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daisey's review against another edition
2.0
I've had a difficult time deciding how to review this book. It's a collection of mini biographies written for young readers meant to introduce various "bad girls" from history and, I would assume, pique readers' interest to learn more about them. In that respect, it might serve its purpose reasonably well. The short descriptions will not be overwhelming for readers and definitely introduce some incredibly interesting women from history. They may also find the illustrations an entertaining addition.
However, personally I was disappointed by just how short the descriptions of these women were, and in some cases the limited perspective presented. Although the comments from the authors at the end of each section sometimes mention differing opinions on the level of villainy of the women, I didn't really feel that they did a good job of showing the different sides of the story. As someone who already knew something about many of the women described and has read entire books on Catherine the Great and Cleopatra, I often felt that the many facets of their character were just glossed over to focus on the negative aspects.
* I received an electronic copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.
However, personally I was disappointed by just how short the descriptions of these women were, and in some cases the limited perspective presented. Although the comments from the authors at the end of each section sometimes mention differing opinions on the level of villainy of the women, I didn't really feel that they did a good job of showing the different sides of the story. As someone who already knew something about many of the women described and has read entire books on Catherine the Great and Cleopatra, I often felt that the many facets of their character were just glossed over to focus on the negative aspects.
* I received an electronic copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.
biblioghost's review against another edition
3.0
Hailee Christman
Yolen, J., & Stemple, H. (2013). Bad girls: Sirens, jezebels, murderesses, thieves and other female villains. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.
Biography
Selection process: Booklist, starred review, February, 2013. Retrieved from Booklistonline.com
In Bad Girls, mother and daughter team Yolen and Stemple collect a biography of some of history’s most notorious female villains. Starting the collection in Biblical times with Delilah in 110 BCE and Salome in 17 CE among them and continuing through history with some of the most well-known “bad girls”. Did Lizzie Borden really murder her family with an ax? Did Elizabeth Bathory bathe in the blood of the girls that she killed? Each chapter is ended with a comic strip of the authors in their research process debating whether or not the “bad girls” were really bad. They present questions to ponder, but ultimately allow the reader to form their own opinions on the subject’s guilt or innocence. Illustrator Guay’s full page portraits prefacing each chapter are beautifully done and the thick, glossy paper is welcome. While the subject matter is highly appealing and will draw readers in, the brief biographies of these twenty-six ladies will leave readers with more curiosity than knowledge of the subject. Some of the women mentioned in the book are not as well but the chapters range from only a page and a half to three or four, making a quick read with not much substance. Those interested in the content will want to do further research on the villains that interest them for more extensive biographies, especially since the back matter contains only a conclusion and a bibliography.
Recommended for reluctant readers.
Yolen, J., & Stemple, H. (2013). Bad girls: Sirens, jezebels, murderesses, thieves and other female villains. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.
Biography
Selection process: Booklist, starred review, February, 2013. Retrieved from Booklistonline.com
In Bad Girls, mother and daughter team Yolen and Stemple collect a biography of some of history’s most notorious female villains. Starting the collection in Biblical times with Delilah in 110 BCE and Salome in 17 CE among them and continuing through history with some of the most well-known “bad girls”. Did Lizzie Borden really murder her family with an ax? Did Elizabeth Bathory bathe in the blood of the girls that she killed? Each chapter is ended with a comic strip of the authors in their research process debating whether or not the “bad girls” were really bad. They present questions to ponder, but ultimately allow the reader to form their own opinions on the subject’s guilt or innocence. Illustrator Guay’s full page portraits prefacing each chapter are beautifully done and the thick, glossy paper is welcome. While the subject matter is highly appealing and will draw readers in, the brief biographies of these twenty-six ladies will leave readers with more curiosity than knowledge of the subject. Some of the women mentioned in the book are not as well but the chapters range from only a page and a half to three or four, making a quick read with not much substance. Those interested in the content will want to do further research on the villains that interest them for more extensive biographies, especially since the back matter contains only a conclusion and a bibliography.
Recommended for reluctant readers.
suzannedix's review against another edition
4.0
Such a great approach to a collected biography: 20 or so short biographies that each end with a cartoon panel of the two authors chatting about the person, the history or some aspect of the time period. Very engaging!
While the biographies will not offer enough information for research purposes, students will be able to quickly learn about an interesting cast of characters!
Grades 6 and up.
While the biographies will not offer enough information for research purposes, students will be able to quickly learn about an interesting cast of characters!
Grades 6 and up.
pwbalto's review against another edition
4.0
Gr 5–9—Who's bad? That's the question that Yolen and Stemple debate as they take an entertaining tour through the lives of some of history's most notorious women. Arranged chronologically from Delilah to mob courier Virginia Hill, this deck of 26 dicey dames includes royalty (Bloody Mary, Catherine of Russia), women of the Wild West (Belle Starr, Calamity Jane), and out-and-out criminals (Moll Cutpurse, Bonnie Parker). Guay gives a lush, period-appropriate poster-style portrait at the beginning of each two- to eight-page chapter, which contains a rough outline of each lady's supposed crimes along with the "aggravating or mitigating" circumstances that may influence readers' opinions of her guilt. The authors make the point that evolving attitudes and standards can make reassessment an interesting and fruitful exercise, even if, as in most of the cases here, no definitive conclusions are reached.
Yolen and Stemple speak directly to readers and appear bickering delightfully as they model good discussion behavior (and shoes!) in a page of comics at the end of each chapter. Their enthusiasm for their subjects is contagious, abetted by playful language that makes Bad Girls a snap-crackling read. Alliteration, rhyme, short sentences, and a conversational tone combine with sometimes-challenging vocabulary to make this book quick but by no means dumbed-down.
A hearty bibliography will give a girl a leg up on the further reading that she is sure to want to do. Feminist, intelligent, and open-ended, this book respects its readers as much as it does its subjects.—Paula Willey, Baltimore County Public Library, Towson, MD
Yolen and Stemple speak directly to readers and appear bickering delightfully as they model good discussion behavior (and shoes!) in a page of comics at the end of each chapter. Their enthusiasm for their subjects is contagious, abetted by playful language that makes Bad Girls a snap-crackling read. Alliteration, rhyme, short sentences, and a conversational tone combine with sometimes-challenging vocabulary to make this book quick but by no means dumbed-down.
A hearty bibliography will give a girl a leg up on the further reading that she is sure to want to do. Feminist, intelligent, and open-ended, this book respects its readers as much as it does its subjects.—Paula Willey, Baltimore County Public Library, Towson, MD
herlifewithbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Illustrated mini-biographies of notorious "bad girls" throughout history. Biographies were brief and accessible, and I liked the splash page illustrations of each subject. Mixed feelings about the little comics in between chapters - they star the two authors (mother and daughter) - in various locations, chatting about whether or not each lady was truly guilty of the crimes of which she was accused. I can see how the authors wanted a way to discuss those interesting gray areas outside of the biographical text, but I wondered if comics starring two adults as they travel, go to the library, and get their nails done might be distancing to younger readers.
twiinklex's review against another edition
3.0
✨ "When I'm good, I'm very good. But when I'm bad, I'm better."
A fascinating read about some of history's most prominent femme fatales, from iconic figures such as Cleopetra, Elisabeth Bathory, Anne Boelyn, Lizzy Borden and Bonnie Parker to lesser-known ones like Salome, Moll Cutpurse and Virginia Hill.
I would have enjoyed longer chapters and more content about each woman and their extraordinary lives. Didn't care much for the authors' commentary in between each chapter, though I understand it's to provide balance and both sides of the story e.g. are the women 100% villains or just victims of circumstance?
✨ "Because even the baddest of bad girls... may have a good side."
catladyreba's review against another edition
2.0
I liked the idea of this book, and I enjoyed many of the ladies who were featured, but overall, I did not love it. I felt like the on-going word/comics play between mother & daughter was a bit too much.
hayley_mariep's review against another edition
3.0
I was pleasantly surprised by how informative this book was despite it being a children's book! The stories weren't watered down or sugar coated, at least not in a way that bothered me, and the tone was very conversational as well as being educational. I'd highly recommend it for girls who love adventure and crime stories, and are looking for real life ladies to read about.
abigailbat's review against another edition
4.0
Brief biographies of a bunch of notorious women, both famous and relatively unknown. Each snippet ends with a comic depicting the authors researching and discussing their book, providing a neat commentary on the kind of work that goes into creating a book like this and also encourages teens to think about whether the women in question were really "BAD girls".
http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/2013/04/bad-girls.html
http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/2013/04/bad-girls.html
pamelajobrownlee's review against another edition
1.0
I listened to the audio version, so saw no illustrations. Still, the book promised two sides of history's bad girls stories. But in the end, all I got was a brief version of what the history books tell us, and then some inane commentary that did little to the balance the first story. I was very disappointed. This book should have been classified for young readers. Maybe their expectations would be less.