The Girl Who Rode a Shark & Other Stories of Daring Women

Gr 3-7--The 52 women featured in this book are described as "adventurers the history books forgot about." The subjects are grouped into six categories: artists, pioneers, scientists, activists, athletes, and adventure seekers. Some, such as Joan of Arc, Amelia Earhart, and Sacagawea, will be familiar to readers, while others are less widely known, such as Teuta, a pirate queen who challenged the Romans; Nalini Nadkarni, who trained as a dancer and later became a scientist studying rain forests; and opera singer Alexandra David-Néel, who explored the Tibetan city of Lhasa in the 1920s. The subjects are fascinating, and the women come from a variety of time periods, geographic regions, socioeconomic backgrounds, and ethnicities and include women with disabilities. Yet they all shared common characteristics: the need for adventure and a desire to learn. The book also contains portraits of the women, a glossary, and information about Indigenous peoples and the world's ever-changing political boundaries. VERDICT This colorful, delightful book is highly recommended for all history and women's history collections.--Patricia Ann Owens, formerly at Illinois Eastern Community College, Mt. Carmel

Praise for The Girl Who Rode a Shark: And Other Stories of Daring Women

2019 CBC Books "12 books for kids and young adults to read this fall" selection

★ STARRED REVIEW "Brief biographies of 52 intrepid women, spanning the globe and all centuries, are flanked by large, full-color illustrations and by maps that show the women's adventuring sites....The artwork, reminiscent of art deco travel posters, is a gorgeous complement to the eclectic curation....An exciting labor of love—for kids of all gender identities."—Kirkus Starred Review

"The subjects are fascinating, and the women come from a variety of time periods, geographic regions, socioeconomic backgrounds, and ethnicities and include women with disabilities. Yet they all shared common characteristics: the need for adventure and a desire to learn. The book also contains portraits of the women, a glossary, and information about Indigenous peoples and the world's ever-changing political boundaries. VERDICT This colorful, delightful book is highly recommended for all history and women's history collections."—School Library Journal

"Brightly colored digital-media portraits face each page of text, and double-page maps pinpoint each subject's country of origin. Truly international in scope and ranging across centuries...this attractive collection should spark inquiry for further research."—Booklist

"The title of this new nonfiction text is enough to catch any readers' attention, but this is only one of many qualities of this book that will keep readers engaged....The diversity of the women featured allow readers of all backgrounds to find a little bit of themselves in these stories....The colors, cultural aspects, maps, and quotes in the illustrations amplify Ross' exquisite writing. This would be a strong addition to any middle grade or middle school collection."—School Library Connection

"Ailsa Ross' The Girl Who Rode a Shark & Other Stories of Daring Women is a comprehensive work of middle grade nonfiction....[A] useful resource for school-aged studies on topics such as women's rights, female historical figures or biographies. The book is diverse both culturally and geographically, and the easy to navigate layout and bright engaging illustrations will quickly draw readers in....Highly Recommended."—CM Magazine

"Rating: G...The biographies are short but give a good idea of what these women did to make them outstanding in their place and time. They could lead to further research by students who have a particular interest in some of the women highlighted."—Resource Links

"The Girl Who Rode a Shark, by Ailsa Ross (who lives in Alberta!) and Amy Blackwell, has managed to live up to my expectations. My favourite bit is the Canadian content...The women profiled in the book come from places all over the world, include many women of colour, and also women with disabilities....A few of these figures are familiar, but more are new to us, and their stories are made vivid and compelling through the book's beautiful artwork and smart and engaging prose."—Pickle Me This

"What an incredible compilation of fearless females who are sure to inspire anyone who reads of their bravery, strength, intelligence, and persistence....THE GIRL WHO RODE A SHARK will serve as inspiration to all readers, especially female, empowering them to be their best selves and follow their hearts no matter how daunting the road—or ocean—might be."—Christina Ammirati

"[A] must have for all kids to discover real examples of courage and perseverance....These extraordinary women will surely inspire the next generation of young readers, or readers of any age to be more brave and take action."—Mighty Village