The Amelia Bloomer Book List
A few years ago, a book by Shana Carey introduced nineteenth-century feminist activist Amelia Bloomer to the picture-book crowd. Published in 2000, YOU FORGOT YOUR SKIRT, AMELIA BLOOMER! uses humor and history to bring the life and work of this pioneering newspaper editor, feminist thinker, public speaker, and suffragist to a new generation. In the spirit of Amelia Bloomer, the Feminist Task Force of the Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association proudly announced in 2002 the first annual Amelia Bloomer List, a bibliography of appealing feminist books for young readers from birth to 18. Books eligible for this award must have been published in the United States during the 18 months prior to the selection in January of each year. Set from prehistoric times to the present, these books, both fiction and nonfiction, provide role models of stong, capable, creative women. They introduce children growing up in the South during the Civil Rights Movement, photographers on the cutting edge of their times, young women surviving in today’s Afghanistan, and pioneers in the fields of flyinig and space exploration. Others feature girls who outwit dragons, create petroglyphs to save a tribe, and train to win battles. From a picture book using bear hair and other earthen materials in its illustrations to a biography written in graphic-novel format, these books show girls and women exploring exciting ways to solve practical dilemmas through the courage of their convictions. All of them spur the imagination and expand the limits of dreams while confronting traditional female stereotypes. And best of all, these books are fun reading!
Administered by:
Middle Grade
2020 Selection(s)
Fiction
A Good Kind of Trouble
Shayla finds her voice as an African-American, suburban, young woman as she grapples with changing friendships, her identity, and understanding the complexities surrounding the shooting of an African-American man.
Nonfiction
The Autism-Friendly Guide to Periods
A clear, detailed guide about the basics of menstruation.
Fiction
Best Friends
Hale’s graphic memoir reflects on 6th grade as a time of questioning what friendship is, gaining confidence in her abilities, and pushing back against societal limits on girls and women.
Nonfiction
Fighter in Velvet Gloves: Alaska Civil Rights Hero Elizabeth Peratrovich
Nearly 20 years before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Alaska Native Elizabeth Peratrovich worked to successfully pass anti-discrimination laws in the future state of Alaska.
Fly Girls Young Readers’ Edition: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History
Fly Girls follows the stories of five American women who pursued their passion for flight during a time when women aviators weren’t seen as being equal to men.
Fiction
Indian No More
In 1957, when the government enacts a law that terminates their Umpqua tribal status, Regina’s family becomes “Indian no more,” forced from their homeland and relocated to Los Angeles.
Nonfiction
Make Trouble Young Readers Edition: Standing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding the Courage to Lead
This memoir of Cecile Richards, a lifelong activist and feminist icon, offers practical advice and inspiration for aspiring young leaders.
Reaching for the Moon: The Autobiography of NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson
The inspiring autobiography of NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, who helped launch Apollo 11.
Fiction
Strange Birds: A Field Guide to Ruffling Feathers
The summer before starting middle school, four very different girls—a journalist, a chef, a birdwatcher, and an artist—form a secret Scout troop dedicated to “truth, kindness, justice, and community.”
Young Adult
2020 Selection(s)
Fiction
With The Fire on High
Afro-Boricua high school senior and single-mother, Emoni, navigates through societal barriers to empower herself and create a future where she can pursue her passion to become a chef.
