Idea makers 15 fearless female entrepreneurs

Gr 6--10--An entrepreneur can be defined as an innovator who creates and operates a new business, taking on most of the risks and realizing most of the rewards. This engaging book embraces this definition as it introduces readers to inspirational risk-takers. The stories are compelling and feature disappointments as well as successes; these women, who in the end would make millions of dollars and hire thousands of employees, often struggled with disapproval, insufficient funding, and initial product failure. The book is organized by the specific topics of food, health and beauty, science and technology, education, and clothing and fashion. Chapters in each section are devoted to an entrepreneur and explore her interactions with her family and friends, educational experiences, early encounters in the workforce, the inspiration for her business idea, and how she made it a reality. Each chapter includes highlighted sidebars featuring historically successful women entrepreneurs, business tips, and links to business websites and social media accounts. While these success stories are entirely those of Americans, a wide range of racial and cultural diversity is represented. The table of contents includes the entrepreneur's name and her product, which helps with research and review. The author's afterword challenges young readers to use hard work and passion to create their own perfect good or service for eager consumers. VERDICT The featured entrepreneurs are fascinating role models who are still playing out their life stories. Therefore, the book's content will likely become dated. Presently, however, these motivating stories would be a good addition to a middle or high school's library collection.--Lynne Stover

It's not only men who can make millions and have an impact on society. Sichol, who previously profiled the men behind Disney, Nike, Google, and Lego, now turns her attention to women with big ideas. Here, she introduces 15 female founders of successful companies, organizing her presentation into five different fields: food, health and beauty, science and technology, education, and clothing and fashion. From Kathleen King, the original baker of Tate's Cookies, to Morgan DeBaun, founder of Blavity, her subjects are as varied as their paths to success. But, in an introduction, the author points out that certain commonalities connect these stories. She offers glimpses of childhood interests and abilities, gives examples of early adult experiences, and stresses turning points. Most of these entrepreneurs are still with their successful organizations; some have turned over major responsibility for day-to-day management, and a few have sold to larger companies and moved on. The organizations are wide-ranging, too: businesses selling products or offering personal services and nonprofits for feeding the hungry and encouraging girls to learn coding. Interspersed with the biographies are short segments, sometimes related biographies, sometimes other relevant information. These add substance but detract from the flow of the chronological narrative. The author concludes by encouraging her readers to act on their own ideas because passion and hard work can pay off. Inspiring stories of successful 21st-century women. (source notes) (Nonfiction. 12-16) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.