Terrific Women Teachers

Gr 6—8—This collection of biographical sketches includes well-known educators like Annie Sullivan Macy, Maria Montessori, and Christa McAuliffe, as well as lesser-known but equally fascinating women like Indonesia's Raden Ayu Kartini and Afghanistan's Malalai Joya. Their stories are interesting and often inspiring. Unfortunately, the writing is marred by slightly awkward language ("many students with physical disabilities can enjoy whatever activities they would like"), some inaccuracies (the life span of Kartini, from 1879 to 1904, is listed as being "more than 150 years ago" and the Holocaust is defined as the "time in history when Hitler and the Nazis were trying to conquer the world"), and confusing comparisons ("You certainly wouldn't have found any cell phones" in Marva Collins's orderly Westside Prep in the 1970s). Nevertheless, this is a fun collection of portraits of women who generally don't receive as much biographical attention as they should. Each chapter contains at least one black-and-white photograph of its subject and several sidebars explaining details like ADHD and Tourette's syndrome, or Nazi deporation.—Rebecca Donnelly, Loma Colorado Public Library, Rio Rancho, NM