Geo Librarian

SPEAK UP, SPEAK OUT! The Extraordinary Life of "Fighting Shirley Chisholm" by Tonya Bolden, Foreword by Stacey Abrams National Geographic, 2022 ISBN: 978-1-4263-7237-7 Source: Media Masters Publicity for review (Thanks!) Ages 10 and up All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book summary & book cover obtained from Goodreads.com & publisher. ABOUT THE BOOK From award-winning author Tonya Bolden comes a biography of the first Black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and the first Black woman to run for president with a major political party: Shirley Chisholm. Before there was Barack Obama, before there was Kamala Harris, there was Fighting Shirley Chisholm. A daughter of Barbadian immigrants, Chisholm developed her political chops in Brooklyn in the 1950s and went on to become the first Black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. This “pepper pot,” as she was known, was not afraid to speak up for what she thought was right. While fighting...

THE FIRST DINOSAUR: How Science Solved the Greatest Mystery on Earth by Ian Lendler Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2019 ISBN: 978-1-5344-2700-6 Source: purchased Ages 12 and up All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK A Kirkus Reviews Best Middle Grade Book of 2019 An Orbis Picture Recommended Title “An outstanding case study in how science is actually done: funny, nuanced, and perceptive.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Join early scientists as they piece together one of humanity’s greatest puzzles—the fossilized bones of the first dinosaur! Dinosaurs existed. That’s a fact we accept today. But not so long ago, the concept that these giant creatures could have roamed Earth millions of years before humans was unfathomable. People thought what we know as dinosaur bones were the bones of giant humans. Of large elephants. Of angels, even. So, how did we get from angel wings to the T-Rex? The First Dinosaur tells the story of the idea of dinosaurs...

DISSENTER ON THE BENCH: Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Life and Work By Victoria Ortiz Clarion Books, 2019 Source: eBook through public library Ages 14 and up All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK The life and career of the fiercely principled Supreme Court Justice, now a popular icon, with dramatic accounts of her landmark cases that moved the needle on legal protection of human rights, illustrated with b/w archival photographs. Dramatically narrated case histories from Justice Ginsburg's stellar career are interwoven with an account of RBG’s life—childhood, family, beliefs, education, marriage, legal and judicial career, children, and achievements—and her many-faceted personality is captured. The cases described, many involving young people, demonstrate her passionate concern for gender equality, fairness, and our constitutional rights.  Notes, bibliography, index.   REVIEW Ruth Bader Ginsburg made for an in...

ELEANOR ROOSEVELT Fighter for Justice Her Impact on the Civil Rights Movement, the White House, and the World by Ilene Cooper Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2018 ISBN: 978-1-4197-2295-0 Source: purchased Ages 12-16 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Eleanor Roosevelt, Fighter for Justice shows young readers how the former First Lady evolved from a poor little rich girl to a protector and advocate for those without a voice. Though now seen as a cultural icon, she was a woman deeply insecure about her looks and her role in the world. But by recognizing her fears and constantly striving to overcome her prejudices, she used her proximity to presidents and her own power to aid in the fight for Civil Rights and other important causes. This biography gives readers a fresh perspective on her extraordinary life. It includes a timeline, biography, index, and many historic photographs. REVIEW This well-written biography focuses on the work that...

MARY SHELLEY The Strange True Tale of Frankenstein's Creator by Catherine Reef Clarion Books, 2018 ISBN: 9781328740052 Source: eBook through public library Ages 14 and up All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK   On the 200th anniversary of the publication of Frankenstein, comes a riveting biography of its author, Mary Shelley, whose life reads like a dark gothic novel, filled with scandal, death, drama, and one of the strangest love stories in literary history.  The story of Frankenstein ’s creator is a strange, romantic, and tragic one, as deeply compelling as the novel itself. Mary ran away to Lake Geneva with the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley when she was just sixteen. It was there, during a cold and wet summer, that she first imagined her story about a mad scientist who brought a corpse back to life. Success soon followed for Mary, but also great tragedy and misfortune.      Catherine Reef brings this passion...