Girls think of Everything by Catherine Thimmesh -OPTIONAL

Girls think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women by Catherine Thimmesh, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, 106 pages. Houghton, 2018 $18

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL -OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE (Girl on the cover looks bored and sad)

This book features short chapters on 15 different women inventors; they span history and ages. Some examples are the inventors of Kevlar, the Chocolate Chip Cookie, Scotchguard, and more. Each chapter features an illustration of the inventor, a few fact blurbs, and often another illustration to highlight the invention itself.

I tried to imagine the correct audience for this book and it felt more elementary to me, with its small chapters, not quite enough for a report for a middle school student. That being said the text was a bit confusing and perhaps a bit too complex for elementary. The lack of photographs or detailed illustrations would be confusing to any age. Many 10-14 year olds would not know what a baby carrier looked like, or could picture Kevlar in their mind. I really think this book could have been fantastic had it featured photographs (or even clear illustrations), it would have helped those more complex concepts (like the laser eye surgery invention) make sense. 

Reviewer: Stephanie MLS & Author.