Twelve-year-old Essie believes that Black people should be allowed to vote, and she's willing to march for that right. On Sunday, March 7, 1965, she puts on her best dress to join protesters as they plan to visit the governor in Montgomery, Alabama. But as the 600 marchers approach the Edmund Pettis bridge in Selma, they are stopped by state troopers. Can Essie survive blows, tear gas, and being sprayed with a water hose to continue her fight for voting rights? Readers can learn the real story of Selma's Bloody Sunday from the nonfiction back matter in this Girls Survive story. A glossary, discussion questions, and writing prompts are also provided. Anitra Butler-Ngugi is a reading specialist and teacher educator who lives in Maryland and Kenya. She teaches children in grades kindergarten through sixth to love reading and to appreciate the English language. She teaches teachers how to design engaging learning experiences for their students. She earned her bachelor's degree and her master's degree from Bowie State University. She enjoys cooking for her husband, traveling, reading, podcasting, and writing books for children. Wendy Tan is a Chinese-Malaysian illustrator based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Over the past few years, she has contributed to numerous animation productions and advertisements. Now Wendy's passion for storytelling has led her down a new path: children's book illustration. When she's not drawing, Wendy likes to spend time playing with her mixed-breed rescue dog, Lucky.