'I like good strong words that mean something...' -- Louisa May Alcott

Say the names Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy and most people will immediately think of Little Women! Louisa May Alcott's classic American novel has touched generations of readers, been translated into multiple languages, and been adapted for stage, screen, and more. While its setting is in the midst of the Civil War, there is something about its messages about love, sisterhood, and identity that feels truly timeless, and just as relevant today as when it was written. Continue reading → Continue reading

Jeanne Villepreux-Power began her adult life as a dressmaker, but rose to become one of the preeminent marine biologists of her day.

If you've ever been captivated by colorful fish and sea creatures darting around an aquarium, you can thank 19th century French scientist Jeanne Villepreux-Power! Villepreux-Power began her adult life as a dressmaker, but rose to become one of the preeminent marine biologists of her day. Her invention of a glass box for holding and observing marine specimens — the first recognizable glass aquarium — earned her the title "Mother of Aquariophily" from British biologist Richard Owen. "[She] was not content with purely descriptive studies of dead specimens," French scientist Claude Arnal wrote in a tribute to her. "She was excited by life and its mysteries." Continue reading → Continue reading

Unhealthy perfectionism has become a growing contributor to teens' rising anxiety.

Many tweens and teens struggle with anxiety and perfectionism, and parents often bemoan that "she puts so much pressure on herself." Rachel Simmons, an expert on girls' development and the author of Enough As She Is, however, says that perception puts even more pressure on kids. "The very phrasing of the statement — 'on herself' — lays blame for distress at the feet of our teens, rather than a culture that is stoking the flames of their anxiety," she writes. "It puts the onus for change on kids — just chill, we seem to be saying, and you’ll be okay!" With a recent study finding a 33 percent spike in the number of teens who feel they have to be perfect to win approval, including from their friends and parents, it's more important than ever to acknowledge what teens are going through and help them develop strategies to deal with perfectionism. Continue reading → Continue reading

Our top picks of girl-empowering books about the wonders and changes of fall.

Autumn is here! The leaves are changing, the weather is getting cooler, and summer is becoming a memory. Every season brings with it the opportunity to share seasonal books with the Mighty Girl in your life, and this fall is no exception. So with that in mind, we've put together a selection of our favorite Mighty Girl books about fall. From celebrations of the changing weather to tales about growing pumpkins to autumn's metaphorical significance as a season of change, these books capture the many beauties of this contemplative season. Continue reading → Continue reading

"There are little Mazies everywhere who will be inspired, informed, and absolutely delighted to see themselves in this imaginative little problem-solver."

As a child, Sheryl Haft loved tinkering in the garage with her father. These countless hours filled with creativity and invention are now the inspiration behind Haft's newest picture book, Mazie's Amazing Machines, starring a science-loving girl, Mazie McGear. Throughout the action-packed story, which is vibrantly illustrated by award-winning artist Jeremy Holmes, Mazie invents clever machines to help her family and, in the process, explores the engineering process from problem to ideation, creation, and finally execution. "Let's engineer," she says as she creates the "Food-O-Matic" for her dog, Doodle; the "Roly-Ramp" to help her mom lift heavy boxes; and the "Teeter Lever" to make it easier for her brother to shoot hoops. And when things go awry and Doodle accidentally gets catapulted up to the roof, Mazie and her family work together to create her largest contraption yet, the "Pulley Power Save Our Dog Tower." Continue reading → Continue reading

Betty Reid Soskin began her career as a ranger at the age 85 at the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park.

Betty Reid Soskin, America's oldest National Park Service ranger, celebrated her 102nd birthday today! Soskin began her career as a ranger at age 85 at the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park in California — a park that she had helped plan in its early stages years earlier. Prior to her retirement in 2022 at the age of 100, Soskin gave a popular tour called “Untold Stories and Lost Conversations" during which she gave a tour of the park, shared her personal WWII story, and encouraged others to contribute their own stories to the park's collection of oral histories. Continue reading → Continue reading

Emily Warren Roebling became the first female field engineer in history as the "surrogate chief engineer" of one of the greatest architectural projects of the 19th century, the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge.

When the Brooklyn Bridge was completed after fourteen years of construction in 1883, Emily Warren Roebling — the "woman who saved the Brooklyn Bridge" — was the first to cross it by carriage, carrying a live rooster in her lap as a sign of victory. Early in its construction, Roebling's husband, Washington, the chief engineer in charge of the bridge’s construction, became severely debilitated and bedridden due to decompression sickness. Emily Roebling stepped in and, for over a decade, oversaw the completion of one of the greatest architectural feats of the 19th century — making history by becoming the first female field engineer in the process. "I don’t think that the Brooklyn Bridge would be standing were it not for her," asserts Erica Wagner, the author a biography about Washington Roebling. "She was absolutely integral." Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of the Hermione-themed toys and clothing for fans of all ages!

Harry Potter may be the name on the book, but anyone who's read the series or watched the films knows that, more often than not, Hermione Granger is the one behind the plan that saves the day! For a generation of kids, this smart, confident, and courageous Mighty Girl has been one of the most beloved literary and film role models. In fact, when The Hollywood Reporter recently conducted a survey of 1,800 industry professionals, including actors, writers, and directors, Hermione Granger was selected as the favorite fictional female character of all time — by both male and female respondents. And with the series now in its third decade, the first book having been published in 1997, there are plenty of fans from a new generation who show that Hermione will be influencing young readers for years to come! Continue reading → Continue reading

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

Experts offer tips for parents on building girls' confidence in math.

“Why do smart people enjoy saying that they are bad at math?” laments Petra Bonfert-Taylor, a professor of engineering at Dartmouth College. “Few people would consider proudly announcing that they are bad at writing or reading.” After seeing one too many examples of adults “passing on [mathematical anxiety] like a virus,” Bonfert-Taylor has an important message for math-phobic parents and educators: “We are passing on from generation to generation the phobia for mathematics... [and] as a result, too many of us have lost the ability to examine a real-world problem, translate it into numbers, solve the problem and interpret the solution.” Continue reading → Continue reading