Her Epic Adventure: 25 Daring Women Who Inspire a Life Less Ordinary; Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, illustrated by Salini Perera

Everyone loves to go on adventures. However, it hasn’t always been possible for women, who throughout history have long faced obstacles and opposition as the expectations of society, and race and gender inequality, have tried to dictate what they can and cannot achieve. Some women though are just born to adventure, from loop-the-loop stunt plane pilots to brave mountain climbers, deep-sea divers to big-wave riders, Antarctic explorers to intrepid hikers, these twenty-five trailblazers prove that anything - and any adventure - is possible…

Her Epic Adventures is a wonderfully inspiring and empowering read, packed full of girl-power and can do attitude. The twenty-five thrilling true stories of female adventurers who never stopped believing in themselves, despite what society said they could and could not do, and achieved the impossible is a fabulous celebration of women and their strength of mind, body and spirt. The next generation of courageous and brave adventurers are about to be inspired, motivated and fuelled with the belief they need to dream big and can do absolutely anything that they put their mind to.

Broken up into five sections - Sky, Peaks, Ice, Land and Water - the intrepid and brave adventurers are grouped according to the environment in which they excelled. Sky, for example, highlights the achievements of Amelia Earhart, an American who became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. Peaks showcases the efforts of Junko Tabei, the first woman in the world to climb the Seven Summits. Water includes the story of Maya Gabeira, a big-wave surfer from Brazil who despite nearly drowning hopped back on her surfboard to set the world record for the largest wave surfed by a woman.

Featuring a diverse cast of women from all around the world including women of colour, the young and the old, Indigenous women, LGBTQ+ women and women with disabilities, each succinct entry highlights the challenges that the various women faced, how they overcame them and what they ultimately achieved. Whilst the range of experiences are varied and different, they all have one thing in common, women who defied expectations and would not let anything get in the way of their dreams, ambitions and goals.

The highly accessible and engaging format will be appreciated by young readers. Easy to read and inviting pages profile the twenty-five women and feature plenty of engaging illustrations which bring life to the different women and their adventures. Spirited biographies share their stories and plenty of other facts and information comes via sidebars, inspirational quotes and ‘Did you know?' boxes. Back-matter includes an interview with modern-day adventurer Lois Pryce, a world map showing the location of each story and shorter profiles for five further adventurers.

Recommended for 7+.