In this autobiographical account, sixth grader Tapper struggled with feelings of nervousness about speaking up in class and noticed many female classmates felt the same way. So she proposed a Girl Scout patch and pledge called "Raise Your Hand" to encourage girls everywhere to speak up. Kissi's bright, expressive illustrations bring additional warmth to this motivational tale of female empowerment.

PreS-Gr 2-- The Raise Your Hand initiative through the Girl Scouts of America is gaining national attention and this book is written by the young person who led the charge. Alice Tapper is a young girl scout who felt nervous and scared to raise her hand in class at the fear of being wrong and feeling embarrassed. This book tells her story. After noticing that many of her fellow female peers felt shy and fearful of being wrong but that her male peers were more confident and didn't share their anxiety, Alice knew that something had to change. She started locally by getting her own scout troop on board to help encourage other girls in their classes to be bold and brave. Soon the information was picked up by the Girl Scout council and all of the troops wanted to earn badges for "raising hands." The message is spreading far and wide that one should never be afraid to speak up and try new things. The illustrations are bright and complement the upbeat nature of the message. VERDICT Recommended for general purchase as it is an inspiring story about girls raising up girls in a world where too many people try to tear one another down.-Kristen Todd-Wurm, Middle Country Public Library, NY