Looking for a way to bring Women’s History Month books into your whole-class reading assignments or independent student novel and book selections? Get students reading about fictional and real-life influential women who’ve inspired change with a selection from the Newsela ELA Novel and Book Studies collection. 

Each novel or book study includes articles, videos, and lesson ideas to help students build background knowledge and connect to their world, themselves, and other media.

• Elementary Women’s History Month novels and books
• Middle school Women’s History Month novels and books
• High school Women’s History Month novels and books

[Elementary Women’s History Month novels and books](id-elementary)

Choose from these or other great elementary novels and book studies that focus on women’s issues and characters:

“I Am Malala” by Malala Yousafzai

In Yousafzai’s memoir, she tells the story of her early life in Pakistan under Taliban rule, where she fought for the right for girls to receive education. Students can build background knowledge of Malala and life in Pakistan with resources like:

• A video detailing Malala’s activist causes. 
• An introduction to Muhammad and the Islamic faith.
• Articles that describe the arrest and justice proceedings of those charged in Malala’s assassination attempt.

“Little House on the Prairie” by Laura Ingalls Wilder

“Little House on the Prairie” tells the story of Ingalls Wilder’s childhood on the American frontier. Students can learn more about people’s migration across the American Midwest in the 1800s with resources like:

• An article that explains what the prairie is and what makes it a unique area of the North American continent.
• A fictional story called “A Day on the Trail” by Jerry Miller that describes a typical day on the California Trail.
• An interview with Linda Sue Park, who wrote “Prairie Lotus,” which offers an Asian American perspective of events similar to those in “Little House on the Prairie.”

“Smile” by Raina Telegemeier

In Telegemeier’s graphic novel, she tells her experience living through middle school while dealing with braces and other dental issues that impacted her self-esteem. Students can learn more about Raina, graphic novels, and dental hygiene with resources like:

• A video that explores if graphic novels are really novels.
• An article that explains what wisdom teeth are and when they develop.
• A TedEd talk that explains why it’s so hard to predict earthquakes.

“Esperanza Rising” by Pam Muñoz Ryan

In Ryan’s novel, a young girl named Esperanza must flee her life in Mexico to become an immigrant laborer in America after her family suffers a devastating loss. Students can build background knowledge of the setting of the novel and the immigrant experience with resources like:

• A video about the Depression and the Dust Bowl.
• The full text of Cesar Chavez’s 1984 address to the Commonwealth Club about farmworkers' rights.
• An article about the history of the Mexican Revolution.

“Anne of Green Gables” by L.M. Montgomery

In Montgomery’s novel, orphan Anne Shirley arrives on a Prince Edward Island farm where she uses her imagination to make her day-to-day life more enjoyable. Students can build an understanding of the setting and themes in the novel with resources like:

• A video that shows what a typical fishing village in Prince Edward Island, Canada, looks like.
• An article that explains what social identity is.
• An article about how the real-life building that inspired Montogomery’s setting became a popular landmark.

[Middle school Women’s History Month novels and books](id-middle)

Get your middle school students excited about the books they read with these and other women-themed novels and book studies.

“Almost American Girl” by Robin Ha

In Ha’s graphic memoir, she tells her childhood and teenage experiences as a Korean girl immigrating to Alabama with her single mother. Students can build background knowledge of the author and her world with resources like:

• An explainer article that looks at the culture, government, and customs of South Korea.
• An article that looks at why many Asian-Americans are moving to southern states.
• An article that examines the importance of language, customs, and religion across 14 countries.

“Number the Stars” by Lois Lowry

Set in Nazi-occupied Denmark, Lowry’s historical fiction novel tells the story of Annemarie Johanson and how she helps her Jewish best friend and her family escape their town during World War II. Students can build background knowledge of wartime Europe with resources like:

• An explainer article on the Nuremberg Laws that deprived Jewish people of their rights.
• An article that looks at how Danish people and their government led a resistance movement during World War II to protect the country’s Jewish population.
• An article that explains how being empathetic can make you a better friend.

“Hidden Figures” (Young Reader Edition) by Margot Shetterly

Shetterly’s nonfiction book tells the story of three Black scientists who made crucial mathematical calculations for NASA during the 1960s space race that eventually sent Americans into orbit and to the moon. Students can build background knowledge on the book’s characters and themes with resources like:

• An article that explains the events that led to the start of the space race.
• A biography of one of the “hidden figures,” Katherine Johnson.
• An article that explores the history of women at NASA.

“Brown Girl Dreaming” by Jacqueline Woodson 

In this verse memoir, Woodson explores childhood memories of growing up as a Black girl in the 1960s and 1970s, which led her to a writing career. Students can learn more about Woodson and the experiences of Black Americans during that time with resources like:

• A video biography about Jacqueline Woodson.
• An article about the organizations of the Civil Rights Movement.
• Additional poetry selections from Woodson’s body of work.

“The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins

In the first book in the “Hunger Games” series, we meet Katniss Everdeen, a teenager who volunteers to take her younger sister’s place in a battle where 12 citizens from each district of Panem fight to the death until only one remains. Have students build background knowledge on the novel’s themes by exploring content like:

• An interactive video that explains what it means to have “power.”
• An article exploring how members of a Thai coup group embraced the “Hunger Games” three-finger salute as an act of defiance against the government.
• An interactive video that looks at the qualities of a hero.

[High school Women’s History Month novels and books](id-high)

Suggest novels with strong women characters for your high school students, like:

“Divergent” by Veronica Roth

In Roth’s dystopian novel, Tris Pryor discovers that she doesn’t fit neatly into one of society’s four factions and must keep her “divergent” status hidden to protect herself from the government. Students can explore more of the themes in this novel through articles on topics like:

• Comparing similarities and differences in the structures of democratic and authoritarian governments. 
• Contrasting the hallmarks of economic systems like capitalism, communism, and socialism.
• What neoliberalism is and how it emphasizes the value of free market competition.

“I am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” by Erika Sánchez

In Sánchez’s novel, Julia, a young Mexican-American girl must do some self-discovery to come to terms with her identity after a tragedy shatters her family. Students can build background knowledge on the novel’s themes with resources like:

• An opinion article about how young children grieve after losing a loved one.
• An explainer article that looks at the similarities and differences of mental, emotional, social, and spiritual health.
• A video that explores whether people can inherit trauma.

“Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi

In her graphic memoir, Satrapi describes her childhood in Iran during the Islamic Revolution and how she navigated growing up during turbulent societal and political upheaval. Teach students more about the setting and themes of the memoir with resources like:

• A country overview article that looks at Iran's culture, government, and customs.
• An article where women who wear hijabs explain why they choose to do so.
• An article that looks back at the events of the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis.

“Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys

In Keys’ novel, 14-year-old Lolo discovers she has telekinetic abilities and must learn how to use her gift for good. Students can learn more about the author and the novel’s themes with resources like:

• A biography of author and singer Alicia Keys.
• An article that explains how the novel came from Keys’ popular song with the same title.
• An explainer article that details the history of institutional racism in the United States.

“Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson

In Anderson’s novel, high schooler Melinda Sordino struggles to speak up about a traumatic experience at a party and turns to art to find her voice. Students can reflect on the themes of the novel by exploring resources like:

• A video biography of author Laurie Halse Anderson.
• An article that details the requirements of an art therapist’s job.
• An article that explains how loneliness can make our brains crave human contact.

Turn the page on dull lessons with Newsela ELA

Tapping into student interest topics that align with your curriculum and state mandates is one of the best ways to keep them engaged and excited to learn while meeting your educator goals. 

Newsela ELA’s Novel and Book Studies collection can help your students build background knowledge, practice in-context literacy skills, and explore diverse perspectives when you’re reading a whole-class novel or when they’re exploring books for fun.

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