{"id":485495169,"title":"Bad Girls","handle":"bad-girls","description":"\u003ch1\u003eBad Girls\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSirens, Jezebels, Murderesses, Thieves \u0026amp; Other Female Villains\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR\/ILLUSTRATOR INFO BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy: \u003ca title=\"Author Jane Yolen\" href=\"http:\/\/charlesbridge.myshopify.com\/pages\/jane-yolen\"\u003eJane Yolen\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca title=\"Author Heidi E. Y. Stemple\" href=\"http:\/\/charlesbridge.myshopify.com\/pages\/heidi-e-y-stemple\"\u003eHeidi E.Y. Stemple\u003c\/a\u003e \/ Illustrated by: \u003ca title=\"Illustrator Rebecca Guay\" href=\"http:\/\/charlesbridge.myshopify.com\/pages\/rebecca-guay\"\u003eRebecca Guay\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER HEADING BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\"When I’m good, I’m very good. But when I’m bad, I’m better.\"\u003cbr\u003e —Mae West in \u003ci\u003eI’m No Angel\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER DESCRIPTION BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom Jezebel to Catherine the Great, from Cleopatra to Mae West, from Mata Hari to Bonnie Parker, \"bad\" women and girls have always been a problem for historians, storytellers, and readers. But what makes a woman \"bad\"? Are we idolizing the villain or rediscovering the underdog?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eBad Girls\u003c\/i\u003e, readers meet twenty-six of history’s most notorious women, each with a rotten reputation. But authors Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple remind us that there are two sides to every story. Was Delilah a harlot or hero? Was Catherine the Great a great ruler, or just plain ruthless? At the end of each chapter, Yolen and Stemple appear as themselves in comic panels to debate each girl’s badness—Heidi as the prosecution, Jane for context.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis unique and sassy examination of famed, female historical figures will engage readers with its unusual presentation of the subject matter. Heidi and Jane’s strong arguments for the innocence and guilt of each bad girl promotes the practice of critical thinking as well as the idea that history is subjective. Rebecca Guay’s detailed illustrations provide a rich, stylized portrait of each woman, while the inclusion of comic panels will resonate with fans of graphic novels.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER RECOMMENDATIONS BELOW - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"recommended-books\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you like this book, you’ll enjoy these:\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/products\/amelia-to-zora-twenty-six-women-who-changed-the-world\" title=\"Amelia to Zora: Twenty-six Women Who Changed the World\"\u003eAmelia to Zora: Twenty-six Women Who Changed the World\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca title=\"Sea Queens: Women Pirates Around the World\" href=\"http:\/\/charlesbridge.myshopify.com\/products\/sea-queens\"\u003eSea Queens: Women Pirates Around the World\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - START OF TABS - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e [TABS]\n\u003ch5\u003eLook Inside\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg class=\"cvr-border-gray\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/bad-girls-spread.jpg?11040472974727526554\"\u003e\u003c!-- Please call pinit.js only once per page --\u003e \u003cscript type=\"text\/javascript\" async=\"\" defer data-pin-shape=\"round\" data-pin-height=\"32\" data-pin-hover=\"true\" src=\"\/\/assets.pinterest.com\/js\/pinit.js\"\u003e\u003c\/script\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR BIO BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor \u0026amp; Illustrator\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJane Yolen, author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJane Yolen is the award-winning author of nearly three hundred children's books, including\u003ci\u003eSnow, Snow: Winter Poems\u003c\/i\u003e (Boyds Mills) and \u003ci\u003eThe Rogues\u003c\/i\u003e (Philomel). She has been called the Hans Christian Andersen of the Americas. Jane lives in Western Massachusetts and Scotland.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca title=\"Author Jane Yolen\" href=\"http:\/\/charlesbridge.myshopify.com\/pages\/jane-yolen\"\u003eRead more \u003c\/a\u003eabout Jane.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHeidi E.Y. Stemple, author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHeidi E. Y. Stemple is the author of more than a dozen children’s books, several co-authored with her mother, Jane Yolen. Recent titles include \u003ci\u003ePretty Princess Pig\u003c\/i\u003e and\u003ci\u003eNot All Princesses Dress in Pink\u003c\/i\u003e. Heidi lives in western Massachusetts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca title=\"Author Heidi E. Y. Stemple\" href=\"http:\/\/charlesbridge.myshopify.com\/pages\/heidi-e-y-stemple\"\u003eRead more\u003c\/a\u003e about Heidi.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - ENTER ILLUSTRATOR BIO BELOW - - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRebecca Guay, illustrator\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAcclaimed for her mastery of comics, Rebecca Guay has illustrated many books for children, including \u003ci\u003eA Flight of Angels\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Last Dragon\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eGoddesses\u003c\/i\u003e. Rebecca lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca title=\"Illustrator Rebecca Guay\" href=\"http:\/\/charlesbridge.myshopify.com\/pages\/rebecca-guay\"\u003eRead more\u003c\/a\u003e about Rebecca.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - ENTER AWARDS \u0026 HONORS BELOW - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAwards \u0026amp; Honors\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMagnolia Book Awards Winner (Grades 6-8)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ci\u003eBooklist's\u003c\/i\u003e Top Ten Biographies for Youth\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - ENTER REVIEWS BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEditorial Reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/star-fade.gif?18127980511287865543\"\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eBooklist\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGirls gone wild! The mother-daughter team of Yolen and Stemple have rounded up some of the meanest (or perhaps just misguided) groups of gals history has known. And they have wrapped them in an attractive package that makes reading about their exploits even more enjoyable. The list begins with the biblical Delilah (sorry, Sampson), introduces Cleopatra, stops in England to say hello to Anne Boleyn and (bloody) Queen Mary, and then heads over to America to visit with Tituba, Calamity Jane, and Typhoid Mary. And that's just a few of the 26 spies, sirens, and female felons the duo takes on. Each subject gets a jauntily written page or so, prefaced by one of illustrator Guay's terrific full-page portraits and back-ended with a comic book-style page featuring the authors discussing whether the woman was exactly was she seemed. In fact, both an introduction and afterword focus on how history changes its opinion on people's actions, the way history's winners get the glory, and whether circumstances shape events more than personalities do. The thick paper, graphic novel-style typeface, and delightful artwork executed in ink and brush and dabbed with digital color will draw readers. The bibliography will lead kids to more about these gals.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMother-daughter collaborators Yolen and Stemple, who previously partnered with Guay on \u003ci\u003eThe Barefoot Book of Ballet Stories\u003c\/i\u003e, revisit the lives and legendary misdeeds of 26 notorious women in this often witty chronological romp. Jezebel, Salome, Calamity Jane, Mata Hari, and many more get their own brief chapters, complete with punny subtitles (\"Delilah: A Mere Snip of a Girl\"). The team’s tight, droll storytelling maintains a light tone: \"Always conscious of her image, Bonnie [Parker] asked one kidnapped police officer to tell everyone she did not smoke cigars.... She may have been an outlaw, but she was not a smoker!\" Comics sections from Guay end each chapter, showing Yolen and Stemple debating, via Socratic repartee, the guiltiness of each femme fatale, an entertaining if slightly egregious bit of authorial intrusion. If the authors’ banter hasn’t prompted readers to question the badness of these bad girls, the conclusion directly solicits the consideration: \"Would we still consider these women bad? Or would we consider them victims of bad circumstances?\" An extensive bibliography and index wrap up this narrative of nefarious—or not?—women.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBrief, breezy profiles of women who committed crimes, from Delilah to Catherine the Great to gangster moll Virginia Hill, with comic-strip commentary from the authors.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith a conversational style, the mother-daughter team of Yolen and Stemple recap the crimes and misdeeds of 26 women and a few girls in this jaunty collective biography. After each two-to-four-page biographical sketch and accompanying illustration of the woman, a one-page comic strip shows the authors arguing about the woman's guilt. The comic-strip Stemple typically comes down on the side of \"guilty\" or, in the case of Cleopatra marrying her brother, \"icky.\" Yolen tends toward moral relativism, suggesting the women acted according to the norms of their times or that they were driven to crime by circumstances such as poverty or lack of women's rights. Thus, strip-teasing Salome, who may have been only 10, was manipulated by her mother into asking for John the Baptist's head on a platter. Outlaw Belle Starr was \"a good Southern girl raised during difficult times.\" While the comic strips grow repetitive, the narrative portraits, arranged chronologically, offer intriguing facts--and in some cases, speculation--about an array of colorful figures, many of whom won't be known to readers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEntertaining and eye-opening.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMother\/daughter team Yolen and Stemple ponder the question of just what makes a bad girl bad. Bad press? Bad breaks? Bad boyfriends? Bad, bad nature? The misdeeds of two dozen notorious dames from throughout history are the fodder for these brief, breezy prose bios, each of which is followed by a one-page dialogue between the authors, rendered in comic-book format. Yolen and Stemple make an honest effort to lay out the life stories in as neutral terms as possible, saving their analysis of what went wrong for the interlude pieces, intergenerational conversations that are set in a place or during an occasion that hearkens to the subject's story. They chat about Anne Boleyn's affairs while enjoying tea near the Tower of London, discuss Countess Bathory's blood-soaked quest for youth during pedicures and brow waxing at a day spa, debate the Wild West felonies of Belle Starr while shopping for boots (yes, Heidi, definitely the over-the-knee lace-ups with studded heels!). Yolen tends to favor the more broad-minded, charitable view of the ladies' motivations, while Stemple generally takes a more censorious stand. Readers may find themselves aligning with one of the authors, but they won't be able to easily dismiss the opposing argument offhand. Guay's comics are key to developing the intellectual workout offered by the authors' conversations, and her glamorous full-page portraits of the bad girls opening each chapter capture the mystique that keeps the women in the spotlight over decades, or even millennia. An index is included, and short bibliographies are appended for each chapter, with enough material readily accessible online to guide teens who want to know more.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWho'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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DOWNLOADABLES BELOW - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDownloadables\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Bad Girls book cover\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/bad-girls-cvr.jpg?11040472974727526554\" style=\"display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"btn-wrapper\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/bad-girls-hires.zip?11040472974727526554\" class=\"product-btn\"\u003eDownload the Cover\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"btn-wrapper\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/bad-girls-discussion-guide.pdf?18081083729335161044\" class=\"product-btn\"\u003eDownload the Discussion Guide\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"btn-wrapper\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/bad-girls-readers-theater.pdf?11040472974727526554\" class=\"product-btn\"\u003eDownload the Readers Theater\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"btn-wrapper\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/bad-girls-excerpt.pdf?11040472974727526554\" class=\"product-btn\"\u003eDownload an excerpt of \u003ci\u003eBad Girls\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DETAILS BELOW - - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDetails\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePaperback\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-58089-186-8\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eE-book\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-60734-538-1 EPUB\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-60734-585-5 PDF\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAges: 9-12\u003cbr\u003ePage count: 172\u003cbr\u003e6 x 9\u003c\/p\u003e\n[\/TABS]","published_at":"2015-04-27T17:00:00-04:00","created_at":"2015-04-27T16:10:13-04:00","vendor":"Charlesbridge","type":"Children's Book","tags":["Browse by Age_Middle Grade","Browse by Fiction\/Nonfiction_Nonfiction","Browse by Subject_Diversity","Browse by Subject_History \u0026 Biography","Browse by Subject_Social Studies\/Cultures","girl","Women's History"],"price":995,"price_min":995,"price_max":995,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":1287803969,"title":"Paperback","option1":"Paperback","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"91868","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Bad Girls - Paperback","public_title":"Paperback","options":["Paperback"],"price":995,"weight":367,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_quantity":9,"inventory_management":"shopify","inventory_policy":"continue","barcode":"978-1-58089-186-8","requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[]}],"images":["\/\/charlesbridgeteen.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/bad-girls-cover.jpg?v=1586785378"],"featured_image":"\/\/charlesbridgeteen.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/bad-girls-cover.jpg?v=1586785378","options":["Title"],"media":[{"alt":"Bad Girls: Sirens, Jezebels, Murderesses, Thieves \u0026 Other Female Villains book cover","id":2449365434447,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.676,"height":888,"width":600,"src":"\/\/charlesbridgeteen.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/bad-girls-cover.jpg?v=1586785378"},"aspect_ratio":0.676,"height":888,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/charlesbridgeteen.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/bad-girls-cover.jpg?v=1586785378","width":600}],"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_groups":[],"content":"\u003ch1\u003eBad Girls\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSirens, Jezebels, Murderesses, Thieves \u0026amp; Other Female Villains\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR\/ILLUSTRATOR INFO BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy: \u003ca title=\"Author Jane Yolen\" href=\"http:\/\/charlesbridge.myshopify.com\/pages\/jane-yolen\"\u003eJane Yolen\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca title=\"Author Heidi E. Y. Stemple\" href=\"http:\/\/charlesbridge.myshopify.com\/pages\/heidi-e-y-stemple\"\u003eHeidi E.Y. Stemple\u003c\/a\u003e \/ Illustrated by: \u003ca title=\"Illustrator Rebecca Guay\" href=\"http:\/\/charlesbridge.myshopify.com\/pages\/rebecca-guay\"\u003eRebecca Guay\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER HEADING BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\"When I’m good, I’m very good. But when I’m bad, I’m better.\"\u003cbr\u003e —Mae West in \u003ci\u003eI’m No Angel\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER DESCRIPTION BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom Jezebel to Catherine the Great, from Cleopatra to Mae West, from Mata Hari to Bonnie Parker, \"bad\" women and girls have always been a problem for historians, storytellers, and readers. But what makes a woman \"bad\"? Are we idolizing the villain or rediscovering the underdog?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eBad Girls\u003c\/i\u003e, readers meet twenty-six of history’s most notorious women, each with a rotten reputation. But authors Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple remind us that there are two sides to every story. Was Delilah a harlot or hero? Was Catherine the Great a great ruler, or just plain ruthless? At the end of each chapter, Yolen and Stemple appear as themselves in comic panels to debate each girl’s badness—Heidi as the prosecution, Jane for context.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis unique and sassy examination of famed, female historical figures will engage readers with its unusual presentation of the subject matter. Heidi and Jane’s strong arguments for the innocence and guilt of each bad girl promotes the practice of critical thinking as well as the idea that history is subjective. Rebecca Guay’s detailed illustrations provide a rich, stylized portrait of each woman, while the inclusion of comic panels will resonate with fans of graphic novels.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER RECOMMENDATIONS BELOW - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"recommended-books\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you like this book, you’ll enjoy these:\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/products\/amelia-to-zora-twenty-six-women-who-changed-the-world\" title=\"Amelia to Zora: Twenty-six Women Who Changed the World\"\u003eAmelia to Zora: Twenty-six Women Who Changed the World\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca title=\"Sea Queens: Women Pirates Around the World\" href=\"http:\/\/charlesbridge.myshopify.com\/products\/sea-queens\"\u003eSea Queens: Women Pirates Around the World\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - START OF TABS - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e [TABS]\n\u003ch5\u003eLook Inside\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg class=\"cvr-border-gray\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/bad-girls-spread.jpg?11040472974727526554\"\u003e\u003c!-- Please call pinit.js only once per page --\u003e \u003cscript type=\"text\/javascript\" async=\"\" defer data-pin-shape=\"round\" data-pin-height=\"32\" data-pin-hover=\"true\" src=\"\/\/assets.pinterest.com\/js\/pinit.js\"\u003e\u003c\/script\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR BIO BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor \u0026amp; Illustrator\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJane Yolen, author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJane Yolen is the award-winning author of nearly three hundred children's books, including\u003ci\u003eSnow, Snow: Winter Poems\u003c\/i\u003e (Boyds Mills) and \u003ci\u003eThe Rogues\u003c\/i\u003e (Philomel). She has been called the Hans Christian Andersen of the Americas. Jane lives in Western Massachusetts and Scotland.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca title=\"Author Jane Yolen\" href=\"http:\/\/charlesbridge.myshopify.com\/pages\/jane-yolen\"\u003eRead more \u003c\/a\u003eabout Jane.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHeidi E.Y. Stemple, author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHeidi E. Y. Stemple is the author of more than a dozen children’s books, several co-authored with her mother, Jane Yolen. Recent titles include \u003ci\u003ePretty Princess Pig\u003c\/i\u003e and\u003ci\u003eNot All Princesses Dress in Pink\u003c\/i\u003e. Heidi lives in western Massachusetts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca title=\"Author Heidi E. Y. Stemple\" href=\"http:\/\/charlesbridge.myshopify.com\/pages\/heidi-e-y-stemple\"\u003eRead more\u003c\/a\u003e about Heidi.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - ENTER ILLUSTRATOR BIO BELOW - - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRebecca Guay, illustrator\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAcclaimed for her mastery of comics, Rebecca Guay has illustrated many books for children, including \u003ci\u003eA Flight of Angels\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Last Dragon\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eGoddesses\u003c\/i\u003e. Rebecca lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca title=\"Illustrator Rebecca Guay\" href=\"http:\/\/charlesbridge.myshopify.com\/pages\/rebecca-guay\"\u003eRead more\u003c\/a\u003e about Rebecca.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - ENTER AWARDS \u0026 HONORS BELOW - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAwards \u0026amp; Honors\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMagnolia Book Awards Winner (Grades 6-8)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ci\u003eBooklist's\u003c\/i\u003e Top Ten Biographies for Youth\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - ENTER REVIEWS BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEditorial Reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/star-fade.gif?18127980511287865543\"\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eBooklist\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGirls gone wild! The mother-daughter team of Yolen and Stemple have rounded up some of the meanest (or perhaps just misguided) groups of gals history has known. And they have wrapped them in an attractive package that makes reading about their exploits even more enjoyable. The list begins with the biblical Delilah (sorry, Sampson), introduces Cleopatra, stops in England to say hello to Anne Boleyn and (bloody) Queen Mary, and then heads over to America to visit with Tituba, Calamity Jane, and Typhoid Mary. And that's just a few of the 26 spies, sirens, and female felons the duo takes on. Each subject gets a jauntily written page or so, prefaced by one of illustrator Guay's terrific full-page portraits and back-ended with a comic book-style page featuring the authors discussing whether the woman was exactly was she seemed. In fact, both an introduction and afterword focus on how history changes its opinion on people's actions, the way history's winners get the glory, and whether circumstances shape events more than personalities do. The thick paper, graphic novel-style typeface, and delightful artwork executed in ink and brush and dabbed with digital color will draw readers. The bibliography will lead kids to more about these gals.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMother-daughter collaborators Yolen and Stemple, who previously partnered with Guay on \u003ci\u003eThe Barefoot Book of Ballet Stories\u003c\/i\u003e, revisit the lives and legendary misdeeds of 26 notorious women in this often witty chronological romp. Jezebel, Salome, Calamity Jane, Mata Hari, and many more get their own brief chapters, complete with punny subtitles (\"Delilah: A Mere Snip of a Girl\"). The team’s tight, droll storytelling maintains a light tone: \"Always conscious of her image, Bonnie [Parker] asked one kidnapped police officer to tell everyone she did not smoke cigars.... She may have been an outlaw, but she was not a smoker!\" Comics sections from Guay end each chapter, showing Yolen and Stemple debating, via Socratic repartee, the guiltiness of each femme fatale, an entertaining if slightly egregious bit of authorial intrusion. If the authors’ banter hasn’t prompted readers to question the badness of these bad girls, the conclusion directly solicits the consideration: \"Would we still consider these women bad? Or would we consider them victims of bad circumstances?\" An extensive bibliography and index wrap up this narrative of nefarious—or not?—women.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBrief, breezy profiles of women who committed crimes, from Delilah to Catherine the Great to gangster moll Virginia Hill, with comic-strip commentary from the authors.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith a conversational style, the mother-daughter team of Yolen and Stemple recap the crimes and misdeeds of 26 women and a few girls in this jaunty collective biography. After each two-to-four-page biographical sketch and accompanying illustration of the woman, a one-page comic strip shows the authors arguing about the woman's guilt. The comic-strip Stemple typically comes down on the side of \"guilty\" or, in the case of Cleopatra marrying her brother, \"icky.\" Yolen tends toward moral relativism, suggesting the women acted according to the norms of their times or that they were driven to crime by circumstances such as poverty or lack of women's rights. Thus, strip-teasing Salome, who may have been only 10, was manipulated by her mother into asking for John the Baptist's head on a platter. Outlaw Belle Starr was \"a good Southern girl raised during difficult times.\" While the comic strips grow repetitive, the narrative portraits, arranged chronologically, offer intriguing facts--and in some cases, speculation--about an array of colorful figures, many of whom won't be known to readers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEntertaining and eye-opening.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMother\/daughter team Yolen and Stemple ponder the question of just what makes a bad girl bad. Bad press? Bad breaks? Bad boyfriends? Bad, bad nature? The misdeeds of two dozen notorious dames from throughout history are the fodder for these brief, breezy prose bios, each of which is followed by a one-page dialogue between the authors, rendered in comic-book format. Yolen and Stemple make an honest effort to lay out the life stories in as neutral terms as possible, saving their analysis of what went wrong for the interlude pieces, intergenerational conversations that are set in a place or during an occasion that hearkens to the subject's story. They chat about Anne Boleyn's affairs while enjoying tea near the Tower of London, discuss Countess Bathory's blood-soaked quest for youth during pedicures and brow waxing at a day spa, debate the Wild West felonies of Belle Starr while shopping for boots (yes, Heidi, definitely the over-the-knee lace-ups with studded heels!). Yolen tends to favor the more broad-minded, charitable view of the ladies' motivations, while Stemple generally takes a more censorious stand. Readers may find themselves aligning with one of the authors, but they won't be able to easily dismiss the opposing argument offhand. Guay's comics are key to developing the intellectual workout offered by the authors' conversations, and her glamorous full-page portraits of the bad girls opening each chapter capture the mystique that keeps the women in the spotlight over decades, or even millennia. An index is included, and short bibliographies are appended for each chapter, with enough material readily accessible online to guide teens who want to know more.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWho'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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DOWNLOADABLES BELOW - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDownloadables\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"Bad Girls book cover\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/bad-girls-cvr.jpg?11040472974727526554\" style=\"display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"btn-wrapper\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/bad-girls-hires.zip?11040472974727526554\" class=\"product-btn\"\u003eDownload the Cover\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"btn-wrapper\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/bad-girls-discussion-guide.pdf?18081083729335161044\" class=\"product-btn\"\u003eDownload the Discussion Guide\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"btn-wrapper\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/bad-girls-readers-theater.pdf?11040472974727526554\" class=\"product-btn\"\u003eDownload the Readers Theater\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"btn-wrapper\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/bad-girls-excerpt.pdf?11040472974727526554\" class=\"product-btn\"\u003eDownload an excerpt of \u003ci\u003eBad Girls\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DETAILS BELOW - - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDetails\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePaperback\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-58089-186-8\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eE-book\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-60734-538-1 EPUB\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-60734-585-5 PDF\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAges: 9-12\u003cbr\u003ePage count: 172\u003cbr\u003e6 x 9\u003c\/p\u003e\n[\/TABS]"}

Bad Girls

Sirens, Jezebels, Murderesses, Thieves & Other Female Villains

By: Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple / Illustrated by: Rebecca Guay

"When I’m good, I’m very good. But when I’m bad, I’m better."
—Mae West in I’m No Angel

From Jezebel to Catherine the Great, from Cleopatra to Mae West, from Mata Hari to Bonnie Parker, "bad" women and girls have always been a problem for historians, storytellers, and readers. But what makes a woman "bad"? Are we idolizing the villain or rediscovering the underdog?

In Bad Girls, readers meet twenty-six of history’s most notorious women, each with a rotten reputation. But authors Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple remind us that there are two sides to every story. Was Delilah a harlot or hero? Was Catherine the Great a great ruler, or just plain ruthless? At the end of each chapter, Yolen and Stemple appear as themselves in comic panels to debate each girl’s badness—Heidi as the prosecution, Jane for context.

This unique and sassy examination of famed, female historical figures will engage readers with its unusual presentation of the subject matter. Heidi and Jane’s strong arguments for the innocence and guilt of each bad girl promotes the practice of critical thinking as well as the idea that history is subjective. Rebecca Guay’s detailed illustrations provide a rich, stylized portrait of each woman, while the inclusion of comic panels will resonate with fans of graphic novels.

Maximum quantity available reached.

Jane Yolen, author

Jane Yolen is the award-winning author of nearly three hundred children's books, includingSnow, Snow: Winter Poems (Boyds Mills) and The Rogues (Philomel). She has been called the Hans Christian Andersen of the Americas. Jane lives in Western Massachusetts and Scotland.

Read more about Jane.


Heidi E.Y. Stemple, author

Heidi E. Y. Stemple is the author of more than a dozen children’s books, several co-authored with her mother, Jane Yolen. Recent titles include Pretty Princess Pig andNot All Princesses Dress in Pink. Heidi lives in western Massachusetts.

Read more about Heidi.


Rebecca Guay, illustrator

Acclaimed for her mastery of comics, Rebecca Guay has illustrated many books for children, including A Flight of Angels, The Last Dragon, and Goddesses. Rebecca lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Read more about Rebecca.

  • Magnolia Book Awards Winner (Grades 6-8)
  • Booklist's Top Ten Biographies for Youth
  • YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

Booklist, starred review

Girls gone wild! The mother-daughter team of Yolen and Stemple have rounded up some of the meanest (or perhaps just misguided) groups of gals history has known. And they have wrapped them in an attractive package that makes reading about their exploits even more enjoyable. The list begins with the biblical Delilah (sorry, Sampson), introduces Cleopatra, stops in England to say hello to Anne Boleyn and (bloody) Queen Mary, and then heads over to America to visit with Tituba, Calamity Jane, and Typhoid Mary. And that's just a few of the 26 spies, sirens, and female felons the duo takes on. Each subject gets a jauntily written page or so, prefaced by one of illustrator Guay's terrific full-page portraits and back-ended with a comic book-style page featuring the authors discussing whether the woman was exactly was she seemed. In fact, both an introduction and afterword focus on how history changes its opinion on people's actions, the way history's winners get the glory, and whether circumstances shape events more than personalities do. The thick paper, graphic novel-style typeface, and delightful artwork executed in ink and brush and dabbed with digital color will draw readers. The bibliography will lead kids to more about these gals.

Publishers Weekly

Mother-daughter collaborators Yolen and Stemple, who previously partnered with Guay on The Barefoot Book of Ballet Stories, revisit the lives and legendary misdeeds of 26 notorious women in this often witty chronological romp. Jezebel, Salome, Calamity Jane, Mata Hari, and many more get their own brief chapters, complete with punny subtitles ("Delilah: A Mere Snip of a Girl"). The team’s tight, droll storytelling maintains a light tone: "Always conscious of her image, Bonnie [Parker] asked one kidnapped police officer to tell everyone she did not smoke cigars.... She may have been an outlaw, but she was not a smoker!" Comics sections from Guay end each chapter, showing Yolen and Stemple debating, via Socratic repartee, the guiltiness of each femme fatale, an entertaining if slightly egregious bit of authorial intrusion. If the authors’ banter hasn’t prompted readers to question the badness of these bad girls, the conclusion directly solicits the consideration: "Would we still consider these women bad? Or would we consider them victims of bad circumstances?" An extensive bibliography and index wrap up this narrative of nefarious—or not?—women.

Kirkus Reviews

Brief, breezy profiles of women who committed crimes, from Delilah to Catherine the Great to gangster moll Virginia Hill, with comic-strip commentary from the authors.

With a conversational style, the mother-daughter team of Yolen and Stemple recap the crimes and misdeeds of 26 women and a few girls in this jaunty collective biography. After each two-to-four-page biographical sketch and accompanying illustration of the woman, a one-page comic strip shows the authors arguing about the woman's guilt. The comic-strip Stemple typically comes down on the side of "guilty" or, in the case of Cleopatra marrying her brother, "icky." Yolen tends toward moral relativism, suggesting the women acted according to the norms of their times or that they were driven to crime by circumstances such as poverty or lack of women's rights. Thus, strip-teasing Salome, who may have been only 10, was manipulated by her mother into asking for John the Baptist's head on a platter. Outlaw Belle Starr was "a good Southern girl raised during difficult times." While the comic strips grow repetitive, the narrative portraits, arranged chronologically, offer intriguing facts--and in some cases, speculation--about an array of colorful figures, many of whom won't be known to readers.

Entertaining and eye-opening.

The Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books

Mother/daughter team Yolen and Stemple ponder the question of just what makes a bad girl bad. Bad press? Bad breaks? Bad boyfriends? Bad, bad nature? The misdeeds of two dozen notorious dames from throughout history are the fodder for these brief, breezy prose bios, each of which is followed by a one-page dialogue between the authors, rendered in comic-book format. Yolen and Stemple make an honest effort to lay out the life stories in as neutral terms as possible, saving their analysis of what went wrong for the interlude pieces, intergenerational conversations that are set in a place or during an occasion that hearkens to the subject's story. They chat about Anne Boleyn's affairs while enjoying tea near the Tower of London, discuss Countess Bathory's blood-soaked quest for youth during pedicures and brow waxing at a day spa, debate the Wild West felonies of Belle Starr while shopping for boots (yes, Heidi, definitely the over-the-knee lace-ups with studded heels!). Yolen tends to favor the more broad-minded, charitable view of the ladies' motivations, while Stemple generally takes a more censorious stand. Readers may find themselves aligning with one of the authors, but they won't be able to easily dismiss the opposing argument offhand. Guay's comics are key to developing the intellectual workout offered by the authors' conversations, and her glamorous full-page portraits of the bad girls opening each chapter capture the mystique that keeps the women in the spotlight over decades, or even millennia. An index is included, and short bibliographies are appended for each chapter, with enough material readily accessible online to guide teens who want to know more.

School Library Journal

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.

Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-58089-186-8

E-book
ISBN: 978-1-60734-538-1 EPUB
ISBN: 978-1-60734-585-5 PDF

Ages: 9-12
Page count: 172
6 x 9