Books about girls and women in STEM

The inspiring story of Grace Hopper: someone who revolutionised computer science and used her sparky sense of humour to make up the term ​“computer bug”. A great read for children in need of inspiration when it comes to science and maths.

Inventor Leonora Bolt has never left the remote island she lives on with her pet otter and an eccentric housekeeper! When a young castaway washes ashore, she begins to learn all about the mainland – which is in terrible danger. Can Leonora and her friends save it?

Suzie’s invention has sent her into space! Can she and the spaceship crew solve the mystery of the missing moons? Pacy and exciting, this young chapter book is perfect for newly confident readers.

The fascinating story of Katherine Johnson, who yearned to know about numbers and the universe, and ended up calculating the flight paths to the moon despite numerous obstacles. An inspiring picture book for children to dream big and work hard. 

Fiona Robinson’s beautifully blue book about the life of 19th-century born Anna Atkins is an inspiring testament to a father’s commitment to his daughter’s education, and to her passion for the natural world. Young nature lovers will be inspired by Anna’s story.

This amazing and deeply inspiring story of a largely unknown scientist – and pioneer of the care of Komodo dragons – is a fascinating read, beautifully illustrated. 

The 50 women profiled in this book are leaders in their fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Thoroughly inspiring and informative, in a fun and stylish illustrated format: a must for every child.

A beautifully written and illustrated book about the inspiring life story of Mae Jemison, the first black woman in space, from the wonderful Work It Girl series. 

Matilda loves science and wants to be an inventor. When she discovers that her grandma was an astrophysicist who didn’t get any credit for discovering a planet, they go on an adventure to change things.

Genius inventor Esha Verma is on the brink of winning the Brain Trophy, when she accidentally sends her sister back to the age of the dinosaurs. Funny and fast-paced STEM adventure.

Emmy is in a new city and new school and has just discovered computer coding. But why are people in class keeping secrets? This verse novel brilliantly combines poetry, music and coding with a coming-of-age story and a celebration of girls in STEM. 

Lightning Mary tells the true story of Mary Anning, a Victorian fossil expert, whose discoveries of the ichthyosaur contributed to changes in scientific thinking about the history of the earth. A brilliant read.

Molly is a curious explorer and finds that her bedroom is just the beginning of a fantastic journey through a mysterious house which she must navigate by solving mathematical puzzles. A great introduction to mathematical concepts for older primary readers.

On Maisie’s birthday, she finds that her family have disappeared and her house is being consumed by darkness. A brilliant introduction to physics wrapped inside a great story.

Engineer Railey and her bio-robotic gecko Atti dream of winning the big drone races – but when a bounty hunter comes looking for them, they’re forced to flee into Earth’s trash-filled atmosphere, finding themselves in a race against time to save the world…

Meg’s dreamed of being an astronaut since she was seven. This novel achieves a delicate balance between light-hearted fiction and thoughtful exploration of the pitfalls of being female, smart and good at science.

Ada Lovelace is widely regarded as the world’s first computer programmer, but did you know she also had a part to play in the history of computer technology? This fictionalised memoir of an important historical figure is smart, funny, and totally relatable.