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:
Young Adult
2020 Selection(s)
Fiction
A Woman is No Man
A novel tracing the lives of three generations of Palestinian-American women, Deya, Isra and Fareeda, who struggle to find their places, and their voices, in a culture dominated by men.
Among the Fallen
After she leaves prison a “fallen woman,” sixteen-year-old Orpha finds refuge at Urania Cottage. There, she is guided by author Charles Dickens, philanthropist Lady Burdett-Coutts, and a community of women.
Forward Me Back to You
A summer service trip to work with survivors of human trafficking allows two American teens, Katina and Ravi, to learn, grow, and heal their own suffering in unexpected ways.
Ghost Wall
Silvie and her family join an anthropology class to live as if they are ancient Britons. She discovers that Iron Age life was difficult, but the patriarchy remains timeless.
Queen of the Sea
When political exiles, including the former queen, arrive on the island, Margaret questions her life in the island’s convent, the true nature of its existence, and her own presence there.
SLAY
High school senior, Kiera, secretly creates a multiplayer online role-playing game dedicated to Black culture but is attacked in mainstream media after a player is murdered.
Tell Me How You Really Feel
Rachel is forced to collaborate on her final film project with the impossibly beautiful, accomplished Sana, who once seemingly pranked Rachel by asking her out.
There's Something About Sweetie
Tired of being told being fat means she’s lacking, Sweetie begins to gain and display more confidence, including dating a handsome boy her mother says is out of her league.
Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All
Two young women try to survive in harsh circumstances in WWII Chicago–one of them living, one of them dead.
We Set the Dark on Fire
Wealthy young men in Medio are matched with two wives: a wise Primera and a passionate Segunda. Rivals, now sharing a household, Daniela and Carmen must come together to survive.
