(2) K-3 Illustrated by Andrea D'Aquino. This picture-book biography follows Bella Abzug (1920–1998), "the first woman elected to Congress on a women's rights platform," from her childhood defying gender roles at home, in the streets, and in her synagogue; through her career in law, activism, and politics. Aronson describes her personality, her accomplishments, and her brazenness. The layout of D'Aquino's child-friendly illustrations and occasional handwritten phrases brings the words to life and makes Abzug's impact tangible. The text is woven effectively into the illustrations, and the signature wide-brimmed red hats worn by "Battling Bella" make her figure jump out on every page. Issues such as sexism, war, prejudice, gay rights, and disability rights are discussed directly. Abzug's political losses are highlighted without showing those losses to be failures. The book ends with an inspirational call to action for readers in the twenty-first century to help fulfill Abzug's vision. An extensive author's note and a timeline provide further historical context; also appended with a selected bibliography.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) 4-6 The day Salva Sanchez's mami didn't come home, her life was turned upside down. Now she's living out of a van in an RV campground with her investigative journalist papi. He's on assignment in Mule Valley reporting on an undocumented woman, Marcia Lopez, who is being held in a detention center and is set for deportation away from her three young children. Salva hangs out at the campground while her father works, her only comforts the songs of salsa legend Celia Cruz. One day Salva ventures out from the campground, and music pulls her inside the local middle school, where she befriends a group of kids in a band. Salva, who blends salsa beats into contemporary pop songs, replaces the belittling Darcy as lead singer. While planning a benefit concert for Marcia to afford a top-notch immigration lawyer, Salva unexpectedly uncovers the shocking truth about Mami. Mancillas handles the difficult topic of a parent who is incarcerated with care. The circumstances are presented directly and in an age-appropriate manner. In the end, Salva confronts Papi for lying to her and sets boundaries with Mami. She also stands up to Darcy's bullying and finds that her voice can help others. An uplifting exploration of family and friendship, mental health, and finding one's place.

Reviewer: Yesica Hurd | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) YA The remarkable life of Black activist, attorney, and Episcopal priest Pauli Murray (1910–1985) is presented in an engaging, extensively documented nonfiction account in verse. Drawing heavily on Murray's autobiography, poems, and other writings, the book spans her entire life and identifies her influences as she became determined, from a young age in Jim Crow North Carolina, to learn and help others appreciate the true history of her people. She endured great hardships in order to graduate from Hunter College, but her efforts to get ahead were thwarted by the Great Depression. She began a lifelong passion for writing to newspapers and public figures about social issues, which she called "confrontation by typewriter," and was very successful at making those messages heard by people in power, including President Roosevelt. Later, at Howard University Law School, Murray was a strong proponent of overturning Plessy v. Ferguson because "separate could never be equal." In the later chapters, the authors acknowledge the limitations of language employed at the time, speculating that today "transgender / is possibly / what Pauli would call herself... Pauli's pronouns may have been / they/them/their." This is a compelling biography of an "unsung force"--an inspiring and transformative figure who broke barriers pivotal to both the civil rights and women's movements. Appended with photographs, authors' notes, a timeline, source notes, and a bibliography.

Reviewer: Luann Toth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Tatyana Fazlalizadeh. In 1968, a grandfather and grandchild wait for the train carrying the slain Robert F. Kennedy's body to pass by, in order to pay their respects. As they wait, the grandfather tells the story of "Bobby's" life, from a small boy in a rich, ambitious family, acting tough to please his father; to campaign manager for brother and presidential candidate John F. Kennedy, determined to "WIN" at all costs; to his own candidacy for the presidency--undertaken to change things for the better, and working in concert with others. "This time, he didn't grab at victory to win. Instead, he reached out his hand... Hands of all colors, hands in all neighborhoods, hands of all sizes...reached back to him." Wiles (the Sixties Trilogy) manages to cover all the outward milestones while making the heart of the book Kennedy's growth as a human being; her account, suffused with compassion, respect, and melancholy, communicates all that was lost with RFK's assassination. Fazlalizadeh's soft, textured illustrations, in graphite and colored digitally, variously convey time, place, and zeitgeist; evoke emotion; and capture personality. The book ends back at the railroad tracks, with the grandfather urging the child to reach out their own hand, to use their own "tough, fierce, mighty" heart to change the world. Appended with an author's note, suggestions for further reading, and a selected bibliography; quotes sprinkled throughout give further insight into RFK's character. Superb.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Raissa Figueroa. Dovey Johnson Roundtree (1914–2018) would grow up to be a civil rights warrior; this picture-book biography focuses on a pivotal moment in her childhood. One pre-dawn summer morning in North Carolina, her grandmother takes her blackberry picking, joined quietly by other women from their community. Intimidated by the dark, Dovey gains courage from Grandma Rachel, who tells her she need not fear it. "If you wait a little, your eyes will learn to see, and you can find your way." Awash in blues and purples and then pinks, reds, and golds as the sun rises, Figueroa's stunning illustrations, many of which depict a view from above the woodland scenes, illuminate the landscape, the diligent work of the women, and the lessons Dovey learns from her loving grandmother, which feed her tenacity and determination as an adult. Several pages of back matter, which include family photographs, detail the remarkable life of this unsung hero, who graduated from Spelman College, served in the Women's Army Corps, earned a degree from Howard ­University Law School, and fought diligently for civil rights throughout her long career and life. An author's note by McCabe explains that the book was "adapted from the final chapter of the autobiography Dovey and I wrote together." Inspiring and exquisitely illustrated, this well-researched true story will spark conversations that prompt young readers to learn more about Roundtree.

Reviewer: Michelle H. Martin | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2021

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. Velasquez's arresting jacket portrait of Ginsburg, superimposed on a facsimile of the U.S. Constitution, conveys a woman of purpose; Rappaport's biography, largely focused on Ginsburg's work for gender equality, reinforces this first impression. Despite societal inequalities between men and women in the 1950s, Ginsburg receives a full scholarship to Cornell and is then accepted to Harvard Law School. She graduates first in her class from Columbia Law (where she had transferred), but not a single law firm interviews her. She begins teaching at Rutgers with a salary less than those of her male counterparts and a legal barrier against claiming her student husband as a dependent. After joining several lawsuits addressing these issues, she successfully argues one such case before the Supreme Court. Rappaport's narrative scope includes Ginsburg's personal life, where her marriage mirrored her beliefs of shared and equal gender roles. Generous oil paintings place Ginsburg front and center except in illustrations relating to her marriage; there both husband and wife share the visual spotlight. Ginsburg's own words, stating both the inequalities she endured and her own convictions, conclude thus: "When I'm sometimes asked when will there be enough women on the Court, and I respond when there are nine, people are shocked. But the Supreme Court has had nine men for ever so long, and nobody's ever raised a question about that." Appended with a timeline, notes from both author and illustrator, a brief bibliography, and source notes.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(3) YA During a three-day deposition, Nate delivers a sworn statement to the prosecution about how and why his best friend, Cam, stabbed him. The stylistically complex narrative (unfolding through letters and other evidence as well as Nate's first-person account) spurs readers' consideration of issues of faith, sexuality, and the evolving and sometimes volatile nature of friendships.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) YA Teenagers Ryan and Dalila are star-crossed from the start: he is a self-proclaimed bad boy from Texas, and she's the studious daughter of a powerful attorney in Mexico. After a chance meeting at a concert, their lives unexpectedly intertwine and it doesn't take long for sparks to fly. This intense romance is told from the passionate protagonists' alternating perspectives.

Reviewer: Katie Darrin

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alison Jay. Hannigan's lively picture-book biography of Belva Lockwood (1830–1917) focuses on Lockwood's lifelong fight against injustice, especially toward women. She became the first woman to argue before the Supreme Court and run for president, even before women had the right to vote. Hannigan's liberal quoting of her subject brings Lockwood's story to life, as do Jay's period-reminiscent crackled oil-paint illustrations. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer:

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Nancy Zhang. Krull depicts Ginsburg as a smart, strong, independent woman, whose mother's influence has always stayed with her. Ginsburg's accomplishments and famous dissents are highlighted; large, bold statements drive home Krull's themes. The illustrations' mix of traditional and digital techniques at times lend the characters an unfortunate, out-of-place plastic quality. Explanatory pieces on the Supreme Court and Ginsburg's most famous rulings are appended. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer:

(3) YA In this adaptation of his popular adult title, Stevenson chronicles his early career as a lawyer fighting for prisoner rights in the South. While the moving story of a man's fight against an unjustified death sentence focuses this informative book, interspersed vignettes of Stevenson's work with teens facing life sentences are equally powerful. This engaging, eye-opening read is likely to inspire further education and activism. Ind.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sarah Green. This admiring portrait of Elizabeth Warren provides a strong introduction to the events that have shaped her life and political career. Beginning with child Elizabeth's family's financial difficulties, Wood describes the tenacity and burgeoning consciousness of inequities throughout Warren's work as a young mother, teacher, lawyer, and finally a U.S. senator. Green's bright, cheerful art portrays refreshing diversity among the background figures. An author's note is appended. Bib.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 With Kathleen Krull. This adaptation of the same-titled adult book is a clear, lively, well-documented look at the Supreme Court Justice's life, work, and portrayal in popular culture. Beginning with her vigorous 2013 dissent of the Voting Rights Act reversal, the biography, which contains a plethora of photographs, continues with her childhood, family, education, and the numerous legal milestones that account for her stellar career. Timeline. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(4) YA When Trell was a baby, her father was imprisoned for a high-profile murder in their gang-ridden Boston neighborhood. Now fourteen, whip-smart Trell works with a young lawyer and a cynical investigative reporter to overturn her father's conviction. Journalist Lehr's adult perspective permeates the voice of his young narrator, but the high-stakes fictionalized case--inspired by a true story--will keep crime-fiction fans interested.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(4) K-3 Zoom In on First Ladies series. These starter biographies have fact-driven texts illustrated with uncaptioned photos (or historical art in Washington). The choppy writing is easy to read, but the volumes provide little in the way of substantive background about these First Ladies. Appended lists of quick stats and key dates may be helpful when writing reports. Glos., ind. Review covers these Zoom In on First Ladies titles: Eleanor Roosevelt, Jacqueline Kennedy, Laura Bush, Martha Washington, Michelle Obama, and Nancy Reagan.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(3) 4-6 Gateway Biographies series. Two high-achieving women are portrayed fairly, with equal attention paid to their personal and professional lives. Ginsburg's story spans her childhood in Brooklyn to her rise to the Supreme Court; Lynch's includes anecdotes from her Jim Crow–era North Carolina upbringing and chronicles a justice-driven legal career. Small photographs round out the no-frills profiles. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers the following Gateway Biographies titles: Loretta Lynch and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Reviewer: Lauren Causey

(3) YA When a young man, Grant, is shot dead in an apparent hunting accident, none of his friends accepts the blame. Kate, who'd been developing a friendship with Grant, uses her internship at the district attorney's office to investigate what really happened, despite obstructions from several angles. If readers can suspend disbelief about Kate's level of access, they should enjoy this gripping legal thriller.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(2) YA In contemporary London, AJ Flynn, working as a junior clerk at a law firm, discovers a key that leads him to the past--a past in which there are opaque connections between his 1830s acquaintances and his contemporary employers. Murder, madness, forgery, poverty...it's all here. Gardner's prose, peppered with colorful metaphors and period language, moves the plot along quickly.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2016

(2) 4-6 In 1950, lawyer Thurgood Marshall--determined to "wipe out...all phases of segregation in education"--set about gathering legal cases he could use to argue that school segregation violated the Fourteenth Amendment. Rubin meticulously describes the five cases combined as Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, accessibly presenting complicated legal history and skillfully building on the events' inherent drama. Timeline. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2016

(3) 4-6 In the fifth Theodore Boone book, Theo spots accused murderer Pete Duffy during a school trip in Washington, DC, leading to the fugitive's capture and murder trial. Unless Theo can convince the prosecution's star witness to testify, Duffy may go free--and this kid lawyer won't accept that outcome. This middle-grade courtroom drama's draw is Grisham's trademark suspenseful pacing.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen