Booklist ALA
Robert's constant anxiety about the new baby is authentic and compelling, and the historical details add appeal. —Gillian Engberg
Publishers Weekly
PW called this compilation of personal profiles "an inspired ode to women inventors." Ages 8-up. (Mar.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Esmé Raji Codell
The extremely readable and well-researched text is brimming with direct quotes from the inventors, and is illustrated with plenty of powerful pink and mixed media punch.
—Bookbag Magazine
From the Publisher
"GIRLS THINK OF EVERYTHING is a wonderful book, as surprising as it is inspiring .... Buy this book for the girl you love today, and she may well become a mother of invention tomorrow." — Pulitzer Prize winner Natalie Angier, author of WOMAN: AN INTIMATE GEOGRAPHY, 1999 National Book Award finalist
BOX "This very attractive, informative book will find an audience among browsers and report writers alike." —Booklist, boxed review (3/15/00) Booklist, ALA, Starred Review
"An outstanding collective biography of women and girls who changed the world with their inventions." —School Library Journal (4/00) School Library Journal
"This book is an inspired ode to women inventors." —Publishers Weekly Publishers Weekly —
School Library Journal
Winter 2018
Gr 4–8—This updated edition of the 2000 collective biography showcases greater diversity in its representation of women inventors. Each chapter focuses on challenging problems that spark creative solutions that have changed, or promise to change, the world. Most of the subjects from the original are retained, now balanced with women of color and women from outside the United States. New profiles include Alissa Chavez, a Latinx teen who invented the Hot Seat to prevent infant deaths in hot cars; Azza Abdelhamid Faiad, an Egyptian teen who devised a method of turning recycled plastic into fuel; and Kiara Nirghin, a South African teen who came up with a way to fight drought using the absorbency of orange peels. Thimmesh profiles young inventors who are trying to solve contemporary problems,with creations that rely on modern technology. Many of them raise capital for their projects via crowdfunding, which will likely inspire readers. Expanded resources for aspiring scientists and a time line that emphasizes more recent inventions are welcome changes. Tweaks to the original artwork and additions in the same collage style are fun and creative. In a growing marketplace of works about women transforming the world, this title holds its own. VERDICT Update shelves with this revised version, and add to any library needing more titles about women in STEM.—Alex Graves, Manchester City Library, NH
FEBRUARY 2016 - AudioFile
Karen Zippler’s delivery is crisp and clearly enunciated. She narrates at a steady clip and is so matter-of-fact and upbeat that she leaves no possibility for listeners to think that solving everyday problems might be a daunting task. When Becky Schroeder needs more light to do her homework in the back seat of the car, Zippler’s tone champions the 10-year-old who eventually invents The Glow Sheet. Zippler projects determination as Stephanie Kwolek pushes her colleagues to work with her in testing a new polymer that becomes Kevlar. Ruth Wakefield’s frustration is clear as she rushes to make cookies only to find that her “mistake” is delicious (Toll House cookies). For each vignette—from baby carrier to windshield wiper, liquid paper, and space bumpers—Zippler’s enthusiasm encourages listeners to tackle being creative with gusto. A.R. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
