As I have mentioned in my previous posts about anti-bias children's lit, girl characters in children's lit being portrayed as part of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math interests are rare. We've seen an upswing in interest and representation of girls in STEM, but the truth is, boys interests, representation, and toys remain the priority of many educators, television program producers, authors, and product developers. 

I have taken an interest in the endeavor of getting girls into STEM since before I decided to leave Halloween, as I pushed for more girl models wearing traditionally boy costumes: scientists, firefighters, fighter pilots, astronauts, etc. (I also pushed for more girl versions of superhero costumes). I realized as I did research that girls were getting the short end of the stick, and when I was a young girl, none of today's efforts at representation existed!

Brave New Girls volume 2 is due out on Kindle and in Paperback in August 2017

That is why I am extremely excited and appreciative to be a part of Brave New Girls 1 & 2, a compilation of stories written by fantastic up and coming authors, all of which feature girls in scifi and/or STEM settings and interests. I met Mary Fan, one of the authors and editors of the project, while exploring the science behind scifi fiction writing while living in New Jersey some-odd years ago, and have kept in touch with her. When she sent out the call for illustrations for Brave New Girls 1, I jumped at the chance. 

I was given two stories to illustrate the first time around, The Hive by Kate Lansing:

My illustration for The Hive will be featured in Portolium's 2017 Best of Portfolium,

"Teen science aficionado Fi has made it her duty to protect the honeybees. Not only does she love the little creatures, but her society depends on them for their survival. Something sinister is astir, though, and powerful forces are behind it. With the help of her programmer friend and a surprising ally, Fi sets out to discover the truth and share it with the world."

 and Flight of the Zephyr by Aimie K. Runyan:

"On the planet Tenturia, mining service is mandatory. But Wynn Felstrander managed to avoid it by working in her father's lab instead, after the government decided they needed her scientific skills more than another laborer. Still, she's trapped on the planet by the all-powerful regime.

When Wynn makes an important breakthrough in the process for refining the crystals used for fuel, she thinks she's finally found her ticket to freedom. But then she discovers that the Council is hiding a sinister truth about the very energy source she's spent her whole life working on. And the consequences for her mining-outpost home could be dire. Wynn soon finds herself facing the most difficult decision of her life. Should she take the Council's offer for safety? Or risk everything to leak the truth?"

When Mary announced a Volume 2 of Brave New Girls, I once again jumped at the opportunity.  This time I was able to illustrate three stories, and dove into each while also finishing up a 40+ page child study paper and studying for finals! But it was all worth it. I felt that this volume was building off of the previous, with bigger, bolder stories for girls and boys to read about brave heroines in STEM! The first I tackled was The Maker's Handbook by George Ebey:

"In a post-apocalyptic future where technology is shunned and people work as slaves for the good of their province, a young girl named Enola meets a mysterious wanderer who puts her on the terrifying and liberating path. "

Then there was The Case of the Missing Sherlock by Mary Fan herself:
 

I really enjoyed playing with black & white, and really wanted this image to reflect the excitement of vintage mystery novels like Nancy Drew.

"When her AI roommate, Sherlock, vanishes while working a case, fledgling biomedical engineer Chevonne is left to play detective after the authorities refuse to help her. Her investigation takes her into the heart of a dangerous operation that seeks to use Sherlock’s scientific know-how for their own nefarious purposes…"

And my personal favorite, The 17th Quadrennial Intergalactic Neo-Cultural Expo & Science Fair by Jeanne Kramer-Smyth:

I had a lot of fun with this one. I really wanted to get into some scifi fashion design, using my previous career in costume design, and create a magazine cover type feel, as if advertising the titular event itself!

"Up late working on their entry for the Intergalactic Science Fair, Alice and her friends are faced with a dire emergency on the space station that holds their boarding school. Can they figure out how to evacuate their classmates before time runs out?"

I'm sure everyone involved in this project hopes that their work will encourage girls to take part in STEM but also to show boys and girls alike that girl heroes do not have to fit into someone else's traditional gender roles and tropes. Just like real life girls and women, females are smart, hardworking, and ingenuitive! Illustrating these characters has not only been fun but also a part of my own mission to help and work with kids to see their potential. How many future scientists and astronauts will I meet? That's an exciting prospect!

Brave New Girls volume 2 is available August 2017, and is perfect for the young reader in your life, the classroom, or even for yourself!