Category Archives: News and Fun

16 Amazing Books to Read for Women’s History Month

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16 Amazing Books to Celebrate Women's History Month

March is Women’s History Month, and in honor of the rich history we have of amazing women, I wanted to share a list of books about female heroes you may or may not know about already. I usually focus on fiction here, but lately I’ve found myself drawn to many of these stories myself, and I wanted to share them. In my glorious plans, I had hoped to share this list early in the month, but it just did NOT work out that way for me.

You can also find this complete list on Bookshop, where you can browse and purchase books while helping to support indie bookstores.

Note: This post contains affiliate links which don’t cost anything for you to use, but help support this blog. All opinions my own.

16 Amazing Books to Read for Women’s History Month

Hannah Senesh: Her Life and Diary, the First Complete Edition by Hannah Senesh

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

What you need to know: I first learned about Hannah Senesh through a biography about her called So Young to Die. Her life story is amazing, and her poetry really moving. As a young woman, she volunteered on a mission to rescue fellow Jews from the Nazis during World War II.

Available June 15, 2021

Let Me Play: The Story of Title IX: The Law that Changed the Future of Girls in America by Karen Blumenthal

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

What you need to know: Title IX is the law that made it illegal for discrimination based on gender in education programs that receive Federal assistance. Learn how it came to be and the fight to get the law passed so girls could have access to sports and other programs.

Published July 1, 2005

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls Vol 1: 100 Tales of Extraordinary Women by Elena Favilla and Francesca Cavallo

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

What you need to know: Read stories of 100 amazing women from around the world accompanied by illustrations from 60 female artists.

Published December 1, 2016

The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor by Sonia Sotomayor

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

What you need to know: The story of the first Latina and third woman appointed to the Supreme Court in her own words.

Published September 17, 2019

Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing by Ann Angel

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound | Goodreads

What you need to know: Tells the story of one of rock-and-roll’s most compelling female icons. Packed with photos and stories from friends and band mates. A must-read for music enthusiasts.

Published October 1, 2010

#notyourprincess: Voices of Native American Women edited by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

What you need to know: An eclectic combination of poetry, essays, interviews, and art that express what it’s like to be a Native American woman.

Published September 12, 2017

Hidden Figures (Young Readers’ Edition) by Margot Lee Shetterly

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

What you need to know: Tells the story of four African-American women who played essential roles in the NASA space program.

Published November 29, 2016

A Thousand Sisters: The Heroic Airwomen of the Soviet Union in World War II by Elizabeth Wein

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

What you need to know: In World War II, the Soviet Union became the first nation to allow women to fly combat missions. These are the stories of those fighters. Also, it’s written by the author of CODE NAME VERITY.

Published January 22, 2019

Radium Girls (Young Reader’s Edition): The Scary But True Story of the Poison that Made People Glow in the Dark by Kate Moore

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

What you need to know: How women workers fought for change in regulations and nuclear research and saved lives.

Published July 1, 2020

Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History by Keith O’Brien

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

What you need to know: “The untold story of five women who fought to compete against men in high-stakes national air races in the 1920s and 30s — and won.” (from Goodreads.)

Published August 7, 2018

The Story of My Life by Hellen Keller

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

What you need to know: The inspiring story of the first 22 years of Hellen Keller’s life in her own words.

First Published in 1902

Because I Was a Girl: True Stories for Girls of All Ages edited by Melissa de la Cruz

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

What you need to know: True stories about challenges, obstacles, and opportunities these women faced due to their gender.

Published October 3, 2017

This is Your Time by Ruby Bridges

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

What you need to know: Written as a letter from the iconic Civil Rights activist to today’s young readers as inspiration and a call to action.

Published November 10, 2020

Vote!: Women’s Fight for Access to the Ballot Box by Coral Celeste Frazer

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads | My Review

What you need to know: Learn about the 70 year fight for women’s suffrage and how the success of those leaders led to today’s #MeToo, #YesAllWomen, and Black Lives Matter movements.

Published August 6, 2019

I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb

Amazon | Barnes & Noble  | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads | My Review

What you need to know: Malala believes all girls have a right to an education. She refused to be silenced, even after she’d been shot in the head by the Taliban. Here, she tells her inspiring, unforgettable story.

Published October 8, 2013

Irena’s Children (Young Readers’ Edition): A True Story of Courage by Tilar J. Mazzeo

Amazon | Barnes & Noble  | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads | My Review

What you need to know: During World War II, Irena Sendler worked with an underground network to rescue 2,500 Jewish children from Nazi occupied Poland. I couldn’t put this book down.

Published September 27, 2016

Review: A Walk Toward Peace: The True Story of Peace Pilgrim by Kathleen Krull

Biography, Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , ,

A Walk Toward Peace: The True Story of Peace Pilgrim
Kathleen Krull
Illustrated by Annie Bowler
Flyaway Books
Published

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About Walking Toward Peace

She gave up everything: her home, her possessions, even her real name. She called herself Peace Pilgrim, put on her sneakers, and started off on her quest to walk thousands of miles all around America. Step by step, mile after mile, Peace Pilgrim traveled tirelessly, inviting everyone she met to consider a world where each person and each nation chooses peace.

This true story about a little-known woman who sacrificed everything for her convictions inspires us to step out for what we believe in, gathering others to join us along the way.

My Review

What an awesome, inspiring story! As soon as I saw the title of this book, I knew I wanted to read it. I had heard of Peace Pilgrim before but didn’t really know much about her, and this book is a really great introduction that makes her story really accessible to young readers.

The images are bright and simple but evocative. I really enjoyed the way they brought the words to life.

At the end of the book, there’s a one page, more in-depth biography of Peace Pilgrim, which is especially great for readers at the upper end of the target audience (as well as for curious parents!).

All in all, I’m super glad I read this book and think it’s a great one to add to your bookshelf, library, or classroom.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 6 to 10.

Representation
Peace Pilgrim was a white American woman.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
The story vaguely mentions that many people were talking about whether the country should go to war.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of WALKING TOWARD PEACE in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog.

Spotlight: Healers: Secrets of the Academy by L. L. Smith

Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, News and Fun, , , , , ,

Healers: Secrets of the Academy
L. L. Smith
Published January 21, 2021

Amazon | Goodreads

About Healers: Secrets of the Academy

The students of SalVaneerie Academy face a gruesome end at the hands of Shadow Knights! This army of mysterious and hollow Knights close in from the Dark Forest surrounding their campus. Healers, Warriors, and Brains must band together to repel these Shadow Knights and uncover their peculiar origins. Will Nicole amass enough friends to repel the attack? Will Hunter be able to overcome his performance anxiety? Will Theodore be able to discover the truth he seeks? Find out, inside!

Map of the Academy

I love when books have a map included, so I wanted to be sure to share this one in my post. When I’m reading a book with a map, I find I flip back to the map as I’m reading to help me visualize what’s happening. Do you find that you use maps when they’re available?

About L. L. Smith

Amazon Author Page | Instagram

L L Smith: small-town living and music binging. Self published two books deep and counting. He’s ready to share some laughs, gasps, and tears with reader folk from all walks of life!

Healers: Secrets of the Academy Tour Stops

Here are the other stops on the Healers: Secrets of the Academy blog tour through Breakeven Books. Lots of these stops are Booktubers, so if you’ve been thinking about finding new bookish channels to follow, be sure to check them out!

March 21

Kitty n Shadow Hobby Room on YouTube

Kathryn Books Blog

Breakeven Books Livestream on YouTube

March 22

Leosthetics Blog

March 23

One Book More Blog

March 24

Her Bookish Obsession Blog

What Polly Reads Blog

March 25

Penned by KDB Blog

The Story Sanctuary Blog – you are here!

March 26

Paperback Mo on YouTube

Roro Is Reading Blog

March 27

Kristi Reads on YouTube

Enchanted Reader on YouTube

After Tour Posts

Pablo Suarez on YouTube

BunnyCakes Tomes of Endless Wonder on YouTube

Kasandra on YouTube

Middle Fantasy on YouTube

Review: Fragile Remedy by Maria Ingrande Mora

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , ,

Fragile Remedy
Maria Ingrande Mora
Flux
Published March 9, 2021

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About Fragile Remedy

Sixteen-year-old Nate is a GEM—Genetically Engineered Medi-tissue created by the scientists of Gathos City as a cure for the elite from the fatal lung rot ravaging the population. As a child, he was smuggled out of the laboratory where he was held captive and into the Withers—a quarantined, lawless region. Nate manages to survive by using his engineering skills to become a Tinker, fixing broken tech in exchange for food or a safe place to sleep. When he meets Reed, a kind and fiercely protective boy that makes his heart race, and his misfit gang of scavengers, Nate finds the family he’s always longed for—even if he can’t risk telling them what he is.

But Gathos created a genetic failsafe in their GEMs—a flaw that causes their health to rapidly deteriorate as they age unless they are regularly dosed with medication controlled by Gathos City. As Nate’s health declines, his hard-won freedom is put in jeopardy. Violence erupts across the Withers, his illegal supply of medicine is cut off, and a vicious attack on Reed threatens to expose his secret. With time running out, Nate is left with only two options: work for a shadowy terrorist organization that has the means to keep him alive, or stay — and die — with the boy he loves.

My Review

So much happens in this one story that I’m having a hard time knowing where to begin.

I loved Nate’s character. He’s young and inexperienced and fierce and hopeful and a little bit self-loathing. I also loved the characters in the gang. Reese is loyal and true, always sticking to his values. Pixel is adorable. And the rest of the girls made it feel like such a little family.

Nate also has a relationship with Alden, a curio shop owner, drug addict, and man with connections. And Remedy, which Nate needs to live. It’s a complex relationship. I feel like I’d need a psychology degree to pick it apart. There are some really unhealthy elements to it, and yet somewhere in there is a protectiveness and loyalty and maybe even friendship? But it’s pretty enmeshed with the other elements, too.

The story itself moves forward pretty quickly. In Nate’s dystopian city, it’s dangerous to stay still too long, and that sense came through in the plot. Though it’s not a story about addiction, the story explores some of the damage that addiction causes, not just to the individual with the problem, but to the family and community. It also explores darker ideas, like using drugs to create dependent people and maintain control.

It’s been a while since I read a good dystopian story, and FRAGILE REMEDY definitely hit a lot of good notes for me. It made me uncomfortable sometimes, but usually in a way that made me think more deeply about the issues at hand. I think readers who enjoy books that explore addiction or dystopian stories will want to add this one to their shelves.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Nate and several other characters are gay. One member of the gang is transgender.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used maybe once or twice per chapter on average.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two boys. References to arousal.

Spiritual Content
Some people worship the Old Gods. Others have no spiritual beliefs.

Violent Content
Scenes show kidnapping and a mob attacking someone. Other scenes show the aftermath of characters injured by others.

Drug Content
One character is a drug addict. Others find the properties of GEM blood addicting.

Note: I received a free copy of FRAGILE REMEDY in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. All opinions are my own.

Review: Can’t Take That Away by Steven Salvatore

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , ,

Can’t Take That Away
Steven Salvatore
Bloomsbury YA
Published March 9, 2021

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About Can’t Take That Away

An empowering and emotional debut about a genderqueer teen who finds the courage to stand up and speak out for equality when they are discriminated against by their high school administration.

Carey Parker dreams of being a diva, and bringing the house down with song. They can hit every note of all the top pop and Broadway hits. But despite their talent, emotional scars from an incident with a homophobic classmate and their grandmother’s spiraling dementia make it harder and harder for Carey to find their voice.

Then Carey meets Cris, a singer/guitarist who makes Carey feel seen for the first time in their life. With the rush of a promising new romantic relationship, Carey finds the confidence to audition for the role of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, in the school musical, setting off a chain reaction of prejudice by Carey’s tormentor and others in the school. It’s up to Carey, Cris, and their friends to defend their rights–and they refuse to be silenced.

Told in alternating chapters with identifying pronouns, debut author Steven Salvatore’s CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY conducts a powerful, uplifting anthem, a swoony romance, and an affirmation of self-identity that will ignite the activist in all of us.

My Review

I had a lot of fun reading this book, but I’m not going to lie– some parts were hard, not because of the storytelling, but because they were hard things. I cried more than once. But I laughed a lot, too. Carey has the best friends. I loved how they rallied around them and offered support and solidarity.

This will surprise exactly no one who knows me, but I LOVED the relationship between Carey and their grandmother. I was super close to my grandmother who also had a form of Alzheimer’s Disease, and the feelings of support and that intergenerational connection totally resonated with me.

Also the food! I’m the most curious about the mint in the meatballs and sauce– which is apparently totally a thing! I also grew up with (and now make) homemade marinara and meatballs, but I’ve never used mint in them. Now I want to experiment.

Also the music. I loved the homage to Mariah Carey and the way that music is such a huge part of this story. I also loved that while Carey’s audition for Wicked was important, the story didn’t center around that moment. Rather, I felt like it elevated Carey’s participation in the musical to be a part of something so much bigger and really, more essential: their right to respect and equality.

Books that craft a meaningful community always seem to stick with me, and I think CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY will be no exception. I loved that Carey’s what began with Carey’s friends and family expanded to touch their whole community. I felt like the book ended on such a huge high note, and really left me feeling inspired and hopeful.

I think readers who enjoyed MUSIC FROM ANOTHER WORLD by Robin Talley or books about theater and music will love this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Carey is genderqueer. Another character identifies as bisexual, another as lesbian, and another as pansexual.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used regularly through the book.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between a genderqueer teen and boy. Kissing between two girls.

Spiritual Content
One character talks about a person who has died watching over them, feeling them present at a significant moment.

Violent Content – Trigger Warning
References to queerphobic terms a few times without the words being named. In one instance, a slur is used.

There are also some instances of bullying and physical assault.

Drug Content
Carey’s mom offers Carey’s friend group small glasses of champagne to celebrate a victory.

Note: I received a free copy of CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog.

Review: Amina’s Song by Hena Khan

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , , ,

Amina’s Song
Hena Khan
Simon & Schuster / Salaam Reads
Published March 9, 2021

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About Amina’s Song

It’s the last few days of her vacation in Pakistan, and Amina has loved every minute of it. The food, the shops, the time she’s spent with her family—all of it holds a special place in Amina’s heart. Now that the school year is starting again, she’s sad to leave, but also excited to share the wonders of Pakistan with her friends back in Greendale.

After she’s home, though, her friends don’t seem overly interested in her trip. And when she decides to do a presentation on Pakistani hero Malala Yousafzai, her classmates focus on the worst parts of the story. How can Amina share the beauty of Pakistan when no one wants to listen?

In the companion novel to the beloved and award-winning AMINA’S VOICE, Amina once again uses her voice to bridge the places, people, and communities she loves—this time across continents.

My Review

I read AMINA’S SONG at the perfect time– just when I needed a warm, fun story of community and family and belonging. I loved the chapters showing Amina with her family in Pakistan. The descriptions of the market, the rooftop, and the food all made those scenes come to life. I also loved Amina’s relationship with her cousin Zohra and her uncle.

I also loved the way the story followed her faith and her connection with her mosque and the ways she and others sought to help refugees who had just come to America. That generosity and welcoming warmth was really sweet.

As with AMINA’S VOICE, this story also focuses on Amina’s internal journey. She feels caught between her love for America and Pakistan and at a loss for how to explain and show that love to the people in her life on each side. I love that her path led her to compose her own music and challenged her to find ways to speak up, both in her class project about Malala and in her friendships.

All in all, I’d say this book is another winner. It’s got a strong faith-positive message, and a beautiful celebration of community as well as a thoughtful, brave heroine in Amina. Readers who enjoy multicultural stories or are looking for books that celebrate community will definitely want this one on their shelves.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Amina’s family are Pakinstani-American Muslims. The first part of the book takes places in Lahore, Pakistan, where Amina is visiting her family.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Amina makes friends with a boy at school and her friends tease her about being romantically interested. She is not allowed to date, and believes she wants to simply be friends with Nico.

Spiritual Content
Amina and her family are Muslims. She talks about reading the Quran and spending time in prayer. She’s also involved with continued fundraising to rebuild the mosque her family attends after it was vandalized a year earlier.

Violent Content
Amina learns about Malala and briefly discusses that she was shot in the head by the Taliban. She tells her cousin she was afraid to come to Pakistan because of the stories of violence she’d heard on the news. Her cousins in Pakistan worry that Amina and her brother could be shot, since they see reports of school shootings in the news so often.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of AMINA’S SONG in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. All opinions are my own.