A Mighty Girl's top picks of historical fiction starring Mighty Girls for tweens and teens!

For many readers, a good work of historical fiction takes history from facts and figures on a page and brings it to life! Historical fiction encourages readers to imagine what it was like to live in times and places other than our own — and helps them see that, no matter when and where someone lives, people are more alike than different. Plus, historical fiction has a particular role to play when studying eras where girls and women were often relegated to the sidelines: it can draw out their involvement in the major events of the period and show that, wherever history was being made, girls were there too. Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of spooky and suspenseful books for tweens & teens.

As Halloween approaches, it's fun to read spooky stories that send shivers up and down your spine! While in the past, many thrilling tales of suspense and mystery played up the stereotype of the screaming girl who needs rescuing, there are many great books available today starring Mighty Girls who use their courage, their wits, and their strength to untangle the mystery and face down whatever is lurking in the shadows. Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks for children and teens about 9/11 on the terrorist attacks' 22nd anniversary.

On September 11, 2001, nearly 3,000 people were killed in four coordinated terrorist attacks by the militant Islamist terrorist group al-Qaeda. To this day, 9/11 remains the largest terrorist attack in history and most adults can still clearly recall where they were and what they were doing on that terrible day. And yet for today's kids, 9/11 can feel like a tragic event in the distant past with little relevancy to their lives. The 9/11 attacks, however, have had a profound impact over the past two decades on both the families of those immediately impacted and on the country and world at large. Continue reading → Continue reading

For her discovery of artificial radioactivity, Irène Joliot-Curie was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1935, just as her mother, Marie Curie, had in 1911.

Radiation can be dangerous, even deadly — but it has also saved millions of lives thanks to Irène Joliot-Curie's discovery of artificial radiation! Joliot-Curie, the daughter of Marie Curie, the first woman ever to win a Nobel Prize, carried on her mother's legacy of scientific study. Joliot-Curie's groundbreaking research allowed scientists to produce 'designer' radioactive elements quickly and easily, making them widely available for use in research and medical treatment for the first time. This discovery won Joliot-Curie and her husband, Frédéric Joliot-Curie, the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1935, cementing her place in scientific history — and making the Curies the family with the most Nobel laureates to date.  Continue reading → Continue reading

Our favorite fun and spooky Mighty Girl stories to bewitch kids of all ages this Halloween!

Halloween is coming fast, and most kids’ eyes gleam at the thought: the costumes, the candy, the fun, and, of course, the chance to enjoy some spooky and fun stories! So that you can stock your bookshelf with some great Mighty Girl books to enjoy this Halloween, we’ve highlighted all of our seasonal favorites in a new blog post. There's a spooky (or not-so-spooky) story for every young Halloween lover in our collection! Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of stories starring Mighty Girl witches for children and teens.

On Halloween night, don't be surprised if you see a broomstick in the sky! Witches are a fixture of the Halloween tradition — and since most witches are depicted as female, there are plenty of stories out there starring Mighty Girl witches. From funny picture books to quirky and suspenseful middle grade novels to creepy young adult titles, there's something here to suit every witch-loving reader. Continue reading → Continue reading

Our top picks of books for children and teens starring Mighty Girls who love to read!

For over 50 years, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization has celebrated International Literacy Day. On their Literacy Day web page UNESCO emphasizes why literacy is so important: it is “the foundation of all learning... a human right, a tool of personal empowerment and a means for social and human development.” Continue reading → Continue reading

At six years old, Ruby Bridges famously became the first Black child to desegregate an all-White elementary school in the South.

The moment has been immortalized in a Norman Rockwell painting with the apt title The Problem We All Live With: a little African American girl walks to school, surrounded by a team of U.S. Marshals, with racist graffiti and thrown garbage ornamenting the wall behind her. Ruby Bridges was only 6 years old in 1960 when the first grader arrived for her first day of school at  William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans — and was met by a vicious mob. The courageous girl would spend a year alone in the classroom, since other children had been removed by their parents due to her presence. But today, the 68-year-old Bridges says that those difficult days were worth it: "I now know that experience comes to us for a purpose, and if we follow the guidance of the spirit within us, we will probably find that the purpose is a good one." Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of books about the love between girls and their grandparents.

Many Mighty Girls know how special a relationship with grandparents can be: from special treats to family traditions, grandparents can offer a unique family connection to girls of all ages. And while these relationships can't always be physically close — and sometimes face obstacles, from different languages to a different perspective on the world — grandparents play an important role in the lives of many Mighty Girls. Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of survival stories starring girls for tweens and teens.

When disaster strikes, it takes courage, ingenuity, and determination to see yourself and your loved ones through! Not only do these action-packed stories provide exciting thrills and nail-biting suspense, but they also capture the experience of living through a moment when your world gets turned upside down: when the only thing you can rely on is yourself. And while the vast majority of both classic and modern survival stories star boys, increasingly authors are recognizing that it's time for girls to show that they can take the lead and save themselves, even in the most harrowing of circumstances! Continue reading → Continue reading