Alice Burke, Daniel Wallace, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Jones, Nell Richardson, Pete Seeger, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. What do all these far-ranging and complex people have in common? Their decision to recognize injustice, take action, and work toward change. Whether their outlet was music, the field of law, nonviolent acts of protest, or a mapless trip around the United States, the above figures all pursued some form of activism to get their cause—and the voices they represented—heard. Put these titles in the hands of readers and expect savvy social justice activists by fall! To really get the conversation going, Schatz’s compendium of awesome women is a sure start.

Kulling, Monica. On Our Way to Oyster Bay: Mother Jones and Her March for Children’s Rights. illus. by Felicita Sala. 32p. (CitizenKid). websites. Kids Can. Sept. 2016. Tr $17.95. ISBN 9781771383257. 

Gr 1-3 –Mary Harris “Mother” Jones worked relentlessly as an advocate and organizer for workers’ rights. Mother Jones sought to highlight the plight of working children by organizing a march from Philadelphia to New York City and then to President Theodore Roosevelt’s summer home in Oyster Bay, Long Island. This work recounts the experiences of two young fictional child workers, Aidan and Gussie, during that march. Camping out in the woods, riding a train, and visiting Coney Island, Aidan and Gussie learn lessons in generosity and activism as they meet thousands of supportive people along the way. Finally arriving at Oyster Bay, with her few ragtag crusaders, Mother Jones was turned away and never met with the president. However, the march raised national awareness, and within a few years the first child labor laws were passed. As an introduction to the idea of activism and the concept of the individual’s ability to make a difference, this is a suitable work for students. Color illustrations highlight the march from Aiden and Gussie’s viewpoint but show almost exclusively white children and adults. Information is included about Mother Jones and her crusade as well as facts about current problems of child labor throughout the world, with a few suggestions for possible actions that may be undertaken by readers. VERDICT As a classroom read-aloud, combined with discussion, this can be used as an overview of social justice and activism.–Eva Elisabeth VonAncken, formerly at Trinity-Pawling School, Pawling, NY

Levy, Debbie. I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark. illus. by Elizabeth Baddeley. 40p. bibliog. photos. S. & S. Sept. 2016. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9781481465595. 

Gr 3-5 –Ruth Bader Ginsburg grew up in a time different from today; girls were taught to aspire to be wives and mothers—not study at college and become lawyers. This picture book biography of Justice Ginsburg traces her achievements in the field of law back to her girlhood years, emphasizing for readers the importance of dissent in the face of an unequal society. Students will delight as they watch a young Ginsburg “protest” being forced to write with her right hand (she was left-handed) and “object” to being made to take home economics instead of shop class. The text goes on to briefly cover her high school, college, and law school years, as well as her marriage to Martin Ginsburg and the birth of her two children. The majority of the narrative focuses on Ginsburg’s law career, her entry into the U.S. Supreme Court, and her work as an associate justice. The writing is appropriately succinct for its intended audience and is nicely complemented by Baddeley’s richly illustrated cartoonish drawings. The use of colorful and bold typography to highlight words such as protest, object, dissent, disagree, and agree injects life into the work. Back matter includes photos of Ginsburg, more information on her life and the Supreme Court cases alluded to in the text, and a bibliography with quotation sources. VERDICT This dynamic offering is an essential purchase that will be useful for completing assignments as well as for pleasure reading.–Rebecca Gueorguiev, New York Public Library

Mahoney, Ellen. Gandhi for Kids: His Life and Ideas, with 21 Activities. 144p. (For Kids). bibliog. glossary. index. notes. photos. websites. Chicago Review. Aug. 2016. pap. $17.99. ISBN 9781613731222. 

Gr 5-8 –This entry focuses on how Mohandas Gandhi’s life—including his childhood in India, Western education, and firsthand experience of racism and injustice—influenced his rejection of material culture and political power and inspired his world-changing idea of nonviolent protest. Mahoney provides some general background to help readers put the man’s life into the context of the places he lived and the time period. Since the emphasis is on Gandhi’s ideas, there is more coverage of his formative experiences in India, Britain, and South Africa than of his return to India and efforts to make India independent (the book’s midsection about the South African years is occasionally dry). Mahoney admires Gandhi and his adherence to his beliefs but also describes his struggles to live up to his ideals, especially in his family life. The text is supplemented with average-quality black-and-white photos and sidebars about people and political movements. The 21 activities are related to Gandhi’s culture, work, and ideas, ranging from simple craft projects such as evaporating salt to more complex research and critical thinking projects such as examining the role of consumerism in modern society and becoming an advocate for a cause. This book is a complement to, rather than a replacement for, titles such as Kem Knapp Sawyer’s Champion of Freedom: Mohandas Gandhi, which has a fuller discussion of India’s colonial history and Gandhi’s role in its independence. VERDICT Good supplemental choice for reports and as a classroom resource for student projects.–Mary Mueller, Rolla Public Schools, MO

Rockliff, Mara. Around America To Win the Vote: Two Suffragists, a Kitten, and 10,000 Miles. illus. by Hadley Hooper. 40p. further reading. Candlewick. Aug. 2016. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780763678937. POP 

K-Gr 3 –A car made up of bright primary colors—yellow hood, blue doors, and red luggage compartment—transports suffragists Nell Richardson and Alice Burke, a kitten, and readers across the United States all in the name of “Votes for Women!” Throughout, the pacing is excellent, and Rockliff begins the adventure with a litany of items found inside the petite yellow vehicle (“tools,/spare parts,/a teeny-tiny typewriter”) and introduces Richardson and Burke and emphasizes their determination to get the word out (“V. for W.!”). Readers will follow the two women (and their kitten) from New York City to Philadelphia, through a blizzard, a stop at an all-yellow luncheon, a stint in a circus parade, and more as they drive down South and along the U.S. and Mexican border all the way to California and back. Rockliff communicates the boundless energy of these two figures and adds touches of humor to lift the narrative; this small but significant historical moment is presented as accessible and fun without undermining the importance of Richardson, Burke, and the fight for women’s equality. Hooper shows the women working together (a concluding image of Richardson handing Burke a daffodil is wonderful), the curiosity and interest on the faces of passersby (mainly white folks), and the dress and style of the times. While this is an excellent introduction to the efforts of suffragists, when discussing this text and the Nineteenth Amendment, librarians may want to clarify that statements such as “At last, American women had won the right to vote” (mentioned in the back matter section titled “Winning the Vote”) did not always reflect the reality of African American women and other women of color, who often faced legal and illegal barriers to vote (especially in the South) until well into the 1960s. VERDICT Prepare for the arrival of the “little yellow car” into the hearts of readers; this charming and vibrant account of two lesser-known figures will bolster historical collections.–Della Farrell, School Library Journal

Schatz, Kate. Rad Women Worldwide: Artists and Athletes, Pirates and Punks, and Other Revolutionaries Who Shaped History. illus. by Miriam Klein Stahl. 112p. Crown/Ten Speed. Sept. 2016. Tr $15.99. ISBN 9780399578861. 

Gr 6 Up –Schatz and Stahl present profiles of 40 extraordinary women from around the globe. The short biographies cover each woman’s life and accomplishments and the great odds they faced. Coming from many continents and different time periods, all the women are portrayed as bold and heroic. There are subjects who lived thousands of years ago, such as the ancient Mesopotamian writer Enheduanna and Hatshepsut, the first and only female king of ancient Egypt. Included also are Grace “Granuaile” O’Malley, a 16th-century Irish sea captain; Berta and Nicolasa Quintreman, sisters belonging to the Mapuche people who inspired resistance against corporate destruction of land in 1980s Chile; and Sophie Scholl, who spoke out against the Nazis. A broad array of athletes, musicians, scientists, environmentalists, political activists, artists, and more create a vast tapestry of women’s achievements and contributions to their individual societies and the world as a whole. Each profile includes a striking cut-paper portrait. The ending chapter, “The Stateless,” is a call-and-response investigation of how the state of displaced peoples, refugees, and asylum seekers is a feminist issue. The call-and-response format oscillates between abstract thoughts (“What does it mean to be from a place? Or to be foreign? To belong, to not belong”) and more formal, statistics-based answers (“Of the 60 million forcibly displaced people…almost 80 percent are women and children.”). The volume concludes with a list, ordered alphabetically by country, of 250 additional women deemed exceptional. VERDICT This collection of energetic profiles is sure to spark discussion and encourage readers passionate about women’s history and rights to do further research.–Patricia Ann Owens, formerly at Illinois Eastern Community Colleges, Mt. Carmel

Silvey, Anita. Let Your Voice Be Heard: The Life and Times of Pete Seeger. 112p. bibliog. notes. photos. Clarion. Aug. 2016. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780547330129. 

Gr 5-7 –Silvey traces the influences and happenings that would take Pete Seeger, born to classical musician parents, from a place of wealth down to the union halls, small towns, and never-ending crusade against injustice. Seeger is shown learning from the likes of Alan Lomax and Woody Guthrie and coming to understand economic inequality, workers’ rights, and civil rights. To bring the message of folk music and peace to a greater audience became Seeger’s—and by extension this book’s—quest. Through personal interviews, as well as primary source materials, Silvey creates a flowing biography for the middle school audience. She succeeds in portraying the strength of the singer’s convictions, even in the face of adversity, which included a 10-year persecution by the House Un-American Activities Committee. Each chapter begins with a verse from Seeger’s repertoire of music—some original and others renditions of traditional songs. VERDICT The subject is presented in such a way that readers will feel close to Seeger and be inspired to pursue more information on him and the causes he fought for.–Sharon M. Lawler, formerly at Randolph Elementary, Randolph AFB, TX

Wallace, Rich & Sandra Neil Wallace. Blood Brother: Jonathan Daniels and His Sacrifice for Civil Rights. 352p. bibliog. chron. index. notes. photos. websites. Calkins Creek. Sept. 2016. Tr $18.95. ISBN 9781629790947. 

Gr 8 Up –In a masterly demonstration of scholarly research and nonfiction writing, the Wallaces have crafted a powerful biographical narrative of civil rights activist Jonathan Daniels. Daniels traveled to Alabama in 1965 to participate in the Selma to Montgomery March, and he stayed on to become a part of the African American community there. Daniels worked alongside Stokely Carmichael, John Lewis, and other key activists in the civil rights struggle and ultimately lost his life in the violent aftermath of the efforts to secure voting rights for African Americans in Lowndes County. More than merely delineating the dates and places of Daniels’s life and death, this work provides copious photographs, intimate interviews, and a variety of primary source documents to clearly reveal the deep South of the 1960s with all of its disparities, prejudices, terrors, and injustices. While there are many historical details in the narrative, careful annotations and thorough indexing help readers keep track of the many players and scenes in this true-life drama. The authors have created a biography that brings to light the life and legacy of a lesser-known civil rights activist. The oppression of segregation and the violent means used to maintain it are depicted in shocking detail here, making the book more appropriate for mature readers. VERDICT This visually stunning and morally significant history is highly recommended for all high school collections.–Kelly Kingrey-Edwards, Blinn Junior College, Brenham, TX

These reviews were published in School Library Journal’s July 2016 issue.