I have been a huge fan of the Rebel Girls books, I've gifted each one so far to my 6y/o niece, so I was excited to get a chance to review the newest release!

This book focuses on female leaders who have redefined what is expected of women. It shows women who have fought against prejudice and stereotypes to become Prime Ministers, Vice Presidents, world-renown activists, Olympic world champions, CEO/business leaders, Supreme Court Justices, and more! As a lot of the women mentioned were the 'first women' to be in their position, it shows a great message to young girls that you can do what you're passionate about, you can be unapologetically determined to reach your goals regardless of others calling you 'too bossy', 'too tough', or 'too relentless'. It's incredibly relevant, detailing the journeys of current world leaders Angela Markel(Germany) and Jacinda Ardern (New Zealand), future VP Kamala Harris, and many women who have made successes recently.

I am ALWAYS done to read about women who have made an impact on the global society. We often do not recognize the may accomplishments of women in the past and present. It is especially important to learn about women such as Giusi Nicolini, Leymah Gbowee, and others that may not receive as much recognition as Vice-President Elect Kamala Harris, Malala Yousafzai, and others. This book selected a phenomenal cohort of women leaders to focus on. This is a must-read.

What I loved about Rebel Girls Lead:

1. These women in the book truly rock! They are inspiring and wonderful personalities. Every single one is introduced in one short page, but it's all the correct points and it reads great. Fast read too, kind of a coffee table book that way.

2. Beautiful illustrations! Every single one is done by a new artist and it brings a lot of freshness and color to the whole book.

3. At the end, you are encouraged to put yourself on the page next to these amazing women. For a younger reader, this could prove very inspiring.

4. There is also a questionnaire sort of test that helps you decide what kind of leader you are. It's kind of like those tests they used to have in teen magazines. It's fun and in my opinion, quite meaningful.

5. There are exercises for activism and leadership training, which is pretty cool!

6. There's plenty of diversity in terms of race. Definitely not just white ladies!

What I think could have been done better:

1. There are some international ladies in there, but the overall feel was 'mostly Americans'. Well, okay, it's not so bad when I counted - 16 out of 25 were Americans, and I do get that the book is being published in America, so it makes sense to include more of them there. Take this as you will, but I think ladies all over the world can be cool!

2. When I said there's plenty of diversity in terms of race, that's what I meant - race only. I was a little sad to not see even a single trans woman with great achievements. They need to be represented too, especially because there are now more trans teens and even kids transitioning than there were in the past. They need to see themselves. And there are plenty amazing trans ladies to include. (I can name a few off the top of my head.)

Overall, this book greatly reminded me of another one I reviewed a few years ago, called What Would Boudicca Do?: Everyday Problems Solved by History's Most Remarkable Women. They are quite similar in their aim and format, only I think Rebel Girls Lead is meant for younger readers, as Boudicca has quite a lot of four letter words and is maybe aimed more at teens and young adults. Boudicca is also longer (50 stories and not 25) and it has trans ladies repped. However, Rebel Ladies Lead is illustrated in color, while Boudicca is just black and white print, although also has lovely drawings.

Don't get me wrong about comparing these books - they're both great and absolutely necessary. I'm only listing the differences I observed. So I can recommend both and they're very inspiring - if you've got a young (or youngish) reader in the house, you may want to check out both (age appropriately, though!)

I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.

Another great volume in the Rebel Girls series, 'Rebel Girls Lead' shines a light on 25 highly successful and respected women at the top of their game - be it football, politics, music, women's rights, law, public service, etc.
There was a good mixture of the familiar (such as RBG, Kamala Harris, Lady Gaga) and the unfamiliar to me (such as Eufrosina Cruz, Giusi Nicolini). The only thing I found weird was when they talked about climate activism and didn't shine a spotlight on Greta Thunberg. Obviously, I don't want to diminish in any way the work of Xiye Bastida, but it just felt a strange omission.
These are awesome books to give to girls, showing them there are no limits to what they can achieve and should be celebrated for the role they play in shaping young minds and inspiring them to reach for the top.

Great inspiration for girls all age! The book contains the brief introduction of various female figures, ranging from Michelle Obama to Lady Gaga. It shows that girls (and not only boys) can be anything they want, they can pursur any career they want and be successful.

I LOVE everything about this book and I think this is such a perfect gift for young girls especially.
The stories of the women they choose were written very well, the design of the book is amazing. It was such a great read that leaves you feeling a bit more empowered.

Thanks to NetGalley and Rebel Girls for providing this ARC.

This book is a fantastic introduction to many strong and powerful women in leadership in many different areas!
I think the tone and amount of info for each woman was great - perfect for young children to understand.
The only issue I have and why this isn’t a 5 star book for me is that there were a significant number of women from the USA. Why not branch out and discuss women from countries that are less spoken about and give them some recognition as well?

What do Aly Raisman, Harriet Tubman, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg all have in common? They are all among the powerful women included in this book!

I absolutely adored learning about the lives of powerful women featured in Rebel Girls Lead. Some of the women featured I had already heard of, but there were some new faces (for me) that I got to learn about. Each story tells the tale of a female leader, and is accompanied by a portrait of them, all drawn by women! Rebel Girls Lead is incredibly inclusive, including women of varying races, backgrounds, and ages.

The one thing that bothered me about the book was the repetitive opening line for each woman -- "Once upon a time...."& "There once was a girl...." I know the book is geared towards younger readers, but every story started that way (or some similar variation).

This book was delightful to read, even though I'm admittedly not exactly the target age audience. It was so great to see the variety in figures chosen, from more current faces like Kamala Harris, Oprah, and Lady Gaga, all the way back to Queen Elizabeth I and Cleopatra, and I actually learned a number of new names and inspiring stories I didn't already know. Real talk, I would have absolutely loved a powerful book like this when I was younger and will definitely be recommending this to anyone I know with younger children. Also, side note, the artwork is so beautiful!

This book was wonderful. Incredible sweet yet "woke" and so so so inspiring for young (and not so young) people. One of my favourite things about "Rebel Girls Lead" was how it seem universal. Although there's mainly north-americans, we also get to see asians, latinxs, even indigenous people, so that everyone is represented. I also like how the volume mixes current leaders of the society with some of the pioneers who made a different to their whole community and even the entire sex. I loved it.

What I enjoyed most was definitely the positive message and illustrations of these amazing women. But having read all 3 of the previous books, this one I found, didn’t live up to its predecessors. Firstly, some of them were repeated from the previous series like Cleopatra, Michelle Obama, Malala Yousafzai, Oprah Winfrey, and RBG. Secondly, many of the women selected in this book are born in the United States. 16 out of 25. I’m sure there are many other women trailblazers out there in the world that could’ve been highlighted in this series instead of rehashing the ones from the previous series. That said, this book will be great for those who are new to the series.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.


I have been loving the Rebel Girls stories for some time, and I admire them for what they are. This collection in particular focuses on women who are all leaders in some way or another. There were a lot of politicians, but I enjoyed that there were some different professions. I was a but disappointed that only about half of the “stories” are new ones, the rest are also found in the previous three books.

This book is a nice addition to the series, but doesn’t stand out from the rest of the series in any way.

Twenty-five inspiring profiles of female leaders from all over the world comprise this attractive book for elementary and middle-grade readers. A short, straightforward summary of each woman's life is accompanied by a colorful, stylized illustration (children may enjoy comparing these to actual photos!).

Although a case could be made for oversimplification of some of the biographical sketches, the text is appropriate for the intended audience and reads like a bedtime story. Each woman's life history will leave youngsters feeling heartened, impressed, and confident that they, too, can grow up to affect change in the world. A must for library collections!

This is such an awesome book for girls of all ages. I am a middle school educator and this is perfect for our young girls living in such a diverse, urban area.

I love how much diversity this book shows and how there is at least one woman for practically every letter of the alphabet. Each woman gets a snippet of what makes them so special. I loved the illustrations that accompanied each woman as well. The book goes even further to provide birthdates and women from all over the world.

The occupations and accomplishments of the different females also varies greatly. There is so much empowerment and strength behind each woman. Each feature has a quote as well. It’s cute how each part is told almost like a little fairy tale as well.

I adore this book and hope to get it into my school!

A quick informative story highlighting the power of women.
I loved the message of the book and the diversity of the stories. The illustration was eye catching and unique. I appreciate that I was not the target audience, but I would of loved more detail of the girls motives and how the managed to reach their goals. Overall, I think that this book accomplished what it set out to do.

This book is perfect for elementary school age girls! The book introduces 25 notable women leaders from various cultures and from various disciplines. Well each tidbit is very short (only one page per woman) it does give a taste of what these women have done. I also enjoy how many of the profiles start out with "once upon a time" or in a similar vein bringing together the world of fairytales and real life. Throughout the book there is also beautiful illustrations of each woman.

The end of the book features a blank template and quiz for girls to fill in and encourages them to be leaders and "rebel girls" in their own right.

Overall a very enjoyable book to introduce girls to these remarkable women.

This is my first Rebel Girls book, and I was so glad for the experience! It is definitely a book that is perfect for both young and old readers alike, and it would teach the important lessons of women empowerment and striving to be the best in our respective fields. It also doesn't hurt that it has adorable drawings to match the stories of each individual.

Rebel Girls Lead is a collection of one-page biographies of 25 incredible women, from Olympic gymnasts to First Ladies, Supreme Court justices to climate activists. The variety of women is wide, as is the illustration style that accompanies each bio. I love that there is a section at the end for the reader to write her own story and draw her own portrait, and some information on leadership training. My younger self would have loved to read a book like this (and I still enjoyed it now). I think this is perfect for elementary and middle grade readers, and they will definitely enjoy it!

I received an electronic ARC from Rebel Girls through NetGalley.
A shorter book that shares one page biographies lf 25 incredible women who have stood up for others and for themselves in a wide variety of situations. Elementary and middle grade readers will connect to these Rebel Girls and their desire to change the world. The illustrations and short quotes on each page spread further emphasize the integrity and commitment of these women. The leadership quiz and further information at the end of the book allows readers to figure out their own leadership styles. Looking forward to reading these short readings to students.

I always love books like this--books that are accessible, fun to read, and educational. Some of the writing isn't super spot on (ex: the Queen Elizabeth editing jumps from one wife of Henry's being sent away to another wife having a son, disregarding Anne Boleyn....who wasn't sent away...) but I think kids really gravitate to the series as a whole and I appreciate the entire Rebel Girls line.