Teenage girl protagonists with no romance?

[Takver]

Provoked by a conversation with dd . . . She says there are (almost) no contemporary non fantasy novels with a teenage girl protagonist, that don't involve said girl falling in love as a major part of the story.

So far I've come up with
The Bone Dragon
Saffy's Angel (admittedly published in 2002)
A Dog Called Homeless (but protagonist isn't actually a teenager, I think she must be 11 or 12)

Are we missing anything really, really obvious? In fact, even if you allow fantasy, I can't think of many more to add (Frances Hardinge's novels being the main ones, I think Mosca Mye must be 14/15?)

This isn't really a 'looking to read', more curiosity!

[Booksteensmagazines]

Struggling to think of some but came up with these:

The Seeing by Diane Hendry

The Memory of Water by Emmi Itaranta

Close Your Pretty Eyes by Sally Nicholls

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

[Takver]

It's interesting, isn't it. DD says that books with teenage boy protagonists do sometimes include romance, but often don't - but somehow it seems de rigeur that if you have a teenage girl, she must fall in love.

She's currently planning to write her own book, featuring a teenage girl who does a great many things and doesn't fall in love!

[caroldecker]

Terry Pratchett's the wee free men

[YDdraigGoch]

The Hunger Games trilogy.

[CalamitouslyWrong]

The love triangle is a big part of the hunger games trilogy.

[CalamitouslyWrong]

She is not invisible. Marcus Sedgwick.

[smugmumofboys]

His Dark Materials' Trilogy? It's a while since I read them (I know they're fantasy) but I can't remember any romance.

[CalamitouslyWrong]

White crow by Marcus Sedgwick doesn't have any romance in it either, I think.

[Takver]

'She is not invisible' looks fantastic, CalamitouslyWrong. I'll ask dd if she's read it, sure she'd like it if not.

I did actually think of another one, 'Looking at the Stars' by Jo Cotterell

[Takver]

smugmum - not in the first one (though in that she's only 12), but yes by no. 3 (heartbreakingly so). Not that they're not fantastic books.

[traviata]

the Ruby Redfort novels by Lauren Childs, but perhaps she is not a teenager.

[CalamitouslyWrong]

Clariel by Gareth nix (although that is fantasy)

If you find me.

The book thief?

There's a follow up to code name verity, called rose under fire.

[Mmbop]

I LOVED saffy's angel! Thanks OP

[alexpolistigers]

I have written a series of books featuring a teenage girl without even a hint of romance. Or fashion.

Naturally they are absolutely brilliant

[NotCitrus]

Homecoming and the first few sequels - Cynthia Voight
Dogsbody - Diana Wynne Jones (fantasy elements but in a normal English town)
My Friend Rebecca - Linda Hoy (very funny and good intro to Shakespeare)

Erm... (runs through classics and discounts the lot)

[HermioneWeasley]

The Nancy Drew mysteries- ok she has a boyfriend but he's very minor

Anne of green gables - she doesn't commit to Gilbert for ages

What Katy did - can't remember any romance in those?

Dark materials - Lyra and Wil do fall in love in the third book, but again it's not the main thing

[Fanjango]

Any of the Tiffany series of Terry Pratchett. Hat full of Sky, Wintersmith I Shall Wear Midnight all good books. And for fans the last in coming out in October
The Shepherds Crown

[differentkindofpenguin]

I second Terry Pratchett's Tiffany books. There's a little bit about boys in the last one but it's more of a background thing in the first three

[Takver]

HermioneWeasley - I'm not sure Nancy Drew, Anne, or Katy count as contemporary

[chaletdays]

The Wells and Wong books are contemporary as in being written at the moment, but they're set back in the 1930s, so don't know if that counts.

Anyhow, the main protagonists are 14 and while there was a hint of a suggestion of mutual admiration in one book, there's been no romance.

[Takver]

They look great fun, Chaletdays!

[netty7070]

The Lightbearer's Daughter, O R Melling.

[TheCountessofFitzdotterel]

Some of the historicals are good at this.
Mary Hooper's Fallen Grace and At The Sign of the Sugared Plum (though some of her others do). Marie Louise Jensen's The Lady In The Tower doesn't IIRC.
Julia Golding's Cat Royal books have a wonderfully kickass and stylish heroine who has far more interesting things to do than fall in love.

There is definitely pressure on writers to put love in books for girls though.... when I met my agent and the possible publishers for my first book, it was one of the questions they both asked about my second.

[TheCountessofFitzdotterel]

oh sorry, just seen you wanted contemporary

Helen Grant, The Vanishing of Katherine Linden
Sophie Mackenzie, Girl, Missing