Kathleen Krull’s latest collection of gossipy biographical sketches examines 20 of history’s notable women, who were nothing if not bold. Isabella I of Spain, for example, had herself crowned queen when her husband, Ferdinand of Aragón, was out of town, making herself co-ruler rather than consort. Tz’u-hsi, empress of China in the mid-19th century, seized power at age 26 and ruled for the next 47 years, breaking tradition over and over along the way. The author provides enough of an overview of each of her subjects’ lives to give readers a sense of each individual’s accomplishments in the context of her times. Delicious tidbits—on habits, hobbies, and other, often quirky, traits--round out the profiles, making these women as human as the rest of us. Kathryn Hewitt’s watercolor and pencil portraits give dignity to each subject while capturing a slight sense of the absurd. (Ages 8-14)