Every Day Is Malala Day

When on her way to school in Pakistan in 2012, 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by the Taliban. Surviving her injuries and now living in England, Malala has become an emissary for peace, promoting the rights of girls and women worldwide. McCarney%E2%80%94who heads Plan International Canada, part of a global nonprofit charity that seeks to abolish poverty%E2%80%94assembles a communal letter adapted from actual letters written to Malala from girls around the world. The letter acts as a message of solidarity from girls who have experienced persecution for being female. Large photographs, both sober and joyful, show girls in communities in Brazil, China, India, and other countries. One girl dressed in a wedding gown stares impassively at readers while, opposite, a Filipino child stands alone on a street ("In many countries bullets are not the only way to silence girls. Early marriage... poverty... discrimination... violence... all play a part"). A transcript of Malala's 2013 speech before the United Nations' Youth Assembly, delivered on her 16th birthday, provides a rousing conclusion to this arresting tribute to bravery and determination. Ages 5%E2%80%939. (May)