Girl Squads: 20 Female Friendships That Changed History

Gr 8 Up—This feminist anthology covers women doing awesome things across different time periods, including contemporary squads like Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan. The book is divided into sections featuring athletes, political and social activists, artists, warriors, and scientists. The chapters aren't long—about 10 pages each. Maggs's writing style is familiar and informal and often times humorous. (On why a Scottish school didn't want to admit female students: "They also argued that the presence of female students would be distracting and tempting, which sounds like a case of That's your problem,' but, you know, whatever.") The book also does a fine job of focusing on and celebrating the accomplishments of women of color, including mathematician Kathryn Peddrew and Salomé Ureña, the first national poet of the Dominican Republic.