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She Persisted: Sonia Sotomayor

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Paperback
$5.99 US
5.31"W x 7.63"H x 0.24"D  
On sale Jun 01, 2021 | 80 Pages | 9780593116029
Grades 1-4
Reading Level: Lexile 860L | Fountas & Pinnell T
Inspired by the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger, a chapter book series about women who stood up, spoke up and rose up against the odds!

In this chapter book biography by Meg Medina, the award-winning author of Merci Suarez Changes Gears and Mango, Abuela, and Me, readers learn about the amazing life of Sonia Sotomayor--and how she persisted

Sonia Sotomayor is the first Latina Supreme Court Justice in the history of the United States, but her road there wasn't easy. She overcame many challenges along the way, including a diagnosis of diabetes at age seven. But she didn't let that stop her from achieving her dream and inspiring children all over the world to work hard and believe in themselves.

Complete with an introduction from Chelsea Clinton, black-and-white illustrations throughout, and a list of ways that readers can follow in Sonia Sotomayor's footsteps and make a difference! A perfect choice for kids who love learning and teachers who want to bring inspiring women into their curriculum.

And don’t miss out on the rest of the books in the She Persisted series, featuring so many more women who persisted, including Clara Lemlich, Nellie Bly, and more!

Praise for She Persisted: Sonia Sotomayor:

"Engaging and accessible . . . The compelling story of an inspirational role model." --Kirkus Reviews

"This would be a good title for a unit on pioneering women or Latinx individuals. An engaging read for elementary classrooms and a welcome addition to library biography sections." --School Library Journal
© Sonya Sones
Meg Medina (megmedina.com) is the eighth National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. She is a New York Times bestselling and award-winning author who writes for children and teens. She has won numerous awards for her work, including the Ezra Jack Keats Writer Award as well as the Pura Belpré Award and Honor. She is the 2019 Newbery Medal winner for her novel Merci Suárez Changes Gears. When she is not writing, she works on community projects that support Latinx youth. She lives with her family in Richmond, Virginia. You can follow Meg on Twitter @meg_medina and on Instagram @megmedinabooks. View titles by Meg Medina
© Photo courtesy of the author
Chelsea Clinton is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World; She Persisted Around the World: 13 Women Who Changed History; She Persisted in Sports: American Olympians Who Changed the Game; She Persisted in Science: Brilliant Women Who Made a Difference; Don't Let Them Disappear: 12 Endangered Species Across the Globe; Welcome to the Big Kids Club; It's Your World: Get Informed, Get Inspired & Get Going!; Start Now!: You Can Make a Difference; with Hillary Clinton, Grandma's Gardens and Gutsy Women; and, with Devi Sridhar, Governing Global Health: Who Runs the World and Why? She is also the Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation, where she works on many initiatives, including those that help empower the next generation of leaders. She lives in New York City with her husband, Marc, and their children. You can follow Chelsea Clinton on Twitter @ChelseaClinton or on Facebook at facebook.com/ChelseaClinton. View titles by Chelsea Clinton
© Vanessa Blasich
Alexandra Boiger (AlexandraBoiger.com) has illustrated nearly twenty picture books, including the She Persisted series by by Chelsea Clinton; the popular Tallulah series by Marilyn Singer; and the Max and Marla books, which she also wrote. Originally from Munich, Germany, she now lives outside of San Francisco, California, with her husband, Andrea; daughter, Vanessa; and two cats, Luiso and Winter. You can follow Alexandra on Instagram @alexandra_boiger. View titles by Alexandra Boiger
Dear Reader,

As Sally Ride and Marian Wright Edelman both powerfully said, “You can’t be what you can’t see.” When Sally Ride said that, she meant that it was hard to dream of being an astronaut, like she was, or a doctor or an athlete or anything at all if you didn’t see someone like you who already had lived that dream. She especially was talking about seeing women in jobs that historically were held by men. 

I wrote the first She Persisted and the books that came after it because I wanted young girls—and children of all genders—to see women who worked hard to live their dreams. And I wanted all of us to see examples of persistence in the face of different challenges to help inspire us in our own lives. 

I’m so thrilled now to partner with a sisterhood of writers to bring longer, more in-depth versions of these stories of women’s persistence and achievement to readers. I hope you enjoy these chapter books as much as I do and find them inspiring and empowering. 

And remember: If anyone ever tells you no, if anyone ever says your voice isn’t important or your dreams are too big, remember these women. They persisted and so should you.

Warmly,
Chelsea Clinton


TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1: La candela
Chapter 2: Creciendo y aprendiendo
Chapter 3: Sueños
Chapter 4: En la lucha
Chapter 5: Tentando nuevas vías
Chapter 6: Su legado
How You Can Persist
References


Chapter 1
La candela

From the very start, Sonia Sotomayor was la candela. Just like a flame, she was warm and burned brightly, but sometimes she was hard to handle. She learned to walk when she was only seven months old. She liked to play knights with her cousins, carrying them into battle on her back. They used mops and brooms to joust. And she had a well-known habit of spying on grown-ups and listening to their conversations whenever she could.

“She is like an ají,” her family said. That is the Spanish word for a hot pepper that can sometimes burn your tongue. Who would have guessed that a girl like Sonia would become the first Latina Supreme Court Justice for the United States?
Praise for She Persisted: Sonia Sotomayor:

"Engaging and accessible . . . The compelling story of an inspirational role model." --Kirkus Reviews

"This would be a good title for a unit on pioneering women or Latinx individuals. An engaging read for elementary classrooms and a welcome addition to library biography sections." --School Library Journal

About

Inspired by the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger, a chapter book series about women who stood up, spoke up and rose up against the odds!

In this chapter book biography by Meg Medina, the award-winning author of Merci Suarez Changes Gears and Mango, Abuela, and Me, readers learn about the amazing life of Sonia Sotomayor--and how she persisted

Sonia Sotomayor is the first Latina Supreme Court Justice in the history of the United States, but her road there wasn't easy. She overcame many challenges along the way, including a diagnosis of diabetes at age seven. But she didn't let that stop her from achieving her dream and inspiring children all over the world to work hard and believe in themselves.

Complete with an introduction from Chelsea Clinton, black-and-white illustrations throughout, and a list of ways that readers can follow in Sonia Sotomayor's footsteps and make a difference! A perfect choice for kids who love learning and teachers who want to bring inspiring women into their curriculum.

And don’t miss out on the rest of the books in the She Persisted series, featuring so many more women who persisted, including Clara Lemlich, Nellie Bly, and more!

Praise for She Persisted: Sonia Sotomayor:

"Engaging and accessible . . . The compelling story of an inspirational role model." --Kirkus Reviews

"This would be a good title for a unit on pioneering women or Latinx individuals. An engaging read for elementary classrooms and a welcome addition to library biography sections." --School Library Journal

Author

© Sonya Sones
Meg Medina (megmedina.com) is the eighth National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. She is a New York Times bestselling and award-winning author who writes for children and teens. She has won numerous awards for her work, including the Ezra Jack Keats Writer Award as well as the Pura Belpré Award and Honor. She is the 2019 Newbery Medal winner for her novel Merci Suárez Changes Gears. When she is not writing, she works on community projects that support Latinx youth. She lives with her family in Richmond, Virginia. You can follow Meg on Twitter @meg_medina and on Instagram @megmedinabooks. View titles by Meg Medina
© Photo courtesy of the author
Chelsea Clinton is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World; She Persisted Around the World: 13 Women Who Changed History; She Persisted in Sports: American Olympians Who Changed the Game; She Persisted in Science: Brilliant Women Who Made a Difference; Don't Let Them Disappear: 12 Endangered Species Across the Globe; Welcome to the Big Kids Club; It's Your World: Get Informed, Get Inspired & Get Going!; Start Now!: You Can Make a Difference; with Hillary Clinton, Grandma's Gardens and Gutsy Women; and, with Devi Sridhar, Governing Global Health: Who Runs the World and Why? She is also the Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation, where she works on many initiatives, including those that help empower the next generation of leaders. She lives in New York City with her husband, Marc, and their children. You can follow Chelsea Clinton on Twitter @ChelseaClinton or on Facebook at facebook.com/ChelseaClinton. View titles by Chelsea Clinton
© Vanessa Blasich
Alexandra Boiger (AlexandraBoiger.com) has illustrated nearly twenty picture books, including the She Persisted series by by Chelsea Clinton; the popular Tallulah series by Marilyn Singer; and the Max and Marla books, which she also wrote. Originally from Munich, Germany, she now lives outside of San Francisco, California, with her husband, Andrea; daughter, Vanessa; and two cats, Luiso and Winter. You can follow Alexandra on Instagram @alexandra_boiger. View titles by Alexandra Boiger

Excerpt

Dear Reader,

As Sally Ride and Marian Wright Edelman both powerfully said, “You can’t be what you can’t see.” When Sally Ride said that, she meant that it was hard to dream of being an astronaut, like she was, or a doctor or an athlete or anything at all if you didn’t see someone like you who already had lived that dream. She especially was talking about seeing women in jobs that historically were held by men. 

I wrote the first She Persisted and the books that came after it because I wanted young girls—and children of all genders—to see women who worked hard to live their dreams. And I wanted all of us to see examples of persistence in the face of different challenges to help inspire us in our own lives. 

I’m so thrilled now to partner with a sisterhood of writers to bring longer, more in-depth versions of these stories of women’s persistence and achievement to readers. I hope you enjoy these chapter books as much as I do and find them inspiring and empowering. 

And remember: If anyone ever tells you no, if anyone ever says your voice isn’t important or your dreams are too big, remember these women. They persisted and so should you.

Warmly,
Chelsea Clinton


TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1: La candela
Chapter 2: Creciendo y aprendiendo
Chapter 3: Sueños
Chapter 4: En la lucha
Chapter 5: Tentando nuevas vías
Chapter 6: Su legado
How You Can Persist
References


Chapter 1
La candela

From the very start, Sonia Sotomayor was la candela. Just like a flame, she was warm and burned brightly, but sometimes she was hard to handle. She learned to walk when she was only seven months old. She liked to play knights with her cousins, carrying them into battle on her back. They used mops and brooms to joust. And she had a well-known habit of spying on grown-ups and listening to their conversations whenever she could.

“She is like an ají,” her family said. That is the Spanish word for a hot pepper that can sometimes burn your tongue. Who would have guessed that a girl like Sonia would become the first Latina Supreme Court Justice for the United States?

Praise

Praise for She Persisted: Sonia Sotomayor:

"Engaging and accessible . . . The compelling story of an inspirational role model." --Kirkus Reviews

"This would be a good title for a unit on pioneering women or Latinx individuals. An engaging read for elementary classrooms and a welcome addition to library biography sections." --School Library Journal

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