Bad Girls Throughout History: 100 Remarkable Women Who Changed the World

One hundred women who broke rules and rewrote what was possible get a profile each in this illustrated collection of short biographies. The "bad" of the title is meant as praise: these women challenged the status quo, and the women who came after them worked under different rules because of it.

The subjects range across eras and countries, and across occupations. Pirates, artists, warriors, daredevils, scientists, activists and spies all appear. Among them are Aphra Behn, the first female professional writer, and Sojourner Truth, a women's rights activist and abolitionist.

The list also includes Ada Lovelace, the first computer programmer, and Marie Curie, the first woman to win the Nobel Prize. Joan Jett, godmother of punk, represents the musicians.

Ann Shen pairs each woman with a bold watercolor portrait and a short essay. It is a history book built for dipping into: a profile at a time, at a coffee table, or aloud to a young girl at bedtime. Teen girls and readers of any age can pick it up anywhere.