Thank you to NetGalley and SparkPress for my gifted copy of Drawing Outside the Lines by Susan Austin. This is the perfect book for Women's History Month coming up. I loved learning about Julia Morgan and I know that my class will too. A strong, couragous and important woman in history that I was unaware of prior to this novel.

A wonderful novel for young girls/women! I loved the historical angle, mixed with some fictional events and people/themes. I was getting Calpurnia Tate vibes as I was reading, and I know a few students I could recommend this book to.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you SparkPress and NetGalley for the ARC.

Captivating story that combines fiction and non-fiction. It is based in the student years of Julia Morgan and how her passion led her to be the first woman to obtained an architect license in California.

Susan Austin is an educator and an author who delights in teaching children through historical fiction. Drawing Outside the Lines is directed at 10-14 year-olds but I, at age 65, found it very enjoyable. The book is about the real-life architect, Julia Morgan, following her from her first sight of the magnificent engineering feat of the Brooklyn Bridge through her education and career beginning. It is historical fiction but Ms. Austin has taken few liberties with the facts. Julia Morgan grew up in Oakland, California during the late 1800’s, a time when intelligent girls were ridiculed and taught that their place in life was being a wife and mother. Uninterested in the social life of a debutante, Julia enrolled in the University of California at Berkeley to study engineering, as there was no architecture program. She was often the only girl in her math, science and engineering courses. Enduring taunting by male students and denigrating by her professors, she showed her strength and resolve by becoming the first woman architect licensed in California. Although Julia Morgan obviously had a gift, she put tremendous effort into her education, toiling until late at night to get engineering drawings just right. There is a wonderful lesson here for young people.
Ms. Austin has provided additional information about Julia Morgan’s life and accomplishments in the Epilog and the Author’s Notes but there is so much more to discover. One should investigate Julia Morgan’s life and many notable accomplishments further, if only by reading the Wikipedia article about her. She was an amazing woman!
Thank you to NetGalley, Spark Press and Susan Austin for the chance to read this wonderful ARC. My review expresses my own opinions.

Girls in STEM is always a great focus for middle grade readers!! Julia is an extremely relatable girl who loves all things architecture.

The weaving of truth and fiction share that Julia is not a typical girl for her time. Her fascination with the Brooklyn Bridge leads her to pursue a career in architecture. She is tunted by classmates from high school throughout college, but is able to persevere and gain respect.

Her true enjoyment of her field leaves the reader ready to learn more about her!

A well written story that talks about the start of women in STEM and how hard it was. The plot flows, the author is a good storyteller, and the characters are fleshed out.
I would to read it to young girls as it is still hard for women in STEM.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

In a time where women are more free to pursue careers in STEM, it is important to remember the history of our liberation, and the fights of the women who came before us. While several women in various careers have defied societal norms to attend male-only institutions, and to qualify in traditionally “male” professions, not much is known about many of them. Their stories reside quietly in the archives of professional associations, and the annals of universities.

In this imagination of what Julia Morgan’s childhood might have been, we meet a young girl who was a pioneer long before she became the first female to qualify at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and the first female architect given a license to practise in New York City.

The author, Susan J. Austin, melds seamlessly the known facts of Morgan’s life and career, with plausible experiences in her childhood. While I enjoyed the book, I would like to especially commend the epilogue and afterword, because they illustrate just how thorough Austin was in creating this narrative.

I couldn’t help but think Anne of Green Gables reading this book. While Anne and Julia are very different young girls, with entirely different stories, the tone of a young girl taking great pleasure in knowledge, while discovering her own talents, really marries these books in my mind.

The beauty of Morgan’s life, and thus also this book, is that the focus is so much on persistence and effort, and in this way is applicable to young girls and boys everywhere, and in all fields of interest. Julia Morgan doesn’t achieve what she does by happenstance or gift (though she may have innate ability): she works hard through the night, perfects her art, and she consistently presses on when doors are closed to her.

Appropriate for tweens and up, I recommend this book to young boys AND girls, their teachers, and their parents.

I loved this read. Memorable characters and very well written which takes the reader along on the journey. Immersive and well paced, the reader loses themselves in the story which is the hallmark of a truly amazing story,

I was drawn to this charming middle grade book by the cover. It is the imagining of the childhood and college years of Julia Morgan, who was one of the United States' first female architect. While reading this book, I went online to discover that one of the buildings she is most famous for is the Hearst Castle in California. I visited Hearst Castle when I was 6 years old and I still remember it.
Julia’s story is fascinating. The descriptions of how the Brooklyn Bridge was built are detailed yet easy to follow. Julia’s mother wanted her to be a debutante and find a husband. Julia fought against the traditional role for women. Susan Austin stated that little is actually known of Julia’s private life. Julia never married. I would love to buy this book for any aspiring young architect or anyone interested in a trailblazer in so many ways.
Thank you to NetGalley and SparkPress for the gifted Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for my honest opinion. I gave this book 5 stars.

Beautiful like a classic.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for my review.

An enjoyable read, this fast-paced historical fiction covers the early life of an underappreciated woman: pioneering architect, Julia Morgan. While the book does make a habit of telling instead of showing, it was an informative read that will be appreciated by readers looking to learn more about the early challenges of women trying to enter male-dominated fields.

It is the late 1900’s America and twelve year old Julia has wheedled her way onto a train trip from California to New York, ostensibly to help pack up and move her frail grandmother. But what has really drawn Julia is to get a look at the new Brooklyn Bridge, an amazing architectural feat.
This YA novel fictionalizes real life Julia Morgan from her teen years on as she blasted through so many barriers to become a celebrated architect. At a time when women just weren’t welcomed, or even allowed, into the profession Julia persisted and thrived.
This is a fun and accessible portrait of a trailblazing woman that is sure to captivate and cultivate YA readers.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great book. It's very inspirational and I learned a lot from reading it.

"Meet the brilliant, fearless, and ambitious Julia Morgan. In 1883, eleven-year-old Julia visits the amazing new Brooklyn Bridge - an experience that ignites within her a small but persistent flame. Someday, she decides, she too will build an astounding structure.

Growing up in horse-and-buggy Oakland, Julia enjoys daring fence walks, climbing the tallest trees, and constantly testing her mother's patience with her lack of interest in domestic duties and social events. At a time when "brainy" girls are the object of ridicule, Julia excels in school and consistently outsmarts her ornery brothers - but she has an even greater battle ahead. When she enrolls at university to study engineering, the male students taunt her, and the professors belittle her. Through it all, however, Julia holds on to her dream of becoming an architect. She faces each challenge head-on, firmly standing up to those who believe a woman's place is in the home. Fortunately, the world has yet to meet anyone like the indomitable Miss Morgan.

Drawing Outside the Lines is an imagined childhood of pioneering architect Julia Morgan, who left behind her an extraordinary legacy of creativity, beauty, and engineering marvels."

You think they'd mention Hearst Castle in the blurb... But yeah, she did that.

This story of Julia Morgan for middle school (?) students is a fascinating tale of not only a little known figure to most readers, but also a story of the difficulties of females in breaking into male dominated professions in gilded age. While most of the story is created, most of the characters were real persons of their time and some of them actually did interact with Julia in her youth. The book ends too soon, I believe, during the summer after Julia's college graduation. Only if the reader takes the time to read the end notes will he/she realize the scope of Ms. Morgan's career and her importance to architecture. I also think it would have been nice to include some of her most famous works, including San Simeon (William Randolph Hearst;s house).

Drawing Outside the Lines by Susan Austin is a middle grade historical fiction about an 11 year old girl named Julia who visits New York and becomes enamoured by the Brooklyn Bridge. Based on the real person, Julia Morgan, who was the first female to receive an architecture license in the state of California, Julia is both the perfect fictional and real role model for young girls aspiring to make a career in the sciences. I love that the author included lots of perspectives of the time, for example how her mother wants Julia to focus on needle work rather than following her dreams. Young readers will quickly feel passionate and begin rooting for Julia because middle graders do not love being told what they can and can't do. While teaching historical perspectives of women, and also creating an interesting and realistic storyline, Austin has created a book that I think middle graders will love. I would recommend this book to readers in the age 9-12 range who are ready for chapter books with little to no pictures. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

I loved this mix of true historical events and people with a smattering of adventurous fictional experiences!

This is one I will definitely be telling my daughter to read when she’s older and think a lot of middle grade kids would enjoy this one!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

What a great story! As a teacher this book captivated me and it was a pleasure to read a pre-release version I will be working out how to build this into my classroom curriculum without a doubt. Our protagonist (wise beyond her years at the start...she doesn't seem like a 12 year old, but she grows into her voice) Julia, Morgan (yes the renowned architect) brilliantly brings us back to the Victorian period and what it was like to chase an education, especially in "science" for women. We see her grow, face male bullying and succeed in all she dreams. An inspiring read.

Drawing Outside the Lines by Susan J. Austin

“Drawing Outside the Lines” allows our young readers to see what life was like before women had choices for their lives and their dreams. Susan Austin is able to combine fiction and nonfiction in this story about Julia Morgan, a brilliant woman who was able to put aside slights by classmates, teachers, and others in order to pursue her dream of studying engineering and becoming an architect.

The story is very simply told using imagination combined with historic events and references. Because we don’t know very much about Julia Morgan’s early life, the combination works perfectly. This writing wizardry helps the reader learn about the late 19th century and also keeps the flavor of that era in American history. The Author’s Note gives the reader just a bit more information to show just how far Julia’s tenacity took her in a “man’s” world.

The book starts off well by introducing Julia Morgan who has a secret. And though that secret initially has to do with the family’s trip to New York, the reader quickly figures out that Julia is also hiding her dreams and ambitions. At times, the story becomes a bit bland. There is no definitive climax or much significant change in the main character. Overall a good read and empowering for those girls who secretly wish for something different.

Drawing Outside the Lines by Susan J. Austin is a lovely novel based on the childhood of Julia Morgan. Born in 1872, Julia Morgan was one of the first female architects. While little is known about Julia’s childhood or personal life, the author has carefully researched the time period and the area where Julia grew up to piece together a realistic picture about what Julia’s life must have been like. This story will appeal to children who enjoy characters that don’t fit the roles they are expected to fill and who use skill and determination to achieve their dreams. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.