You know how it’s great to see people you can look to for inspiration? To see possibilities shown to you that maybe, just maybe, you haven’t considered before? In Teen Trailblazers we find 30 girls for young teen women to look to for inspiration.
From The Back Cover:
True stories of young women who made a big difference! From authors to activists, painters to politicians, inventors to icons, these inspiring teenagers are proof that girls can change the world.
Joan of Arc. Anne Frank. Cleopatra. Pocahontas. Mary Shelley. Many of these heroines are well-known. But have you heard of Sybil Ludington, a 16-year-old daughter of an American colonel who rode twice as far as the far better-remembered Paul Revere to warn the militia that the British army was invading?
This fascinating book features 30 young women who accomplished remarkable things before their twentieth birthdays. Visually compelling with original illustrations, this book will inspire the next generation of strong, fearless women.
What do you get?
30 Stories of young ladies engaging actively in the world around them:
Imagine….being a slave and writing poetry in a time when such things weren’t welcome.
Imagine… being 16 and riding for your life to get military assistance in the middle of battle.
Imagine…being pregnant and fighting side by side with your husband in battle.
Imagine….inventing a product still used a century later
Each chapter is set up in a similar manner, the individual, what they are known for, birth/death if known, notable things they did, and a quote.
The rest of the chapter goes on to talk about the work that this young lady did and why it is notable. Presenting information to help the reader consider all the factors involved, like the slaves involved in making indigo, how Paul Revere gets remembered for his ride and yet a female counterpart isn’t known, what difference might it make if the reader got involved in their community and more.
Each chapter has cut outs that talk about additional factors to consider, or points of action, or other people who engaged in similar works who might be better known. In the copy that I received all images were in grey scale, I don’t know if in the final copy the images will be in full colour or not. I would hope that they would be, but I really can’t tell you for sure.
My thoughts:
There are many notable people found within the pages of this book. I loved how ideas for becoming actively involved in one’s community were presented. My hope had been for more variety in people presented like inventors, doctors, teachers, but found many were activists, authors, and actors. The desire I hold dear is that our young ladies to see their intellect and bravery is just as important as their heart for various causes. I wanted to see more balance, 10 activists, 7 authors, and several actors and war heroines, leaving only a bit of room for inventors, business women and the like. Oh wouldn’t it be good to inspire all of our girls, regardless of their interests, to be teen trailblazers, ready to act now?
I suppose if the point of the book is to ensure that young ladies know they have a voice, showing activism and the power of the word spoken and written is a good thing. I’m trying to understand the mindset behind the choices made. It’s good to know that speaking up and doing things matters whether you are male or female. I just want to see more balance presented in the different ways girls can make a difference in today’s world.
This would be an excellent book to leave lying about the house, or using with a careers course, to show girls different options they as they look forward to what they want to do.
Teen Trailblazers
30 fearless girls who changed the world before they were 20
Jennifer Calvert, author
Vesna Asanovic, illustrator
Castle Point Books
softcover, 128 pages, ages 12-18
Middle School, High School, Careers, Women,
Activism, Inventors, Authors, Actors
Reviewed for Raincoast Books.
