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No one suspected that an actress would create a groundbreaking technology….
From childhood, Hedwig Kiesler had two interests: the way things worked and the way people acted. Straightforward text coupled with engaging full-page and spot illustrations made primarily with paper collage tells the eventful story of the girl who would become Hedy Lamarr. The account moves chronologically from her curiosity as a child living in poverty-stricken Austria through her development as an actress, her fledgling attempts at invention, and her escape from an unhappy marriage to America to her support of Allied troops during World War II and her continued interest in science and new ideas. Hedy’s co-creation of frequency hopping—a technology still used widely in missiles, microwaves, software, and cellphones—is shown to be a major accomplishment even though it was not recognized as such until many years later. Although there is insufficient contextualization of how her opportunities may have been limited by gender roles of the time, this is a clear and interesting portrait, and Hedy is portrayed as a strong, intelligent woman full of talent and innovation and is sure to provide young readers with inspiration and encouragement to investigate new ideas of their own. Divided into chapters, the book has lengthier text than the simultaneously publishing picture-book biography Hedy Lamarr’s Double Life, by Laurie Wallmark and illustrated by Katy Wu.
A solid, factual addition to the STEM and notable-women shelves. (Biography. 7-12)Jan Wahl was the author of over one hundred children's books, including Coretta Scott King Honor-winner Little Eight John and the Christopher Medal-winner Humphrey's Bear. Bowling Green State University awarded him the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters in recognition of his work in children's literature and in the history of film. Jan was an active speaker at schools, conferences, and writing workshops across the country. He lived in Toledo, Ohio.
Morgana Wallace was born into an artistic family in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and later moved to Victoria, British Columbia, where she studied at the Victoria College of Art, before becoming a full-time artist. As a child, she was captivated by book illustrations, and still believes they are as important as the narrative. Her medium is mainly paper collage, but she incorporates watercolor, ink, and pen to create her imaginary world of characters. She has had several successful shows at Victoria's Madrona Gallery, as well as completing four commissions for the British children's magazine, Aquila. She lives in Victoria, British Columbia.