Classified
The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer
An American Indian Library Association Youth Literature Award Honor Picture Book
Mary Golda Ross designed classified airplanes and spacecraft as Lockheed Aircraft Corporation’s first female engineer. Find out how her passion for math and the Cherokee values she was raised with shaped her life and work.
Cherokee author Traci Sorell and Métis illustrator Natasha Donovan trace Ross’s journey from being the only girl in a high school math class to becoming a teacher to pursuing an engineering degree, joining the top-secret Skunk Works division of Lockheed, and being a mentor for Native Americans and young women interested in engineering. In addition, the narrative highlights Cherokee values including education, working cooperatively, remaining humble, and helping ensure equal opportunity and education for all.
“A stellar addition to the genre that will launch careers and inspire for generations, it deserves space alongside stories of other world leaders and innovators.”—starred, Kirkus Reviews
| Format | Your Price | Add |
|---|---|---|
|
978-1-5415-7914-9
|
$14.99 | |
|
978-1-7284-2733-1
|
$24.99 | |
|
978-1-7284-7622-3
|
$34.99 |
| Interest Level | Grade 2 - Grade 5 |
|---|---|
| Reading Level | Grade 3 |
| Genre | Picture Books, Social Studies |
| Category | 5 Kinds of Nonfiction, 5KN: Narrative Nonfiction, Diverse Books: Feminism, Diverse Books: #OwnVoices, Diverse Books: Race & Ethnicity, Diverse Books: Social Justice, Diversity, STEM, STEM: Space Science |
| Copyright | 2021 |
| Publisher | Lerner Publishing Group |
| Imprint | Millbrook Press ™ |
| Language | English |
| Number of Pages | 32 |
| Publication Date | 2021-03-02 |
| Text Type | Narrative Nonfiction |
|---|---|
| BISACS | JNF007090, JNF051040, JNF018040 |
| Dewey | 629.1092 [B] |
| Dimensions | 9.25 x 11 |
| Lexile | 940 |
| Guided Reading Level | R |
| Features | Author/Illustrator biography, Author/Illustrator note, Awards, Bibliography/further reading, Reviewed, Starred Reviews, Teaching Guides, Timeline, and eSource |
Author: Traci Sorell
Traci Sorell is the author of Sibert, Orbis Pictus, AILA American Indian Youth Literature Award, and Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor Book We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga. Her title Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer was also named an Orbis Pictus Honor Book and a AILA American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor Book. She is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation and lives in northeastern Oklahoma, where her tribe is located.
Illustrator: Natasha Donovan
Natasha Donovan is the illustrator of the award-winning Mothers of Xsan series (written by Brett Huson). She illustrated the graphic novel Surviving the City (written by Tasha Spillett), which won a Manitoba Book Award and received an American Indian Youth Literature Award (AIYLA) honor. She also illustrated Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer which won an Orbis Pictus Honor Book and an American Indian Youth Literature Award (AIYLA). Natasha is Métis, and spent her early life in Vancouver, British Columbia. Although she moved to the United States to marry a mathematician, she prefers to keep her own calculations to the world of color and line. She lives in Washington. www.natashadonovan.com
Narrator: DeLanna Studi
Lerner eSource™ offers free digital teaching and learning resources, including Common Core State Standards (CCSS) teaching guides. These guides, created by classroom teachers, offer short lessons and writing exercises that give students specific instruction and practice using Common Core skills and strategies. Lerner eSource also provides additional resources including online activities, downloadable/printable graphic organizers, and additional educational materials that would also support Common Core instruction. Download, share, pin, print, and save as many of these free resources as you like!
Classified
An American Indian Library Association Youth Literature Award Honor Picture Book Mary Golda Ross designed classified airplanes and spacecraft as Lockheed Aircraft Corporation’s first female engineer. Find out how her passion for math and the Cherokee View available downloads →
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Awards
- Prairie Bloom Award Nominee
- ALSC Summer Reading List 2023
- Skipping Stones Honor Award
- Orbis Pictus Honor Book
- Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) Choices
- Mathical Book Prize Honor Book
- American Indian Youth Literature Awards Honor Book
- Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year
- Septima Clark Women in Literature Award Honor Book
- Rise: A Feminist Book Project List
- NSTA/CBC Best STEM Books for Students
- Cybils Finalist
- A Mighty Girl's Books of the Year List
- Kirkus Best Children's Books
- Eureka! Children's Book Award Honoree
Reviews
The Horn Book Magazine
“Through realistically cartooned digital illustrations and straightforward text, readers learn how Ross’s experiences reflected these traits. Because she valued learning and had a passion for math, Ross was able to persevere.”—The Horn Book Magazine
School Library Journal
“[S]potlights the story of an innovative Cherokee aerospace engineer, whose life sets an inspiring example for all children.”—School Library Journal
Booklist
“[A] valuable addition to units on Indigenous individuals or women in STEM.”—Booklist
Kirkus Reviews
“A stellar addition to the genre that will launch careers and inspire for generations, it deserves space alongside stories of other world leaders and innovators.”—starred, Kirkus Reviews