March was Women’s History Month, but it’s always a good time to reflect on the accomplishments and lives of women in the past. Here are seven stories about teens and young women through history.
Jazz Owls by Margarita Engle follows Marisela and Lorena, two jazz owls – young women who work all day to support the war effort and dance all night to deal with the stress of living during World War Two. When the authorities crack down on the Latino population for their night clubs, wild music, and loose suits, murder follows, and the girls worry particularly about their brother Ray.
They Went Left by Monica Hesse starts with a promise from Zofia to her younger brother when they are liberated from a German concentration camp. But how in the world will she locate him amongst the millions of refugees?
In The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee, Jo Kuan hides her identity as a Chinese-American cleaning girl while writing an anonymous advice column that gains enormous popularity and some unwelcome attention.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo follows Lily through her days in 1950s San Francisco, exploring the somewhat liberated scene outside her home in Chinatown. Her schoolmate and friend Kathleen’s interest in her, plus their midnight trip to a lesbian bar, sparks her growing realization that she is gay and can’t stay closeted forever.
In this retelling of the classic Little Women, So Many Beginnings by Bethany C. Morrow follows the lives of the newly emancipated March sisters as they build new lives on Roanoke Island, a budding Freedpeople colony.
The Enigma Game by Elizabeth Wein follows Louisa, a suddenly orphaned Jamaican-British young woman who is sent to help the war effort in Scotland. While there, she meets several other young women, along with a downed German pilot, who help to turn the tide of war against Germany.
Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk tells of Ellie’s struggle to help heal her father after he is knocked into a coma by a falling tree. Her mother’s and sister’s blame pushes her to find anything to help, including going around the mountain to meet the “witch” everyone avoids.
Find all of these titles in our catalog on the list Teen Women in History.
~ posted by Wally B.
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