At a glance
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for
Readers — from middle-grade students to adults — who want a visually rich, accessible introduction to the breadth of women's contributions across STEM history, and who would welcome it as a classroom resource, home-library staple, or thoughtful gift.
Worth it if
You're looking for a beautifully produced, wide-ranging survey that inspires as much as it informs — covering fifty pioneers from ancient antiquity through the twentieth century, with added reference value via infographics and a scientific glossary.
Skip if
You want sustained, in-depth biographical or scholarly treatment of individual scientists — at 128 pages across fifty profiles, the format deliberately prioritises breadth and accessibility over depth.
What readers & critics say
Chemistry World describes the book as "a celebration of [Ignotofsky's] art" that is "as delightful as the rest of her work," while a peer-reviewed notice in the Deakin Review of Children's Literature (via the University of Alberta) calls it "fabulous" and records that it left the reviewer "with an overwhelming sense of the remarkable discoveries by women in science." Entertainment Weekly, quoted on Penguin Random House, praised the book for the way it "elevates" its material, and Eileen Pollack, author of The Only Woman in the Room, is widely cited across multiple retail and publisher pages as writing that Ignotofsky "provides young women with the courage and confidence to follow the exciting paths these pioneers have blazed before them."
“Ignotofsky's first book, Women in Science, is a celebration of her art and is as delightful as the rest of her work.”
— Chemistry World“This book left me with an overwhelming sense of the remarkable discoveries by women in science.”
— Deakin Review of Children's Literature“Ignotofsky provides young women with the courage and confidence to follow the exciting paths these pioneers have blazed before them.”
— Eileen Pollack, via Penguin Random House“The book elevates this material.”
— Entertainment Weekly, via Penguin Random HouseLook inside the book
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Was this helpful?
- Is it worth reading?
- For readers seeking a visually distinctive, broad-ranging introduction to women's contributions to STEM, Women in Science delivers precisely what it sets out to do. Major outlets agree: The Wall Street Journal praised it as 'wittily illustrated [and] accessible,' InStyle called it 'the must-read, girl-power STEM book,' and Hope Jahren, writing in FADER magazine, described it as 'a great addition to the shelf of any student, of any age.' The key caveat LuvemBooks flags is depth — fifty profiles in 128 pages means each scientist receives limited space, so anyone seeking extended biographical or scholarly treatment of individual figures will need to supplement with other sources.
- Who should read this?
- Women in Science is designed for readers who want an accessible, visually driven introduction to the contributions of women across the full spectrum of STEM disciplines, from antiquity through the twentieth century. Its structure makes it especially well suited to middle-grade classrooms, home libraries, and gift-giving contexts where the goal is to introduce — or reintroduce — readers to historical figures whose work has often gone under-recognized. Eileen Pollack, author of The Only Woman in the Room: Why Science Is Still a Boys' Club, wrote that Ignotofsky 'provides young women with the courage and confidence to follow the exciting paths these pioneers have blazed before them,' while Hope Jahren's cross-generational endorsement underscores that adults find real value in it too. Readers wanting deep scholarly treatment of any individual scientist should look elsewhere.
- What age is it for?
- Best for ages 8 and up. The book's reading age is customer-estimated at roughly 8–12, placing it squarely in the middle-grade range, and its illustrated format and accessible profiles suit confident young readers in that band. That said, its cross-generational appeal — noted by Hope Jahren in FADER magazine — means older teens and adults regularly find it engaging as well, and it has found audiences well beyond its core young-reader demographic.
- About Rachel Ignotofsky
- Rachel Ignotofsky is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator based in California. She is known for creating illustrated books that highlight women throughout history and explore science and technology, and has described herself as an illustrator and designer. Her works include The History of the Computer, inspired in part by her own early experience with computers at age seven.
- Similar books
- Readers who enjoy Women in Science tend to gravitate toward other illustrated biographical collections celebrating remarkable women. Rachel Ignotofsky's own companion titles — Women in Art: 50 Fearless Creatives Who Inspired the World and Women in Sports: 50 Fearless Athletes Who Played to Win — apply the same format to art and athletics respectively. Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo offers a similar inspirational profile-per-page approach for young readers. For a more narrative, historically focused take on women in STEM specifically, the Hidden Figures: Young Readers' Edition by Margot Lee Shetterly — covering the Black female mathematicians behind NASA's early space missions, including Katherine Johnson — is a natural next read.
- What's the reading level?
- The book is customer-estimated at a reading age of roughly 8–12, placing it in the middle-grade range, and its illustrated format and accessible profile-based structure support that assessment. Its inclusion of infographics and a scientific glossary adds a reference layer that can challenge and reward readers toward the upper end of that range. Hope Jahren's description of it as suited to 'any student, of any age' reflects the fact that adults and older teens regularly read it alongside its core middle-grade audience.
- Where should I start with Rachel Ignotofsky?
- Women in Science is the natural entry point — it's Ignotofsky's breakout New York Times bestseller and the title that established the illustrated-biographical series format she's become known for. Readers who respond to its combination of biography, illustration, and reference material can then explore the companion volumes Women in Art: 50 Fearless Creatives Who Inspired the World and Women in Sports: 50 Fearless Athletes Who Played to Win, or branch into The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth for a different subject focus using the same signature visual approach.
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Age & Reading Level
Recommended age
Ages 8–12
Reading level
Middle grade
Best for: Ages 8+ — profile-based text, infographics, and scientific glossary suit confident middle-grade readers and up.
Skip if you're looking for in-depth biographical or scholarly treatment of any individual scientist.
Editorial Review
Rachel Ignotofsky's Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World is a New York Times bestselling illustrated collection published by Ten Speed Press that profiles fifty trailblazing women in STEM — from ancient-world mathematician Hypatia to primatologist Jane Goodall and Apollo 11 trajectory calculator Katherine Johnson — earning praise from The Wall Street Journal, InStyle, and Entertainment Weekly as an essential, visually distinctive celebration of women's contributions to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics across history.
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