There are numerous women in this book (yes, 52 in all!) with short biographies on their connections to science, including the likes of Hedy Lammar, actress and inventor, and some from my book, like Sally Ride, Ada Lovelace, Rachel Carson. But there are no pictures for a younger reader and the natural sciences and African American pioneers aren't given much space.

This was a fascinating historical read because history has "buried" the feats of the women in this book, who were actually flying and racing (!) planes in the late 1930s. The second world war curtailed their theatrics and daring, not taken seriously so soon after they'd begun. These were women flying with open cockpits, women like Amelia Earhart, who attempted to totally circle the globe, Louise Thaden, who raced and for a short time delivered mail by plane, and young divorcee Ruth Elder Alba, also a daring flyer. They were firsts in aviation at the time when we only thought men could fly!

This is fictional but a fantastical telling of another world (which you could almost say about adulthood if you haven't reach it yet), with unusual spells, creatures, and powers. Harry Potter is an orphan living as an unwanted child with his aunt and uncle, who treat him more like a servant, and with his chubby cousin Dudley Dursley. But at 11 he discovers he is a "wizard" and is brought by the semi-giant Hagrid to the Hogharts boarding school by special train. There he has many adventures with new friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and learns about courage and one way to challenge the evil wizard Voldemort.

This is actually an autobiography, so the famous Mrs. Rosa Parks tells the story of her life. She was actually involved with the NAACP young council and is more than just an "accidental" heroine. She and her family had to endure the harsh "Jim Crow" laws of the south and helped spark the bus boycott that energized the Civil Rights movement, something you don't realize is wrong till it happens to you.

Like my book (Great American Women in Science and Environment), "Women in Science : 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World" is written for ages 11 and up and illustrated, and gives the unique background on women from history you hear little if anything about. People like Hedy Lamarr, Inventor and Actress. This Hollywood actress from the 1930s-1950s, came up with a radio wave system now used in cell phones. Her invention would have helped the military jam the signals of radio-guided torpedoes, but the the military wouldn't listen to her! Gertrude Elion (also in my book, whose chapter gave me some research) was a hardworking cancer researcher who "loved" her work, most likely because it helped millions. Annie Easley, an African American from Alabama, became a computer programmer, mathematician, AND rocket scientist. She became part of the "Hidden Figures" group of women who helped put white men in outer space with their math smarts. (These are important women you should know more about and be inspired by, for all ages, really.)