Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Susie B is a determined young lady who desperately wants to take on a role in her school’s student council. She finds out more than she bargained for when researching Susan B. Anthony when she finds out that she wasn’t quite the idol she thought she was. This was also surprising information to me. I loved the voice of the character because it felt like the author knew Susie so well. She’s spunky, determined, and funny, so there were moments where I laughed out loud. This book offers an important lesson to kids about knowing people before you try to be like them.

Susie B. (for Bubuszkiewicz) has been assigned a hero project in her 5th grade classroom. For a variety of reasons, she chooses Susan B. Anthony whom she initially sees as someone who champions and fights for human rights. As the research project gets underway, 5th grade students are also invited to run for student council president; a role Susie feels she could take and make a difference for all people (and polar bears!). As Susie B. works through her research project, she uncovers unsavory facts about her hero and recognizes social inequities and injustices in her own elementary school world.

I really enjoyed this book. Susie struggles with ADD/ADHD, and has an understanding of how that affects her in the classroom and socially. She also shares how she deals with her attention struggles, but the reader can see how her thought processes make her more self-assured and more capable of being her true self instead of kowtowing to the popular group. I also appreciated how the author drew historical happenings into the storyline; sharing tidbits of how many "heroes" (such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Martin Luther King, Jr.) all made mistakes and were not the completely good and altruistic people we have convinced ourselves they are. I will definitely be purchasing this book to add to my elementary library collection.

This book has so much in it! I was highlighting away as I read–both as a recreational reader and as a teacher (see more in Teachers’ Tools!)! I love that it is an epistolary novel, specifically writing to Susan B. Anthony, because it gives us insight into Susie’s school, home, and her inner thinking. The discussions throughout about heroes, fairness, and history is done in a very age-appropriate way but also doesn’t sugar coat anything. I love that Susie has a “butterfly brain” and went to reading lab but is proud of it. The talk about how all brains are different made my heart sing! And on top of all of this, the story itself is so on point for coming of age and how popularity, personalities, and more really start to affect kids starting in about 5th grade.

Didn't finish this. Susan B Anthony was racist, and having her as a school hero (even making the joke that the kids can't pick living heroes because they can do bad things) was not a great choice. This is an epistolary novel, but the voice feels fake and very wordy for a letter written by an elementary school kid.

Equal rights for everyone, save the polar bears and free the paragraphs! Susie B. is the 5th grade spitfire we need. As part of a class hero project, Susie starts writing letters to one of her heroes, Susan B. Anthony. The epistolary format gives readers direct access to Susie's thoughts, and also teaches them about Anthony's suffragette work. Over the course of the novel, Susie learns a lot about herself, her friends, and the difference between what is fair and what is just, as well as some hard truths about heroes.

For a Hero Project, Susie B has chosen Susan B. Anthony, and we learn through letters to Anthony how Susie B decides to run for student council president of her 5th grade class. Susie B and her friend Jocelyn are tired of the Usual Genuises always winning and getting everything which Susie B feels is unfair to everyone else. As the candidates learn how to give speeches, write their essay, and make posters, Susie B finds many challenges facing her. Can she handle them all? Will she learn how to find happiness without comparing herself to others? Does she know she can’t change much without help from others?