by fighting for the equal treatment of women, becoming a judge, and finally, a justice on the Supreme Court. 

Ruth Bader Ginsburg grew up during times of deep segregation, not only for African-Americans but for Jews like her. Ruth disagreed with this prejudice and would go on to promote equality for all and become the first Jewish woman in the Supreme Court. 

This picture book biography of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's life is wonderfully illustrated with some very bold but fun typography that brings style to the story. Young readers will enjoy seeing the lively and spirited Ruth grow over time into the powerful and inspiring woman she is today. 

Looking for more children's book about incredible women?

    

Happy reading!

Dry by Neal Shusterman & Jarrod Shusterman (Young Adult Book Review)

Dry

by Neal Shusterman

and Jarrod Shusterman

Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

on October 2, 2018

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, Climate Fiction

Length: 390 pages

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Synopsis:

The drought--or the Tap-Out, as everyone calls it--has been going on for a while now. Everyone's lives have become an endless list of don'ts: don't water the lawn, don't fill up your pool, don't take long showers. 

Until the taps run dry. 

Suddenly, Alyssa's quiet suburban street spirals into a warzone of desperation; neighbors and families turned against each other on the hunt for water. And when her parents don't return and her life--and the life of her brother--is threatened, Alyssa has to make impossible choices if she's going to survive. 

My Thoughts:

I read this fast-paced young adult dystopian for the 'cli-fi aka climate fiction' PopSugar prompt. The premise is that after years of drought, water flow to California just stops, leaving millions of people without water. 

Alyssa and her little brother, Garret, aren't prepared and when they run out of water, their parents head to the coast where desalination machines have been set up. When they don't return, Alyssa and her brother realize that they have to do something. Luckily, their across-the-street neighbors are 'preppers' that have a son, Kelton, who just happens to have a big crush on Alyssa. Coming together for the sake of survival, they maneuver chaos and desperate characters alike as they search for water and a safe place. 

I feel like this is a very important read that poses a lot of important questions about what would happen if a crisis or disaster were to strike.
What would you do if there was no more water? How would you survive? How would your neighbors survive? How would society as a whole be affected?

We get a little taste of this every time there is a hurricane here in Florida. Everyone flocks to the store to buy up the last of the water, bread, and canned goods. Gas is gone before the storm even hits but everyone still needs to go to work or evacuate. Society basically falls apart and I've seen first hand how people suffer because they were not prepared beforehand.  

It's good to be prepared, but it won't always make things better. It's nearly impossible to 'prep' for every single scenario and it's likely that it'll all go south and not as you planned anyway. Kelton found this out pretty quickly!  

This is the second novel by Neal Shusterman that I've read and I think I'm seeing a trend of defying the status quo and writing about real problems that affect us as a country and a society. I'm looking forward to reading more! 

I Am Harriet Tubman by Brad Meltzer & Christopher Eliopoulos (Picture Book Review)

I Am Harriet Tubman

by Brad Meltzer

Illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos

Series: Ordinary People Change the World

Published by: Dial Books for Young Readers

on January 16, 2018

Length: 40 pages

Age Group: 5-8 years

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Synopsis:

Harriet Tubman's heroic and pivotal role in the fight against slavery is the subject of the fourteenth picture book in this New York Times bestselling biography series. 

This friendly, fun biography series focuses on the traits that made our heroes great--the traits that kids can aspire to in order to live heroically themselves. Each book tells the story of one of America's icons in a lively, conversational way that works well for the youngest nonfiction readers and that always includes the hero's childhood influences. At the back are an excellent timeline and photos. This volume focuses on Harriet Tubman's brave heroism as part of the movement to abolish slavery. As one of the key players in the Underground Railroad, she helped enslaved African Americans escape and find freedom. 

My Thoughts:

"I am Harriet Tubman. Follow Me. I will lead the way to freedom."

I Am Harriet Tubman is a kid-friendly look into the life of the infamous Harriet Tubman, whom not only 'conducted' the Underground Railroad and helped many slaves reach freedom in the North, but also became the first American woman to lead an army raid in the Civil War.

One of the neat things about the Ordinary People Change the World series is that they are all told in 'first person'. The person of interest (Harriet) narrates her life to us, in both text and thought bubbles. I thought this helped put us right into the story and made reading it a lot more entertaining. 

The only odd thing to note is that we start out with the young version of Harriet and even though her life progresses well into old age, she visually never changes and remains as she was on the first page. I kind of like this idea because it helps kids identify with the people in the books and can see themselves doing grown-up things.

This is one of many similar biographies in the Ordinary People Change the World series and I am so glad this series exists. Each illustrates a life that has changed the world for the better. 

We have otherwise only read I Am Jane Goodall from this series but are looking forward to more! 

Looking for more biographies or books about women that have changed the world? Check these out!

Happy reading! 

The A-Z of Wonder Women by Yvonne Lin (Nonfiction Picture Book Review)

The A-Z of Wonder Women

by Yvonne Lin

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

on December 4, 2018

Genre: Non-fiction, History, Feminism

Length: 48 pages

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Synopsis:

Celebrate historic and contemporary Wonder Women from around the world, from Ada Lovelace to Zaha Hadid!

Highlighting notable and inspiring women from across the globe throughout time, The A-Z of Wonder Women features biographies of trailblazers and groundbreakers, including Ada Lovelace, Oprah Winfrey, Ruth Ginsberg, and Wajeha al-Huwaider.

This empowering alphabet-style book celebrates a wide range of skills and masteries in the arts, politics and activism, STEM, and more, providing accessible facts about these heroic women--and inspiring young readers to make the change they want to see in the world. 

My Thoughts:

Another fantastic collection of inspirational women from all over the world. This little book features 26 women, one for each letter of the alphabet, with a lovely illustration, a quote, and a little excerpt about each woman. 

Of course, cutting the list down to just 26 women must have been difficult indeed, and I'm glad to say that there are 22 more wonder women (without illustrations) listed in the back of the book.

I did find it slightly disappointing in how few facts were included for each person. Each biography was quite minimal with only one or two sentences. 

Otherwise, I loved how the usage of bold colors as backgrounds and the illustrations are well-done and clearly recognizable. 

Looking for similar books?

Try these!

    

Happy reading! 

Read It First: Book to Movie Adaptations Master List (2019+)

Do you read the book before watching the movie adaptation? Know of any upcoming adaptations that aren't on this list? Let me know in the comments!

2019

MARCH

Five Feet Apart
by Rachael Lippincott
releases: March 15, 2019
(Goodreads) (imdb) (movieinsider)

APRIL

Pet Sematary

by Stephen King

releases: April 5, 2019

(Goodreads) (imdb) (movieinsider)

MAY

The Sun Is Also A Star
by Nicola Yoon
releases: May 17, 2019
(Goodreads) (imdb) (movieinsider)

AUGUST

Artemis Fowl

by Eoin Colfer
releases: August 9, 2019  May 2020

(Goodreads) (imdb) (movieinsider)

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
by Alvin Schwarts

releases: August 9, 2019

(Goodreads) (imdb) (movieinsider)

Where'd You Go, Bernadette?

by Maria Semple

releases: August 9, 2019  Aug 16

(Goodreads) (imdb) (movieinsider)

SEPTEMBER

IT [Part 2]
by Stephen King
releases: September 6, 2018
(Goodreads) (imdb) (movieinsider)

The Art of Racing in the Rain
by Garth Stein
releases: September 27, 2019  August 9
(Goodreads) (imdb) (movieinsider)

OCTOBER

The Woman in the Window 
by A.J. Finn
releases: October 4, 2019
(Goodreads) (imdb) (movieinsider)

The Goldfinch

by Donna Tartt

releases: October 11, 2019  September 13

(Goodreads) (imdb) (movieinsider)

NOVEMBER

Doctor Sleep
by Stephen King
releases: November 8, 2019
(Goodreads) (imdb) (movieinsider)

The Good Liar
by Nicholas Searle
releases: November 15, 2019
(Goodreads) (imdb) (movieinsider)

DECEMBER

The Call of the Wild

by Jack London

releases: December 25, 2019  Feb 2020

(Goodreads) (imdb) (movieinsider)

Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott
releases: December 25, 2019
(Goodreads) (imdb) (movieinsider)

2020

The Voyages of Doctor DoLittle
by Hugh Lofting
releases: January 17, 2020
(Goodreads) (imdb) (movieinsider)

Nimona

by Noelle Stevenson

releases: February 14, 2020  March 5

(Goodreads) (imdb) (movieinsider)

Death on the Nile
by Agatha Christie
releases: October 2 or 22, 2020
(Goodreads) (imdb) (movieinsider)

2020 TBA

[Chaos Walking]

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

releases: 2020

(Goodreads) (imdb) (movieinsider)

Fear Street
by R.L. Stine
releases: 2020 TBA
(Goodreads) (imdb) (movieinsider)

The Willoughbys
by Lois Lowry
releases: 2020 TBA
(Goodreads) (imdb) (movieinsider)

Stargirl
by Jerry Spinelli
releases: 2020 TBA
(Goodreads) (imdb) (movieinsider)

2021

Wicked

by Gregory Maguire

releases: December 22, 2021

(Goodreads) (imdb) (movieinsider)

I'll be adding to and editing this list throughout the year so feel free to comment if you know of any new adaptations or updates! 

Chomp by Carl Hiaasen (Middle Grade Book Review)

Chomp

by Carl Hiaasen

Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers

on January 1, 2012

Genre: Middle-Grade, Realistic Fiction

Length: 290 pages

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Literary Awards:

Florida Book Award for Young Adult - Silver (2012)

Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award for Grades 6-8 (2014)

Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee  (2014)

Alabama Library Association Children's Book of the Year Nominee for 4-5 (2014)

Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award Nominee (2016)

Synopsis:

The hysterical #1 New York Times bestseller from Newbery honoree Carl Hiaasen featuring gators, snakes, bats that bite, and reality show hosts gone wild! 

When Wahoo Cray's dad--a professional animal wrangler--takes a job with a reality TV show called Expedition Survival!, Wahoo figures he'll have to do a bit of wrangling himself to keep his father from killing Derek Badger, the show's inept and egotistical star. But the job keeps getting more complicated: Derek Badger insists on using wild animals for his stunts; and Wahoo's acquired a shadow named Tuna--a girl who's sporting a shiner courtesy of her father and needs a place to hide out. 

They've only been on location in the Everglades for a day before Derek gets bitten by a bat and goes missing in a storm. Search parties head out and promptly get lost themselves. And then Tuna's dad shows up with a gun...

It's anyone's guess who will actually survive Expedition Survival...

My Thoughts:

Carl Hiassen has been on my radar for a few years now and I'm surprised that it wasn't sooner considering that I grew up in Florida. I've been eager to read something by him and especially wanted this cover with the alligator to take on my nature hikes around Florida that sometimes do include gator sightings. All for bookstagram, of course.

I took this book on my first outdoor adventure of the year, reading it when I could catch a minute and was hooked from the start. Chomp is a 'real Florida' kind of story. It's full of gators, snakes, coons, snapping turtles, and many more critters that roam the wilds here. It's set near Florida City, Florida, in the Everglades where both alligators and airboats are abundant. 

The story starts out introducing us to Wahoo and his father, Mickey Cray, who spent his life wrangling critters and housing them in his own little sanctuary. They occasionally rent the tamer wildlife out to film companies so when an agent for Expedition Survival! contacts them offering big bucks to allow their wilderness survival show host, Derek Badger, to swim with their fourteen-foot alligator, they agreed. Alice the alligator is an angel after all. What Wahoo and Mickey Cray don't know beforehand is that the famous Derek Badger has no real experience with wild animals or being in the wilderness. Chaos ensues, of course. 

I feel like this is the most accurate depiction of Florida that I've ever encountered in literature. The stereotypes are actually pretty spot on. If you've ever heard of 'Florida Man' you may know what I'm alluding to here. The 'southern' hillbilly, redneck, wildlife wrangling, airboat driving, gun-toting kind of fellas. Of course, Florida is a bastion of these stereotypes but it's also a giant melting pot of people and cultures and 'bluebirds' from other states who make Florida their second home and spend weeks or months at a time escaping winter or whatever they're running from. 
A lot of people have experienced at least a little bit of Florida but I still encounter quite a few that only know about its beaches and Disney World so I'm glad there are books that show more of unadvertised Florida. 

This was a fun middle grade read with a lot of humor and importance that I would love to see more of. I'm definitely looking forward to diving Hiaasen's other novels soon! 

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She Persisted Around the World by Chelsea Clinton & Alexandra Boiger (Picture Book Review)

Title: She Persisted Around the World: 13 Women Who Changed History

by Chelsea Clinton

Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger

Published by Philomel Books

Published on March 6, 2018 

Length: 32 pages  

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Synopsis:

Women around the world have long dreamed big, even when they've been told their dreams didn't matter. They've spoken out, risen up and fought for what's right, even when they've been told to be quiet. Whether in science, the arts, sports or activism, women and girls throughout history have been determined to break barriers and change the status quo. They haven't let anyone get in their way and have helped us better understand our world and what's possible. In this book, Chelsea Clinton introduces readers to a group of thirteen incredible women who have shaped history all across the globe.

My Thoughts:

This is the companion to She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed History which I loved, but this time around we are discovering 13 women who persisted all over the world. 

These books have an important theme and message; that it isn't always easy to be a girl, and is even harder to reach your goals, but they are always possible. I love that the words she persisted are in every single mini-biography in this book. Even better, it's highlighted! It is a good reminder of what can be accomplished if only you ignore the naysayers and persist. 

I love the selection of women, especially Jo Rowling for very biased reasons, but Marie Curie has always been one of my favorite historical women.  I'd actually only heard of (or at least maintained a memory of) three of these women before now if you include Malala Yousafzai! I love that most of the women are a little more obscure for me though because this means I get to learn more about them and their countries and cultures. 

The illustrations in these books are wonderful. Some depict the person of interest as a child and an adult, in their profession or in the situation that brought them into the spotlight, doing the things they became famous for doing, and with hints of where they were born or lived as well. They bring these women to life and show us what their lives were about, how they helped others, and how they changed the world. 

Each mini-biography also includes an insightful quote.
I especially love the one attributed to Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz that says, "I don't study to know more but to ignore less." I often feel that way about reading; that I read more not just to learn more but to understand more. Which is why this is such an important read and a great addition to any little girl's personal library!

More from this author:

More empowering books for girls:

    

Happy Reading!