Women's History Month Reads
 
for Middle Schoolers & Teens
 
March 2026
Seven women in welding gear sit side by side at a WWII shipyard
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Middle School
Eureka by Victoria Chang
Eureka
by Victoria Chang

Promised safety outside of San Francisco, twelve-year-old Mei Mei travels by herself to Eureka, California where she navigates increasing violence against her community leading up to the expulsion of Chinese immigrants in 1885.
Hattie Mae Begins Again by Sharon G. Flake
Hattie Mae Begins Again
by Sharon G. Flake

A southern girl attends an elite girls boarding school in the north must find the courage to be herself and to dream of a brighter future, set against the backdrop of the great migration.
A Year Without Home by V. T. Bidania
A Year Without Home
by V. T. Bidania

After U.S. troops pull out of Vietnam, eleven-year-old Gao Sheng and her family are forced to flee their home in Laos and make a new home in a refugee camp in Thailand.
The Dream & the Hope: The Historic Rise of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Nation's Highest Court by Garen Thomas
The Dream & the Hope: The Historic Rise of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Nation's Highest Court
by Garen Thomas

Before becoming the first black woman on the Supreme Court Ketanji Brown Jackson was a bright and happy kid with big dreams and determination. Guided by her parents, whose own stories influenced her, and who helped her navigate the obstacles she might face as a Black child, Ketanji's spirit, drive, and belief in herself blossomed. She was popular in school and excelled in academics, debate, and theater, but it wasn't always smooth sailing. Over the decades, she'd run up against a backdrop of people and Supreme Court rulings that sometimes opened doors for her... and sometimes shut them. By remaining true to herself and fighting for what's right, Ketanji became an inspiration to children everywhere, accomplishing her lifelong goals and ascending to the nation's highest court, where she now helps decide the direction of our country.
Rad women worldwide : artists and athletes, pirates and punks, and other revolutionaries who shaped history by Kate Schatz
Rad women worldwide : artists and athletes, pirates and punks, and other revolutionaries who shaped history
by Kate Schatz

From the author and illustrator of the New York Times best-selling book Rad American Women A-Z, comes a bold new collection of 40 biographical profiles, each accompanied by a striking illustrated portrait, showcasing extraordinary women from around the world, including Hatshepsut, Malala Yousafzi, Ann Bancroft and many more.
Goddess : 50 goddesses, spirits, saints and other female figures who have shaped belief by Janina Ramirez
Goddess : 50 goddesses, spirits, saints and other female figures who have shaped belief
by Janina Ramirez

Filled with breathtaking artwork and based on original sources with photographs from the British Museum collection, this extraordinary collection profiles 50 powerful female figures from around the world and throughout history who have played an important role in shaping belief today.
Teen
Rosa by Any Other Name by Hailey Alcaraz
Rosa by Any Other Name
by Hailey Alcaraz

In this Romeo and Juliet-inspired retelling set during the civil rights era, a Mexican American girl is driven to join a movement for justice after her white classmate and best friend from the barrio are tragically murdered.
The Belgian Girls by Kathryn J. Atwood
The Belgian Girls
by Kathryn J. Atwood

I have just been condemned to death. I will be shot tomorrow. Long live the King. Long live Belgium.When the Germans overrun Brussels during the First World War, Gabrielle is infuriated to see her newfound happiness shattered. It isn't long before she is faced with an impossible choice. Three decades later, shy and bookish Julienne moves to Brussels with her widowed father at the height of the Nazi occupation and is horrified to witness the city's callous treatment of Jews. In this dual timeline novel inspired by the life of Belgian spy Gabrielle Petit, two very different young women must discover their inner strength to become the heroes their city needs. And when loyalties are tested and decades-old secrets are revealed, their legacies will become entwined forever. Written by historian and storyteller Kathryn J. Atwood, The Belgian Girls is a tale of hope, forgiveness, and the healing power of friendship.
The Rebel Girls of Rome by Jordyn Taylor
The Rebel Girls of Rome
by Jordyn Taylor

Now: Grieving the loss of her mother, college student Lilah is hoping to reconnect with a grandfather who refuses to talk about his past. Then she receives a mysterious letter from a fellow student, Tommaso, claiming he's found a lost family heirloom, and her world is upended. Soon Lilah finds herself in Rome, trying to unlock her grandfather's history as a Holocaust survivor once and for all. But as she and Tommaso get closer to the truth--and their relationship begins to deepen into something sweeter--Lilah realizes that some secrets may be too painful to unbury... Then: It's 1943, and nineteen-year-old Bruna and her family are doing their best to survive in Rome's Jewish quarter under Nazi occupation. Until the dreaded knock comes early one morning, and Bruna is irrevocably separated from the rest of her family. Overcome with guilt at escaping her family's fate in the camps, she joins the underground rebellion. When her missions bring her back to her childhood crush, Elsa, Bruna must decide how much she's willing to risk--when fully embracing herself is her greatest act of resistance --
Arm in Arm: The Grimké Sisters' Fight for Abolition and Women's Rights by Angelica Shirley Carpenter
Arm in Arm: The Grimké Sisters' Fight for Abolition and Women's Rights
by Angelica Shirley Carpenter

Born to a family of enslavers in the South, Sarah Grimkâe and Angelina Grimkâe Weld were some of the first women to speak out about abolition and women's rights in the United States--
The Mysterious Virginia Hall: World War II's Most Dangerous Spy by Claudia Friddell
The Mysterious Virginia Hall: World War II's Most Dangerous Spy
by Claudia Friddell

Virginia Hall was an athletic, outdoorsy girl who dreamed of joining the foreign service and becoming an ambassador. Despite numerous setbacks, including losing her leg to gangrene after an accident, Virginia never wavered in her determination to serve her country. After the outbreak of World War II, a chance meeting on a train changed her life. Virginia joined the Allied Intelligence services as one of its first women agents, where she organized French resistance fighters, performed daring rescues, and provided the Allies with intelligence that was key for ousting the Nazis.
The Swans of Harlem (Adapted for Young Adults): Five Black Ballerinas, a Legacy of Sisterhood, and Their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History by Karen Valby
The Swans of Harlem (Adapted for Young Adults): Five Black Ballerinas, a Legacy of Sisterhood, and Their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History
by Karen Valby

A full accounting of five ... talented Black ballerinas from The Dance Theater of Harlem, founding members among them, that illuminates their hard-fought, historic, and overlooked contributions to the world of classical dance at a time when racism shut out Black dancers from major dance companies.
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