The Danger of Small Things by Caryl Lewis

 

"The truth is that the whole world rested on a single bee's wings. The whole world." 

In the near future, when the last of the bees has died, food is scarce and society as we know it has broken down. Boys are forced to become soldiers and girls, at age 11, are taken to camps where they pollinate fruit trees by hand using brushes. It's backbreaking labor being up on ladders in trees all day in extreme heat. The girls, permanently separated from their parents, have nothing to look forward to except for forced marriages and childbearing as soon as they begin menstruating. Jess is different from other girls--her mother taught her to read and paint, and kept her out of the camps until she was 13 years old. She's a quiet outsider who is devoted to her best friend Cass, and she understands the inhumanity in how the girls are treated. A chance gift of paints gives Jess the opportunity to rebel and gives Jess hope for a more meaningful future. This slow-moving, beautifully crafted story has many similarities to The Handmaid's Tale. Young teens who are willing to enter into this dystopian world will find much to think about in this world (almost) devoid of art and literature and bees. Recommended for middle and high school library collections.  

Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renée Watson

This collection of poetry by the multitalented Renée Watson is exquisite. It weaves together stories of Black girls growing up in a neighborhood of supportive mothers, aunts and neighbors. It's a celebration of resilience and a call for young girls to claim their strength and celebrate who they are. The collage art by Ekua Holmes is gorgeous and the poems are resonant and thoughtful and joyous. Recommended for all middle and high school library collections, and for adult readers as well. 
 

Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol

 

This graphic novel is the story of an ordinary looking girl having extraordinary adventures. Young Jane is kicked out of her own home after her parents' death because there is no male heir. She quickly proposes to handsome Peter, but her hopes are dashed when he is kidnapped by a mermaid. Jane goes on a wild quest to save Peter (and her own future) in a dangerous underwater adventure. Behind this fairy tale is a lot of truth about how society views girls and youth and beauty and marriage. As Jane says in the end, "Someone somewhere makes up all these stupid rules and we're just all going along with them! Even if it makes us miserable!" Vera Brosgol is absolutely BRILLIANT (see Anya's Ghost and Be Prepared) and this magnificent graphic novel is going to have huge appeal to kids of all ages. 

Becoming RBG: Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Journey to Justice by Debbie Levy and Whitney Gardner

 

This outstanding biographical graphic novel not only illuminated the life of feminist legal pioneer Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but it also showed how she systematically used the law to open up opportunities for women. I was fascinated by the step-by-step progression of cases that she took on that led the courts to make decisions that bolstered the idea of gender equality. While accessible to 6th graders and older students, the graphic novel format is an ideal way for readers of any age to understand the genius of this woman who has had an affect on every American's life. Highly recommended for middle and high schoolers and adults--a great addition to nonfiction graphic novel collections and biography collections. Also should be required reading for aspiring law students. 

Watch Us Rise by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagen

Powerful, well-written, and inspiring, this story about New York teens at a social justice high school deserves a wide audience. A couple of high school girls start a Women's Rights Club and find that it's too much for even their progressive high school to handle. This book is brimming with poetry and activism, and also deals with racial microaggressions and interracial friendships. This book includes a poem about body image, with every word taken straight from a teen fashion magazine, that I will never forget. Highly recommended for grades 8-up.

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

Moxie is an empowering book about a girl who sees the toxic masculinity of her high school and does something about it. Vivian, an unlikely heroine, starts an underground zine that seems to go nowhere, but in the end influences the whole culture of her school. Women and teen girls will love it and take inspiration from Vivian, but I'm going to make sure boys to read it as well--they definitely could learn from the mistakes that boys and men make in the taunting, groping, silencing culture of Vivian's high school. Moxie is also a romance and a coming of age story and I highly recommend it to grades 8-up.