What do you think?
Rate this book
50 Impressive Kids and Their Amazing and True Stories
From Stevie Wonder to Emma Watson, and Pocahontas to Pablo Picasso , 50 amazing kids who shaped history!A collection of biographies profiling some of the most influential kids in history and today. Prodigies, proteges, and kids with huge ambition, these youngsters prove that fulfilling your dreams and making a difference in the world isn't just for grown-ups. Some of the most phenomenal musicians, inventors, athletes, authors, actors, and even world leaders achieved greatness during their childhood years, beating the odds and making their mark on history. With loads of facts and trivia, activities, jokes, and a complete glossary, discover fifty of the most inspiring, impressive, incredible kids!
- GenresNonfiction
320 pages, Library Binding
First published February 2, 2016
7 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Saundra Mitchell
31 books579 followersSaundra Mitchell is the author of SHADOWED SUMMER, THE VESPERTINE, THE SPRINGSWEET, THE ELEMENTALS, MISTWALKER, and ALL THE THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK. In non-fiction, she’s the author of the non-fiction THEY DID WHAT!? series for middle grade readers. Her first adult novel, THIS SIDE OF GONE, will be published by William Morrow in January 2026.
She’s also the co-author of the CAMP MURDERFACE series with Josh Berk, and the editor of four YA anthologies: DEFY THE DARK, ALL OUT, OUT NOW, and OUT THERE. She also adapted the hit Broadway Musical THE PROM for teen readers!
Mitchell writes under multiple pen names, including Jessa Holbrook (WHILE YOU’RE AWAY,) Alex Mallory (WILD,) and Rory Harrison (LOOKING FOR GROUP.)
SHADOWED SUMMER was the 2010 winner of The Society of Midland Authors Book Award for Children’s Fiction and a 2010 Edgar® Award Nominee. It was chosen as a Junior Library Guild selection and an ALAN Pick in 2009. In 2020, ALL THE THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK was a Lambda Finalist, and the winner of the Indiana Authors Award for Young Adult Fiction.
Her short story “Ready to Wear” was nominated for a 2007 Pushcart Prize after appearing in Vestal Review Issue 27. Her short fiction and non-fiction has appeared in anthologies including TRANSMOGRIFY!, FORESHADOW, YOU TOO?, A TYRANNY OF PETTICOATS, FORETOLD, and DEAR BULLY.
For twenty years, she was the head screenwriter and an executive producer with Dreaming Tree Films on their various teen filmmaking programs, including the largest teen filmmaking program in the United States, Fresh Films. They produced more than four hundred films from her screenplays, and she earned Academy Award eligibility ten times during her tenure.
In other arenas, Ms. Mitchell was interviewed by the New York Times and the BBC for her part in exposing the Kaycee Nicole hoax, and she’s been tapped by morning radio shows all over the United States as a guest expert on Urban Legends & Folklore.
In her free time, she enjoys fandom, studying history, playing ttrpgs and video games, and spending time with her wife and daughters. Her pronouns are she/they.
She’s also the co-author of the CAMP MURDERFACE series with Josh Berk, and the editor of four YA anthologies: DEFY THE DARK, ALL OUT, OUT NOW, and OUT THERE. She also adapted the hit Broadway Musical THE PROM for teen readers!
Mitchell writes under multiple pen names, including Jessa Holbrook (WHILE YOU’RE AWAY,) Alex Mallory (WILD,) and Rory Harrison (LOOKING FOR GROUP.)
SHADOWED SUMMER was the 2010 winner of The Society of Midland Authors Book Award for Children’s Fiction and a 2010 Edgar® Award Nominee. It was chosen as a Junior Library Guild selection and an ALAN Pick in 2009. In 2020, ALL THE THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK was a Lambda Finalist, and the winner of the Indiana Authors Award for Young Adult Fiction.
Her short story “Ready to Wear” was nominated for a 2007 Pushcart Prize after appearing in Vestal Review Issue 27. Her short fiction and non-fiction has appeared in anthologies including TRANSMOGRIFY!, FORESHADOW, YOU TOO?, A TYRANNY OF PETTICOATS, FORETOLD, and DEAR BULLY.
For twenty years, she was the head screenwriter and an executive producer with Dreaming Tree Films on their various teen filmmaking programs, including the largest teen filmmaking program in the United States, Fresh Films. They produced more than four hundred films from her screenplays, and she earned Academy Award eligibility ten times during her tenure.
In other arenas, Ms. Mitchell was interviewed by the New York Times and the BBC for her part in exposing the Kaycee Nicole hoax, and she’s been tapped by morning radio shows all over the United States as a guest expert on Urban Legends & Folklore.
In her free time, she enjoys fandom, studying history, playing ttrpgs and video games, and spending time with her wife and daughters. Her pronouns are she/they.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 22, 2017
My eight-year-old daughter really enjoyed this book, I read it to her. There were lots of interesting people, some who I'd never heard of. I personally didn't love how it was so very teenage chatty, but my daughter didn't mind. What drove me absolutely crazy and made me want to give it less stars (but I didn't) was that it had no rhyme or reason as to who came next in the book. There are so many different ways that you could've split it into sections but it was just completely haphazard who came after who. For me it was totally crazy making, and my daughter didn't really like it either. She wished it had been from ancient history to present. I could've just done with sections like sports, famous leaders etc. we really like this type of book though, and it had a nice political/ activist bent.
Read
November 9, 2019This book is a collection of short, true stories about kids who did extraordinary things. There are a lot of kids that most people know about. However, there are tons that I have never heard of before. There are a lot of very interesting facts in this book.
December 17, 2019
I did not get very far into this and stopped. I thought the idea of the book was good but it dealt with some adult subject matter that wasn't for kids like Mary Shelly running off with a married man and then his wife committing suicide. Now why would you include that in a book of amazing kids?
November 5, 2018
This book made me feel like I wasted my life playing games in the arcade as a kid. Holy cow! These kids are so amazing and inspiring. This is a fantastic book for kids to not just teach them about some really impressive kids. It also shows them that just because they are kids; it doesn’t mean they can’t do great things too.
Mitchell pulls together a wide range of kids from throughout history. One of the things that I really liked about it was the variety of kids there are. I feel like just about any kid could pick up this book and find someone like themselves. I’ve often seen other books that had lots of pretty interesting white kids in them. This goes well above and beyond that.
Let me just say this… This is a book for kids. Adult might not find it as interesting, or get frustrated with the layout, or how short some of the bios are. However, every kid I’ve shown this to in the library has eaten it up. It’s a really great book for handing to them while they’re waiting for a computer to free up. The entries are short enough and filled with enough fascinating facts to keep even the most reluctant readers attention.
There’s an extensive bibliography at the end for those wanting to read even more on some of these amazing kids. There’s also a vocabulary section for some of the words that might raise some questions. Mitchel also includes a recommended reading list with some really great books on it. There’s a fun little quiz in the end (much like her one in 50 women) where you can find out which kid you are like.
Truly though, one of the really fun things in the book has to be after she talks about Louis Braille on page 169. Included in with the bio is the Braille alphabet, followed by some jokes and trivia that are in Braille that the kids can translate. I found this a lot of fun and think it would make for a really great activity by having kids write their own jokes and trivia.
Overall, I would recommend this book for any child or teenager and think it would make a great gift for them to have.
Mitchell pulls together a wide range of kids from throughout history. One of the things that I really liked about it was the variety of kids there are. I feel like just about any kid could pick up this book and find someone like themselves. I’ve often seen other books that had lots of pretty interesting white kids in them. This goes well above and beyond that.
Let me just say this… This is a book for kids. Adult might not find it as interesting, or get frustrated with the layout, or how short some of the bios are. However, every kid I’ve shown this to in the library has eaten it up. It’s a really great book for handing to them while they’re waiting for a computer to free up. The entries are short enough and filled with enough fascinating facts to keep even the most reluctant readers attention.
There’s an extensive bibliography at the end for those wanting to read even more on some of these amazing kids. There’s also a vocabulary section for some of the words that might raise some questions. Mitchel also includes a recommended reading list with some really great books on it. There’s a fun little quiz in the end (much like her one in 50 women) where you can find out which kid you are like.
Truly though, one of the really fun things in the book has to be after she talks about Louis Braille on page 169. Included in with the bio is the Braille alphabet, followed by some jokes and trivia that are in Braille that the kids can translate. I found this a lot of fun and think it would make for a really great activity by having kids write their own jokes and trivia.
Overall, I would recommend this book for any child or teenager and think it would make a great gift for them to have.
December 10, 2016
It was fun reading about kids/teenagers just like me, who did something extraordinary! This really encourages you to get up off that couch and go make a difference. I didn't hear previously about a lot of the people in this book, but now I feel very educated. These are amazing stories and I definitely recommend reading this if you are a kid/teenager!
February 9, 2024
Not my type of book 3.5
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews