We know that making a difference is important to many New Moon Girls, which is why this month’s column features feminism, voting, and activism books for girls. Whether you’re interested in historical fiction, real-life stories of pioneering women, or self-help for your own activism, you’ll find something here.
A Seed in the Sun
Lula dreams of one day becoming a ringleader in a traveling Mexican circus. But her dreams are hard to hold onto when her work picking grapes with her family, taking care of her siblings, and watching over Mama during an illness wears her down. Then she meets activist Dolores Huerta, who is organizing for better treatment of farm workers. And Lula’s future might depend on whether she is ready to join the fight in this novel-in-verse about the 1965 protest for workers’ rights.
Drawing Outside the Lines
When 11-year-old Julia visits the Brooklyn Bridge, she vows that someday she’ll design something just as wonderful. But she is ridiculed for being “brainy” and outsmarting her brothers. Throughout her education, people try to convince her that she should be staying INSIDE buildings … not designing them. But her talent and persistence will eventually lead to the creation of 700 buildings. This novel imagines the childhood of pioneering architect Julia Morgan.
RBG’s Brave and Brilliant Women
In the last year of her life, former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg worked with her journalist friend Nadine Epstein to collect the life stories of thirty-three Jewish women who made a difference. Starting with women from the Old Testament and bringing readers all the way up to the present, this book includes stories of Jewish scientists, activists, musicians, and more. Beautiful illustrations accompany the text, and RBG herself wrote the introduction.
The Anti-Racist Kid
You know that racism hurts us all, and maybe you want to more deeply understand how you can fight it. This book explores the importance of identity, helps you find the words to talk about racism, and provides tips on what to do when you encounter it in real life and in the media.
The Kids’ Complete Guide to Elections
You might be too young to vote in the upcoming midterm elections, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make a difference. While voting may seem simple, in the U.S. it’s sometimes more complicated than the person who wins the most votes winning an election. For example, in 2016 Hillary Clinton received more votes than Donald Trump, but because of the way votes are counted in the U.S., Donald Trump still fairly won the election. This book clears up the role the electoral college plays in presidential elections, explains the positions of major (and minor) political parties, and includes tips on how you can raise your voice in politics long before you turn 18.
More Books About Feminism, Voting, and Activism for Girls
How do you speak up when it seems like no one is listening? In Iveliz Explains It All by Andrea Beatriz Arango, a seventh-grader learns to advocate for herself at school while managing her mental illness.
The discovery of how to split the atom was a major scientific advancement … but for many years, The Woman Who Split the Atom, Lise Meitner, went unrecognized while her male colleagues received all the credit.
For inspiring stories of female trailblazers in medicine and police work, check out Bold Women of Medicine by Susan M. Latta and Women in Blue by Cheryl Mullenbach.
If you want to make a difference but aren’t sure where to focus your energy, check out Simple Acts: The Busy Teen’s Guide to Making a Difference by Natalie Silverstein.
What about you? Do you have favorite Feminism, Voting, and Activism books for girls? Have you read any of the books above? Let me know about it in the comments!
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