"History matters, acknowledging all the steps on the journey matters. United we stand."

Kate Mosse is a bestselling and award-winning author, playwright, performer, campaigner, interviewer, and non-fiction writer. With twelve novels and short story collections to her name, including the internationally celebrated Languedoc Trilogy, her work has been translated into 38 languages and published in over 40 countries.

She is also the Founder Director of both the Women's Prize for Fiction and the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction, the world’s largest literary prizes celebrating the talent and creativity of women writers. In addition, she launched the global #WomanInHistory campaign, raising awareness of how women's stories have too often been left out of the historical record.

Right now, women make up only around 0.5% of recorded history. In her first book for younger readers, Kate Mosse is on a mission to change that. Feminist History for Every Day of the Year is a powerful and inspiring collection that brings women and girls back into the narrative - where they’ve always belonged.

This vibrant anthology is filled with stories of resilience, invention, courage, and hope. Each day features an inspiring historical moment, spotlighting trailblazing sportswomen, scientists, politicians, cultural icons, explorers, and more. Alongside these daily highlights are longer essays exploring key feminist topics such as the history of women’s football and the Lionesses’ triumphs, body autonomy, clothing freedom, and why, yes, boys can be feminists too.

Perfect for dipping into or reading cover to cover, this is a brilliant resource to spark curiosity, ignite conversations, and empower the next generation. It’s a joyful celebration of the past, a rallying cry for the present, and a vision of equality for the future.

We grabbed the chance to ask Kate a few questions about her inspirational and utterly engaging book. 

Q. Your book opens with Rebecca West’s brilliant quote "I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat". Why did you choose that particular line to set the tone—and what does it mean to you personally? 

A. For me, the F word has always meant one thing - fairness! That's what feminism means, simply that girls and women should be treated equally with men, boys, everyone. Let's try to judge people on what they do, what they say, not what they look like!

Q. With 366 entries spanning well-known figures like Malala Yousafzai and Billie Eilish as well as unsung heroes, how did you balance between the famous and the lesser-known women?

A. I wanted a mixture of dazzling women and girls from the past, as well as the present, from all corners of the world and whose contributions ranged from science to music, literature to space, sport to medicine ... and everything in between. I wanted to mix really famous people with less well-known people to encourage readers to see themselves. We all have a voice, we all start out with no one knowing who we are, but we can raise our voices and make a difference.

Q. How did you find and research these overlooked trailblazers? Were there any figures or stories you discovered during your research that surprised or challenged you? 

A. Wow, there are too many incredible stories to pick out just one or two - that's what the book's for, after all! But it was a mixture of my own research into women's history over many, many years, then asking others for their recommendations, and using the thousands of suggestions that came through my #womaninhistory social media campaign during Covid, when I simply put out a call on social media for people to share the name of a woman they thought should be better known, or someone they wanted to celebrate. Within days of posting, I had tens of thousands of names from all over the world... wonderful.

Q. When writing for a younger audience how did you alter your approach to ensure clarity and engagement for teens?

A. I was lucky to have brilliant editors - a different generation from me - who gave me guidance, pointed out things that might be less familiar to a contemporary younger audience. I also shared with nieces and nephews, and children (and grandchildren) of friends. It's all about listening to what a particular demographic might respond to. Also, since the book is a compendium, pen portraits, and meant to be read by dipping in and out, that helped me keep the word count tight... (as anyone who reads my fiction will know, 'short' is not a word you could usually apply to any Kate Mosse books!).

Q. You shared that Greenham Common activism was fading from collective memory. What does revisiting these moments, that had such an impact on you personally, reveal and how do you hope today's young readers will respond? 

A. The key thing is that history is a pendulum, moments come and moments go, which makes the recording of our history all the more important. Until we know the real history of the past, and acknowledge the debt we owe to all the women and girls who fought for the rights we hold dear today - we cannot fully understand who we are now. History matters, acknowledging all the steps on the journey matters. United we stand.

Q. As a modern feminist, what did you learn as you researched these women's histories through a contemporary lens?

A. I feel hopeful, energised, sometimes dispirited (when things seem to be going backward), but mostly inspired that throughout history women and girls have stood up for what they believe in, have stood up for justice and fairness, and that this next generation is doing precisely the same. Every one of us can make a difference, large or small. Feminist History for Every Day of the Year is a celebration of all these stories, the joyous ones and the challenging ones.

Q. Only 1 in 5 statues across the UK are of women. Why do you think public statues, and who is commemorated in our shared spaces, play such a crucial role in feminist history and public memory? And if you could choose, who would you nominate to be commemorated with a statue?

A. Statues are living history, they take history out of the classroom and into the real world, they show us what a society values and the people who have made a difference. Statues are a visible reminder that women and men built the world together. So, it's obvious that we need more statues of women - real women, at that - to tell a truer story about everyone who has shaped our island story. At the moment, I'm involved in a campaign in my home town of Chichester, West Sussex, to have a statue erected to Madge Turner, Chichester's suffragette. It would be the first statue of a woman in Chichester and the sculptor is a woman too! Watch this space...

Q. Putting women and girls back into history must begin in schools but research shows that in the 2023 History GCSE exams, only 6% of questions were focused on women in history, compared to 37% of questions about men. And that in the KS3 curriculum, 82% of novels taught feature a male protagonist; 77% of schools teach one or no whole texts by female authors across the three years of KS3, with 44% teaching none at all. What can be done?

A. Most parents and teachers don't even realise the huge gender gap in teaching - and are really surprised when they see the stats. Organisations like End Sexism in Schools are doing a brilliant job at shining a light on the disparity between women's and men's stories in the curriculum and, of course, why this disparity matters. As with everything, the key is bringing subjects to wider attention, talking - and listening - and travelling hopefully towards sustainable, systemic change.

Q. Given the enormous range of stories in the book, do you see Feminist History for Every Day of the Year as the beginning of a larger series or project - perhaps a classroom edition, podcast, or digital archive? (We hope so!).

A. Thank you, but I really see the book as the beginning of a conversation - what I'd love is for young people, parents, librarians, teachers, everybody to use the book as a springboard for their own conversations, their own projects and their own campaigning.  I do have a few novels waiting to be written...

Q. What inspired you to structure the book as a piece of history for every day of the year, and how did that format shape your approach to the storytelling? 

A. I wanted to write something that would suit a time-poor contemporary audience: short and snappy entries, fun and light-hearted, as well as serious, illustrated – an almanac to be read in short bursts... The essays in between each month shine a spotlight on particular subjects important to me - women's sports, shame and trolling, boys being feminists too - and that fitted well with a January-to-December arrangement.

Q.What are you hoping your readers will take from a dip into a new story each day - will it spark activism, curiosity, or conversation? And do you see the book becoming a daily ritual for readers?

A. I'd love it if it became a daily ritual, the idea of starting each morning with a sneaky peek at who is being commemorated today. Also, of course, most people go straight to their birthdays to discover who their 'birthday twin' is!   

Q. How do you think your teenage self would have responded to a book like this? Would it have changed how you saw history, or your place in the world?

A. It's the book I wish I'd had on my bedside table when I was growing up, wondering who I might become in the world. I'm a Granny now, and I hope that my grandson and granddaughter (still a little young yet) will find joy in it when they are older.

Feminist History for Every Day of the Year by Kate Mosse, and illustrated by Sophie Bass, published by Macmillan Children's Books, is available to buy now in a handsome hardback. Read our full review, download a few pages, and add it to your basket knowing that, with every purchase you make on LoveReading4Kids, a school close to your heart will benefit.