One Step Forward

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins

Overview

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection!

One Step Forward is a compelling debut YA historical fiction novel in verse about Matilda Young—the youngest American suffragist imprisoned for picketing the White House to demand women’s right to vote.

Raised in a politically divided family, Matilda wondered if she could be as courageous as her older sister who fought for suffrage. Joining the radical protest movement came with plenty of risk. Women were routinely scorned, harassed, arrested—and worse. And taking a stand for her rights could tear her family apart.

Told in powerful verse, One Step Forward follows Matilda's coming-of-age journey as she takes her first step into action. Amid the backdrop of World War I, Matilda’s story vividly highlights the extreme mental, physical, and emotional battles faced by the protestors leading up to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. It also reveals the bravery, hard work, and spirit of the women who paved the way for future generations to use their voices and votes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063339316
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/04/2025
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x (d)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Marcie Flinchum Atkins has spent over twenty-five years in the classroom and library and holds an MA and MFA in children’s literature. She is a teacher-librarian by day and a writer in the wee hours. One Step Forward is her YA debut. She lives on the outskirts of Washington, DC.

Editorial Reviews

"The plight of 19-year-old Matilda Young, the youngest suffragist arrested after picketing at the White House in 1917, is brought to life. This inspiring historical tale of perseverance experiments with formatting to connote mood. Imagined versions of suffragists such as Ida B. Wells and Mary Church Terrell feature alongside Matilda." - Publishers Weekly
"Poetry reflects the events and emotions—a square concrete poem for her jail cell, text side by side as [characters] walk and talk, and shrinking text as Matilda feels silenced. Women finding and employing their voices is a theme. A forceful story while chronicling parts of the suffrage movement often ignored." - School Library Journal (starred review)
"Four sisters support one another in the turbulent fight for women’s right to vote in early-20th-century America. Successfully conveys the grit, trauma, and violence of the times, adeptly emphasizing the activists’ doubt, pride, persistence, and exhaustion. Atkins’ skillful use of concrete poetry greatly enhances the work. Powerful, necessary reading." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"An inspiring verse novel that offers a blueprint for activism, showing how courage for a cause can grow over time and that activities as small as stuffing envelopes are as important as marching. Readers will leave perhaps empowered to go forth and fight for causes important in their own lives."
- Irene Latham, co-author of African Town, winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Outstanding Historical Fiction
“A compelling example of the way verse brings history alive, making us feel (as the brilliant back matter suggests) 'what it felt like to be a teen at that moment in history.' Lively, heartfelt verse keeps readers eagerly turning pages in solidarity with the immensely relatable Matilda." - Janet Wong, winner of the NCTE Excellence in Poetry for Children Award
"A wealth of historical details, poetic play with words and whitespace, and absolute relevance to young women today make this verse novel a must read!" - Kip Wilson, award-winning author of White Rose and The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin
"Atkins’ excellent novel in verse brings the 15 days Matilda spends in jail to vivid life, dramatizing the inhumane treatment the suffragists received. [She] has done a superb job of research, bringing her material to life in an important book." - Booklist
"Drawing on real people and events, Atkins’s verse imagines an inner life for Matilda in which she develops the courage to take direct action despite the costs. That is what true bravery means, and the tug between safety and impact is at the heart of the poems." - Historical Novel Society

From the Publisher