The Best Mighty Girl Books of September 2018

Strong Girls Gift Set

This box set of popular titles from the best-selling Ordinary People Change the World series features four female heroes: Amelia Earhart, Harriet Tubman, Jane Goodall, and Sacagawea. With its first person perspective and fun cartoon illustrations, Meltzer makes history come to life for children while striking a perfect balance between information and inspiration. Each picture book ends with photos, a timeline, a list of additional resources, and an inspiring quote from each groundbreaking woman who changed the world in her own unique way. For another box set from this series featuring books on Amelia Earhart, Rosa Parks, Abraham Lincoln, and Albert Einstein, check out the Ordinary People Change the World Gift Set.

Dreamers

In this gorgeously illustrated picture book, based loosely on the author's experience of moving from Xalapa, Mexico with her American husband and their infant son to San Francisco in 1994, a woman travels with her son to the United States. There, she discovers an oasis of hope: the public library. Book by book, she untangles the language of this strange new land, and learns to make a home within it, observing that at the library: “We learned to read,/ to speak,/ to write,/ and/ to make/ our voices heard.” Five-time Pura Belpré Award winner Yuyi Morales uses poetic language and elegant illustrations to capture both an immigration journey and the importance of libraries as a welcoming home for new members of a community.

Good Rosie!

Rosie is a good dog, who adores her owner, George... but she doesn't have any dog friends, and sometimes that leaves her feeling lonely. When George takes Rosie to the dog park, she's a little intimidated by all the strange dogs, and when giant Maurice mistakes tiny Fifi for a dog toy, Rosie gets even more nervous! Fortunately, Rosie discovers that there are a few tricks to making friends — including knowing what to do when you make a mistake — and soon Rosie is playing with friends by her side. While kids will giggle at the humor in this story, they'll also relate to Rosie's friendship troubles and cheer when she works it all out.

Lyric McKerrigan, Secret Librarian

There's a plot afoot: a villain is planning to destroy every book in the world! Even the world's best secret agents can't stop Doctor Glockenspiel and end up captured by his henchmen. But mysterious things are happening: a dissatisfied henchman gets a book called Your Boss Can't Do That from a plumber, and one of the agents finds a copy of How to Pick Locks in a bowl... Of course, it's all the work of Lyric McKerrigan, the Secret Librarian who is here to save the day! This clever mash-up of comic book-style hero and devoted reader is full of action, even as it reminds young readers about the power of having the right book at the right time.

She Made a Monster: How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein

Two hundred years ago, Mary Shelley and her friends were competing to write the best ghost story, but Mary had yet to be inspired. She wanted to be an author, like Mary Wollstonecraft, the mother she'd never known who inspired her to prove that "a woman’s writing could be just as important as a man’s." Then, she had a strange dream, one that featured a man who was not a man. Her story about Victor Frankenstein's creation, and the questions it raised about who was the real monster, became one of the world's most famous novels. This atmospheric picture book elegantly invites young readers to learn more about this iconic story.

Lights! Camera! Alice!

The Thrilling True Adventures of the First Woman Filmmaker

Before most people in the world had even seen a movie, Alice Guy-Blaché was making them! The innovative filmmaker — the first female filmmaker in the world — would stop at nothing to create a truly exciting movie, experimenting with sounds, special effects, and more. She was also one of the first filmmakers to create a narrative fiction film — the precursor to the movies we enjoy so much today! In this vibrant picture book biography, Mara Rockliff introduces young readers to a creative force who changed the future of cinema forever.

Ada Lace and the Impossible Mission

The fourth book in the Ada Lace series sees third grade inventor and detective Ada Lace turn her talents to spy work! Ada's new social studies teacher loves group projects, which means she and her best friend Nina are stuck working with their occasional nemesis Milton. Their scale model of an old silver mine seems like a top notch project until Milton says he added his "old Milton touch" before turning it in. What if Milton sabotaged all their hard work? To find out, Ada and Nina have to plan the heist of their lives... but can they pull it off without getting caught? For kids new to Ada's Adventures, they can find books one through three in this colorful box set.

Skyward: The Story of Female Pilots in WWII

In the early part of the 20th century, three fictional young women — Hazel in America, Marlene in the UK, and Lilya in Russia — dream of being able to fly but in order to win their place in the cockpit, they would have to fight sexism on the ground more fiercely than enemies in the sky! As the world slowly moves towards another great war, they go to pilot school (in some cases in secret) and prove their mettle, eventually flying for their countries during World War II. Author/illustrator Sally Deng crafts a powerful story about the experiences of trailblazing pilots around the world in this gorgeously illustrated book that celebrates the joy of flight and following your dreams.

Merci Suárez Changes Gears

Merci is full of confidence and drive, but sixth grade will test even her. As a scholarship student at her Florida private school, she's always felt different from her peers, and this year, her required community service makes Merci the target of the school queen bee's jealousy. Meanwhile, her grandfather Lolo has been acting strangely, from forgetting things to getting angry over nothing, and no one will tell her what's going on. Fortunately, her take-charge personality helps her overcome all the bumps in the road! This Newbery Medal-winning coming-of-age tale stays light, while still tackling tough issues facing many middle-grade kids. Merci's story continues in Merci Suárez Can't Dance and concludes in Merci Suárez Plays It Cool.

Path to the Stars: My Journey from Girl Scout to Rocket Scientist

As a child in a Mexican-American community, everyone expected that Sylvia Acevedo would grow up to marry and stay at home with her children — but Sylvia yearned for adventure. Then she joined the Brownies and her life was transformed. Through the Girl Scouts, she found peers who shared her love of science and role models that fostered her confidence and independence. Acevedo would become a rocket scientist for NASA — and today, she's the CEO of the Girl Scouts, helping other girls follow their dreams. This inspiring memoir is a celebration of resilience and a testament to the transformative impact of the Girl Scouts on many girls' lives.

Zora and Me: The Cursed Ground

Young Zora Neale Hurston and her friend Carrie Brown have discovered another secret: Mr. Polk, famous around town for being mute, can actually speak. So why does he stay silent? The answer is tied to a fifty-year-old story about an enslaved girl named Lucia... and Zora is determined to learn the truth. As Zora digs deeper (dragging Carrie along with her) they learn more about Lucia's search for freedom — and how it has rippled through decades to threaten their hometown, America's first incorporated black township. This sequel to Zora and Me explores the search for justice and the power of the truth; the series concludes with Zora and Me: The Summoner.

The Iron Flower: The Black Witch Chronicles

Elloren Gardner and her friends at the University were only seeking to right a few wrongs; the last thing they expected was to be thrust into a realm-wide underground resistance against Gardnerian conquest. Determined to keep her friends safe and fight back against the regime's growing oppression, Elloren finds it increasingly difficult to believe that she didn't inherit any of her grandmother's — the notorious Black Witch — power, as she's always been told. She's also finding it harder to deny her growing feelings for fellow resistance member Yvan Guriel, even though a relationship between a Gardnerian and a Kelt is unimaginable in such troubled times. This thrilling and thoughtful sequel to The Black Witch ups the stakes for Elloren and those she loves as dark forces are on the rise and the fight for the future becomes all too real; the story continues in The Shadow Wand.

For a Muse of Fire

Jetta's family are famous shadow players... but the truth is that Jetta has the ability to see the souls of the recent dead, and bind them to the family's puppets. It's a secret she must keep carefully, because the old magical ways have been forbidden — but if Jetta can get to perform for the emperor, she might find a cure for illness that plagues her. However, rebellion is simmering and Jetta is discovering more and more dark truths, both about her family and about the horrors of war. This lush fantasy, the opener to a trilogy set in a rich world inspired by Asian cultures and French colonialism, boasts vibrant settings, a diverse cast, and an intriguing heroine struggling with mental illness.

Wildcard

In the aftermath of the Warcross Championships, Emika Chen is furious and betrayed: Hideo Tanaka, the person she's always looked up to, has used his NeuroLink algorithm to take control of millions of users. Emika is determined to stop Hideo's plans, so she bands up with the Phoenix Riders... only to learn that there's a bounty on her head, and that Zero and his ruthless Blackcoats are the only protection she's got. But Zero has his secrets too, and Emika wonders if the ends justify the Blackcoats' means. Full of shocking twists and challenging, timely themes, this emotionally powerful sequel to Warcross is as addictive as Hideo's video games.