SCHATZ, Kate. Rad Girls Can: Stories of
Bold, Brave, and Brilliant Young Women.
illus. by Miriam Klein Stahl. 112p.
Ten Speed. Jul. 2018. Tr $16.99. ISBN
9780399581106.
Gr 5 Up
–The author/illustrator pair of Rad
American Women A–Z and Rad Women
Worldwide present a new book featuring
50 women and girls who, before the age of
20, made an impact on the world. In an in-
formal writing style, Schatz describes each
young woman in one to three pages. The
subjects are diverse in race, nationality, and
ability, as well as purpose—they are ath-
letes, activists, artists, and more. The title
includes such historical figures as Anne
Frank, along with contemporary individu-
als. The latter will be the most meaningful
to readers, as they may relate more to their
struggles and triumphs, such as the Radi-
cal Monarchs, an activist scout troop, and
Yusra Mardini, a Syrian refugee and Olym-
pic swimmer. Stahl’s cut-paper illustrations
are outstanding, showcasing her talent in
creating portraitlike depictions on nearly
every page. Though the content is impres-
sive, its organization is somewhat lacking.
Unlike the previous two titles, the stories
do not follow a consistent layout, and they
appear in random order. The back matter
includes suggestions for readers on how
to become a changemaker and short de-
scriptions of additional “rad girls,” though
Still’s use of metaphor that makes the con-
cepts most tangible—during the r-process,
for example, unstable nuclei build rapidly
in size “like a snowball rolling down a
snow-covered hill.” As a result, physics be-
comes much more than equations. How-
ever, Still only references male scientists
in particle physics in a time line of predic-
tors and pioneers.
VERDICT
Add to schools
and public libraries where curiosity reigns.
Readers will be enticed by LEGO but
then wowed by pure science.–Janet S.
Thompson, Chicago Public Library
THIMMESH, Catherine. Camp Panda: Help-
ing Cubs Return to the Wild. 64p. filmog.
glossary. index. notes. photos. websites.
HMH. Apr. 2018. Tr $17.99. ISBN
9780544818910.
Gr 5-7
–Many have seen videos of humans
in panda suits tending to the needs of small-
er, actual pandas, and they may have asked,
why are they dressed that way? Thimmesh’s
new book answers that and more as she
delves in the conservation efforts of vari-
ous groups in China, including the China
Conservation and Research Center for the
Giant Panda, also known as Camp Panda.
The Sibert Medal–winning author begins
with an overview of pandas and explains
why they are at risk of becoming extinct.
Readers learn that just as humans have
played an important role in endangering
mals, UFO sightings, and bygone beauty.
Though the volume starts off strongly in
chapters one and two (nature and the su-
pernatural, respectively), it starts to wane
by chapter three (places) and flirts with
tedium by chapter six (“Fun facts”). Tense
fluctuations, speculation, and a lack of
source material call into question the reli-
ability of the information. That being said,
the real strength here is its potential to spark
further independent reading. Whether it’s
figuring out how the world’s largest water-
fall can actually be underwater or how a
fungus can create a real zombie, readers
are bound to use this as a springboard for
further research. Despite its flaws, there is
no doubt readers will be attracted to this
weird and fascinating tome.
VERDICT
For
medium to large collections, consider
where National Geographic’s “Weird but
True!” series and the like circulate heav-
ily. Supplement with more in-depth ex-
plorations of the “weirdest” topics.–Taylor
Worley, Springfield Public Library, OR
WOOD, Matthew Brenden. The Space Race: How
the Cold War Put Humans on the Moon. il-
lus. by Sam Carbaugh. 128p. (Inquire
and Investigate). chron. glossary. illus.
index. maps. notes. photos. reprods.
Nomad. May 2018. Tr $22.95. ISBN
9781619306615. pap. $17.95. ISBN
9781619306639;
NONFICTION Middle to High School
