Green Promises: Girls Who Loved the Earth
by Jeannine Atkins
Intermediate, Middle School    Atheneum    320 pp.
2/25    9781665950572    $17.99
e-book ed.  9781665950596    $10.99

Atkins (Hidden Powers, rev. 5/22, and others) continues uncovering stories of real women of science who have made unsung contributions to their fields. Here, her focus is on (Mary) Agnes Chase (1869–1963), who rose to the position of senior botanist at the Smithsonian Institution despite receiving no formal education beyond eighth grade; and Marguerite Thomas Williams (1895–1991), the first African American to earn a PhD in geology. This novel in verse goes back and forth between the two women as their childhoods and early schooling set the stage for their fascination with rocks, rivers, grasses, and nature. Atkins weaves together important historical details with spare, lyrical verse that is descriptive and illuminating: “Once they were girls whose dreams, / dark and rich as good earth, / were invisible even to them.” We learn of their struggles and their hard-won successes, as both women uplift those who come after them and will inspire young readers today. Helpful back matter includes an author’s note, a timeline of major events in each woman’s life, and short biographical entries that serve as a “who’s who” of the scientists and artists in their respective circles.

From the ">May/June 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.