I shared The Daring Book for Girls, by Andrea J. Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz (with illustrations by Alexis Seabrook) with Kiwi recently, and we agreed we would have loved to have had it when we were young! It's full of games, history, and 'how to' chapters on many subjects: softball, paper airplanes, first aid, songs, the list goes on and on. There are short biographies of strong women from the past, too. It's hard for me to accurately describe this book, so find a copy and take a look.

How I missed this book when it first came out (2003), I'm not sure, but I'm glad I found it now: The Mercury 13: the True Story of Thirteen Women and the Dream of Space Flight, by Martha Ackmann. The launch of Sputnik surprised the U.S. and there was a scramble to catch up and surpass the Russians. Therefor men, military men, men who could fly were recruited as astronauts. The same company that designed and gave them the tests believed women could also qualify. The military and NASA were not interested. So, the women who applied or were recruited by this company were trained independently, and without funds from the government. Many did as well, or better, than the men. None flew in space, but they were the forerunners to those who did. An excellent read.

Reading Hermit With Dog