Make More Noise

This anthology of short fiction marks the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage. Each of the ten stories is by an established woman writer, and is centred on a strong, interesting female character: some purely fictional, others based on historical figures.

Some stories – such as Sally Nicholls’ Out for the Count, which follows a group of women from different class backgrounds, evading the 1911 census – have a clear link to women’s suffrage. Others – such as The Bug Hunters, M G Leonard’s tale of an insect-loving misfit who finally finds a friend to share her interests – simply celebrate women and girls who don’t fit into common stereotypes: rebels and outsiders.

The result is a truly diverse collection of optimistic, powerful stories about historical and contemporary girls and women, told with the assured confidence one would expect from some of the best writers working today in children’s fiction.

This celebration of female voices and female agency is much needed in the #metoo age. Any librarian concerned about the widely reported pressures on girls to fit into a narrow idea of what is female and feminine should consider adding Make More Noise to their shelves.