School Library Journal

Gr 6-8 Zimet tells the story of the women's suffrage movement in the United States beginning with the efforts of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott and concluding with an epilog about the Equal Rights Amendment. Zimet does not idolize the movement or the women involved. She reveals their complexities by discussing their marital and family choices, their racial backgrounds, their personality and generational differences, and their opinions on how efforts were to be organized. Readers will be captivated from beginning to end, in large part due to sidebars with titles such as "Know Your Radicals." Zimet deftly exposes readers to the strengths and flaws of these women, particularly the racist attitudes held by some of the white leaders. In a "Putting It in Perspective" section, Zimet highlights the racial divide surrounding voting rights, noting that universal suffrage did not occur until the 1960s; however, the suffrage struggles of Native American women are not mentioned. In addition, the word massacre is used in reference to the murder of Anne Hutchinson and her family. Zimet's position on women's rights is evident, yet her passion does not overshadow the story. VERDICT This engaging book educates, but it is slight on the history of voting rights for women of color. Hilary Writt, Sullivan University, Lexington, KY

Horn Book

The humorously detailed watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations almost upstage this engaging reimagining of Andersen's tale, inspired by the author's reading of the story as a book-starved child during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. A young emperor concocts a plan involving ridiculous rice-sack clothing to fool his vain, greedy ministers and reclaim some of their ill-gotten gains for his people. Appended with an author's note and craft instructions.

Starred Review ALA Booklist

Starred Review There are many books about the women's suffrage movement and the leaders who pushed, marched, insisted, and persisted until voting rights became a reality. But few offer such a comprehensive overview while still being appealingly accessible to a middle-grade audience. The authors begin at England's 1840 World Anti-Slavery Convention, where Elizabeth Cady Stanton hoped to participate in the proceedings. Realizing that she was barred because "I was only a woman" was a shock to her system. But she used that shock to make waves in America, writing a Declaration of Sentiments that included the right to vote. Suffrage was a sticking point for even some of her cohorts, yet it soon became a rallying point, and almost 100 years later, a reality. This follows the struggles, intimidation, indignities, and disappointments that occurred on the road to the vote. The authors don't shy away from showing the women's imperfections; for instance, Stanton, infuriated that African American men were granted the right to vote before women, sometimes used racist imagery. Extra information comes in sidebars: the cleverly titled "Know Your Radicals" profiles more suffragettes, while "Putting It in Perspective" details other branches of reform movements. Plenty of photographs add interest, but the design is not exactly lively. Fortunately, the writing is, and lots of young people will find this eye-opening.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Newcomer Zimet-founder of 2020: Project Women, a nonprofit celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment-and writer Hasak-Lowy present a compact composite portrait of the women who fought to secure voting rights for women. Tracking the turbulent path to the 1920 passage of the 19th Amendment, the authors explain how the suffrage movement had its roots in abolitionism, dealt with schisms due to diverging philosophies, navigated changing political landscapes, and contended with sexism, which -simply described how the county worked back then.- Quotations from the crusaders- writings and speeches bring their personalities into focus: -I forged the thunderbolts and she fired them,- said Elizabeth Cady Stanton of working with Susan B. Anthony. Sidebars spotlight additional suffragists, as well as contemporaneous campaigns and organizations. A conversational tone (one gathering begins with an indignant Stanton, -as we might say today, losing it-) makes this primer all the more accessible and relevant, as does the observation that, with the proposed Equal Rights Amendment still in limbo, the struggle for women-s rights is in no way over. Ages 10-up. Author-s agent: (for Zimet) Amy Berkower, Writers House; (for Hasak-Lowy) Daniel Lazar, Writers House. (Jan.)