Rachel C. Katz

Author of Books for Children and Young Adults

Rise Up!: Powerful Protests in American History

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Rise Up!
Powerful Protests
in American History

by Rachel C. Katz (Author), Sophie Bass (Illustrator)

  • A 2026 Massachusetts Great Reads title, selected for the National Book Festival

  • A 2025 EUREKA! Silver Award Winner

  • The 2025 Foreword Indies Juvenile Nonfiction Honorable Mention title

  • A 2026 Notable Social Studies Trade Book List selection

  • A 2026 Children’s Book Council Librarian Favorite

  • A 2026-2027 Keystone To Reading Elementary Book Award Nominee

  • A Chicago Public Library Best Kids’ Book of 2025

  • Featured on Literary Hub's Most Anticipated Children's Books of 2025 list!

From the Boston Tea Party to the Capitol Crawl, inspire young activists and explore 25 moments of protest, resistance and revolution throughout American history in this lyrical nonfiction picture book.

Praise for Rise Up!

  • “Author Rachel Katz and illustrator Sophie Bass’s fact-filled and delightfully rendered picture book shows how 25 moments of protest, resistance, and revolution led to victories won by the same kind of grit and risk-taking of the Minutemen 250 years ago—emancipation from slavery, women’s rights, safe foods, environmental protection, and minority voting rights.”

    – Literary Hub's Most Anticipated Children's Books of 2025, Ray Anthony Shepard

  • "A moving historical protest primer that invites even the youngest readers to rise up and fight for what’s right."

    - Kirkus Reviews

  • "A book that is VERY much a book we need for our times right now. 25 protests...showing kids how to get into some good trouble. Don’t think that it’s all the same stories you’ve seen before, though. There are bound to be a couple in here that surprise you. With vibrant art, the book’s backmatter includes info boxes, educational endnotes, a timeline, and more to encourage kids to consider the changes they want to make in the world. Rise up!

    -Betsy Bird, A Fuse 8 Production, School Library Journal

Watch the trailer for Rise Up! here:

 
Photo Credit: Liesl Clark

About Rachel

Rachel C. Katz taught middle school humanities for many years and introduced hundreds of students to her passions: writing, literature, American history, and civics. Now, she writes the books she always dreamed of sharing with her students.

Rachel writes nonfiction, from picture books to YA, about the histories left out of textbooks. She is drawn to stories of imperfect people who tried their best to make a complex world better. Rachel also writes fiction: silly stories, graphic novels, and mysteries.

Connect with Rachel →

Upcoming Events

Events
Newton Children's Book Festival
Nov 15
Newton Children's Book Festival