March is Women’s History Month, which makes it a great time to read about women who have made an impact on history. Here are a few of my suggestions:

For readers aged 10 to 14

• Cleopatra Rules! The Amazing Life of the Original Teen Queen by Vicky Shecter-this book may be chock full of facts, but it’s anything but dry. The information it presents is interesting as well as informative.
• Promise the Night by Michaela MacColl-a fictional tale with real life events woven into it about aviatrix Beryl Markham and her childhood in Africa.
• Rebel in a Dress Series: Cowgirls and Adventurers by Sylvia Branzei, illustrated by Melissa Sweet-find out about women who pushed the boundaries of the times they lived in.
• Women Making America by Heidi Hemming and Julie Hemming Savage-lots of interesting information about women throughout different periods of American history. Fun to read and to keep on hand for school assignments.
• Zlata’s Diary by Zlata Filipovic-this recounting of the war in Sarajevo by an 11-year-old diarist provides a glimpse into her personal experience with recent history.

For adults and young readers aged 15 and over

• A Girl from Yamhill by Beverly Cleary-a memoir from the beloved children’s author.
• In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez-this is a gripping, fictional recounting of the Mirabel sisters during Trujillo’s iron-fisted rule in the Dominican Republic.
• The Painter from Shanghai by Jennifer Cody Epstein-a fascinating tale about the painter Pan Yuliang, who defied conventions for women in China of her time.
• The Queen’s Daughter by Susan Coventry-a story about Princess Joan, daughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine and King Henry 11, and sister to Richard the Lionheart.
• The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O’Connor McNees-a fictional account of a possible romance in the famous author’s life.