Marching with Aunt Susan: Susan B. Anthony and the Fight for Women's Suffrage by Claire Rudolf Murphy & illustrated by Stacey Schuett

My thoughts:  The author has taken a real girl and a real family who interacted with Susan B Anthony and were involved in the campaign for women to receive the privilege to vote - women's suffrage. The story revolves around an event in California.

Today when girls and women are allowed to vote, work at careers of their own choosing, and participate in activities once frown upon or forbidden, it is hard to imagine an America where women could not be active and could not vote. It has not been that long since women's lives were so vastly different.

While Marching with Aunt Susan is the fictionalization of an actual family interacting with Susan B. Anthony and their involvement in the suffrage campaign, it brings out the history of the time and the need for societal changes. And while eventually the country did pass laws allowing women to vote and making it unlawful for children to work long hours and not attend school, women were still "kept in their place" by much of society. The author has done a good job of presenting this period of history in a format that will appeal to young elementary age students. This book would be a good addition to school libraries.

About the book:  All Bessie wants is to go hiking with her father and brothers. But it s 1896 and girls don t get to hike. They can t vote either, which Bessie discovers when Susan B. Anthony comes to town to help lead the campaign for women s suffrage. Inspired by the great woman, Bessie becomes involved in the movement and discovers that hiking is only one of the many things that women and girls aren't allowed to do. But small efforts can result in small changes and maybe even big ones.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy from Peachtree Publishing to facilitate a review. Opinions are my own and are freely given.