Wow. I love learning about people that I don’t expect, then feel a bit angry that I don’t expect them. Stories like the one of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Native and mathematician/engineer, should be as commonplace as those of Thomas Edison and Neil Armstrong. But they’re not. Whiteness seeks to elevate the stories of people within its race and Euro-centric ethnicity; therefore, the stories of Natives and other people of color are often erased.
I am grateful to women like Traci Sorell, who seeks to share the lives of Natives like Ross, so we can all learn about the contributions of incredible people - of all races - to our society. It’s up to us as teachers and librarians who curate these narratives, to be intentional about what we include.
Buy it. Share it. It’s brilliant.

Nice children's book about a cherokee woman who became a top engineer and worked on the space program. An inspiration for young and old.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.

This biography is a welcome addition to any classroom. It lays out the journey of Mary Golda Ross, as she broke barriers as a female and Native American engineer. Ross was an engineer for Lockheed Martin at the start of the space program, the only female in her unit working on satellites and other classified projects. Through hard work, she made it to the top of her field, and never forget to help others. Her Cherokee values are woven throughout the story, showcasing how they helped her succeed.

Classified provides an excellent introduction to an important figure of scientific history who has gone largely unnoticed. Not only was Mary Golda Ross a female scientist in an era of masculine-led science, but she was also a Native American engineer - something largely unheard of even today. The format of graphic novel to tell this story is a great way to pull younger audiences in to learn about the diverse figures who helped build the scientific community.

An inspiring story of a Cherokee girl then a woman rising through the ranks of male dominated spaces. I love a good woman in STEM story and Mary Golda Ross is a woman that we want young girls to be inspired by and to emulate.

This illustrated short biography is exceptional celebrating the genius of the only girl who loved mathematics when girls weren't expected to even like the subject, Mary Golda Ross who made groundbreaking inventions and development in her field as well as in the education world.

Also, this book is a celebration of the award winning artist, Natasha Donovan. The artwork is amazing!

I love how the whole story has been presented in just a few pages. But it's so worth it.

Truly inspirational.

Thank you, authors and the publisher for the advance reading copy.

This is a book I wanted like more than I did. I think Mary Golda Ross could be a fascinating subject, and we need more stories about diverse women in STEM careers. The problem is the text reads a bit like an extended encyclopedia article. The content is good, but there's nothing to draw kids in. This will be useful for school projects, but I don't recommend it for leisure reading.

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This was a very interesting book. I love any story that teaches as well as entertains and this book did just that. Mary Golda Ross was a female Cherokee aerospace engineer in a time when women were never encouraged to pursue math or science careers. As a women who grew up in the 80's and 90's I remember being told that "girls aren't good at math". (This girl was!) I love any story that involves breaking down sexist or racist barriers. I also enjoyed learning about four Cherokee values. Definitely will be adding this book to my library's collection.

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC.

A moving story, where our main character is one of the most beautiful stories.

A very feminist story. I loved reading this story, it was a pleasure reading.

I highly recommend this story, it is without a doubt very interesting and captivating.

Classified is a story worth sharing and deserving of classroom use. It’s well-told, beautifully arranged, and a wonderful text to share with young readers. Inspiring!

The world we live in is inhabited by many outstanding people, of whom we often know nothing.

One of these people is Mary Golda Ross. I "met" her in "Classified", the beautiful book written by Tracy Sorell, with illustrations by Natasha Donovan.

Who was Mary G. R.? Briefly, she was a member of the Cherokee community, a mathematician, a mechanical, aeronautical and aerospace engineer, a teacher, a mentor... above all, a humble and resilient person, with an burning desire to learn, and a taste for working with others, on equal foot...

She is a really good example for kids, first recipients of this book; but adults, too, will discover one of the many nice people of our world.

Thank you to Millibrook Press and NetGalley for providing me with the e-ARC. All opinions in this review are my own.

Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer is a gorgeously illustrated picture book which tells the story of Mary Golda Ross. Ross is another hidden figure in the Space Race. This book tells her story in such a way that children can find a new role model in Mary Golda Ross.

Short biography of Mary Golda Ross, tailored for children, with very nice artwork.
Mary G. Ross was an amazing, inspiring woman, paving the way for so many (but still not enough) women in engineering and math-related jobs.

As a children’s librarian that does collection development, I was excited to come across this title for our biography collection. This picture book biography is about the first known Native American engineer and is written and illustrated by #ownvoices Traci Sorell and Natasha Donovan, respectively.

The illustrations are very captivating and play along with the text very well. Sorell does a great job emphasizing the importance Cherokee values and culture had on Mary Golda Ross’ life and in her success as an educator and engineer. She makes mention of how community, cooperation, and humility, to mention a few - shaped Ross as a person and as a professional. Ross went on to pursue the ambitious career of engineering, at the time a profession made up mainly of White men, where she excelled and was selected for a top-secret classified division focused on the space race.
Sorell closes out the book with an author’s note that highlights the importance of representation, and of sharing with the world the untold stories of so many people that have succeeded against the odds and blazed a trail for future generations. Included at the end is also a list of the four Cherokee values that are interspersed throughout the narrative.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I think the story in this biography would have been quite interesting enough without one of the many aspects that made its subject so notable. A young lady, born before WWI, mastering STEM subjects, and growing to teach them when her classmates had been racing to be the first to not sit alongside her in ignominy at her very presence. A female scientist of note that was the only one of her gender to feature among the 40 boffins at Skunk Works, where they used satellite and rocket science to do – well, it's still classified. Oh, and all that while being a Native American, and needing to press on everyone that just because she was the first she was dang well not going to be the last.

Yes, this book needn't have been so specific about the Cherokee aspects of the subject – it was doing perfectly well in filling in a gap in everyone's knowledge of science history, and getting just one more of the Hidden Figures out into the spotlight. Still, it doesn't really over-labour the ethnicity of our lead, and it will definitely do what she herself would wish, and empower First Nations girls to aspire to her heights. The design can't quite settle between nicely straightforward narrative illustration and the more technical aspects of things, so it doesn't appear quite as pleasantly coherent as it might have, but this is a definite possibility for many a school library.

I'm a simple woman, and if I hear that either Traci Sorell is authoring a new picture book or that Natasha Donovan is illustrating a new picture book, I'm willing to read it. That they did a picture book together absolutely thrills me. That picture book being about Mary Gold Ross, a Cherokee aerospace engineer from the mid 20th century? I'm sold on every level before even cracking the spine on a book like this.

I have to say that despite my sky-high expectations, I was not disappointed. Classified uses simple and straightforward prose to cover many points throughout Ross's long life and career, giving us the chance to see who she was as a person and the incredible things she achieved. The story is engaging and informative, and it gives us the chance to explore a side of history that is, unfortunately, far too little known. Donovan's art is absolutely on point, bringing Ross and her work to life in beautiful images that really add to Sorell's narration.

I love reading picture books about STEM history, and this is immediately among my favourites. I highly recommend Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer. This was a story that needed telling, and I'm so glad that it was Sorell and Donovan who got to do that telling.