Fantasy books with girls/women as the main character?

The Artemis Fowl series obviously has a male lead, but I'd argue Holly Short is equally a lead role throughout the books.

Also by Eoin Colfer is The Wish List, fabulous book.

I love Terry Pratchett and DWJ too, although I can't stand Sophie from HMC, much prefer Howl himself .

Terry Pratchett's bromeliad. Protagonist is male, but Grimma has a major role, and pulls it together when the males all fall apart.

Saw your post on Dancergirl's thread, so had to come read here. Very surprised no-one has mentioned Shannon Hale yet, Goose Girl, princess Academy etc.

OK, just laying out Diana Wynne Jones here:

Witch Week - several strong females, who actually end up helping Cherstomanci
Time of the Ghost - all the main characters are female, including the baddie
Howl's Moving Castle - very strong female lead
The Dalemark Quartet - worth reading all of it, but especially the Spellcoats and the Crown of Dalemark.
The Pinhoe Egg - lead character is female and powerful
Darklord of Derkholm and year of the Griffin - they should be read together. The first is not particularly female-led but has several strong female leads, the second has a main character who is not only female but also not human (griffin).
Deep Secret and The Merlin Conspiracy - the first has a female lead who is sometimes a bit irritating, the second switches between two main voices, one of whom is female and strong (and tied in with lots of mythology too).
I'd also recommend Fire and Hemlock, though possibly wait until DD is 12-ish, Hexwood (ditto, scenes of violence and torture), A Tale of Time City and Black Mariah (this last shows the dark as well as the light side of female magic)

All in all DWJ is a stunning writer for us feminists, and it's a shame she is no longer with us. My 8yo DD is reading a lot of this stuff too.

Diane Duane's Young Wizards series has two pre-teen female heroines

great fun

Some of the Anne Mccaffery books would be perfect, I think.

It's not fantasy but it does have talking animals and 2 girl protagonists. I loved it as a child and my son and neice loved it too, it's called wind on the moon by Eric linklater. It's a bit like Evelyn Waugh for kids.

Also this is more historical than fantasy but i also like Charlotte sometimes. I can't remember the author.

Oh and the Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander. Princess Eilonwy a great role model.

Trudi Canavan -Magician's GUILD series (sorry for caps phone playing up)
Tamora PIERCE- ALANNA BOOKS
Robin HOBB- Liveship traders series

Havent read the thread, but my favourite author when I was young was Margaret Mahy. She wrote supernatural books that I loved. The Changeover was my favourite ever book.

a. The Queen Must Die - K S Quinn modern American girl goes back to Victorian England 11 year old girl loved it when given as a present.

b. The Green Knowe books by Lucy Boston I rememebr these from being on Jackanory every Christmas. Boy as hero but not macho boy!
c. Turbulent Term of Tyke Tyler - Gene Kemp - a school story with a twist.
d. A Traveller in Time - Alison Uttley
e. Weirdstone of Brisingamen/Moon of Gomrath - Alan Garner. Susan is a good heroine.

The Various Trilogy by Steve Augarde

really really good with female leads

Def Diana WynneJones, also His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman.

The original Wonder Woman cartoon book was one I just loved and read over 100 times when I was 8-12 years old. I saved the hardback book (which was a compilation of all of the cartoons) and re-read it not long ago. It was still as wonderful now as it was 33 years ago (!). I don't know if the compilation is still available, but it definitely falls into a 'sci-fi' sort of genre with a strong heroine.

Ronia The Robber's Daughter was one of my favourites at that age. If it's half as good as I remember it being you should definitely try and find a copy!

not sure if this link will work as on phone...

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/0140317201/ref=redir_mdp_mobile

I really enjoyed the Raymond E. Feist series:

1. Daughter of the Empire
2. Servant of the Empire
3. Mistress of the Empire

Perhaps for slightly older readers...

If you look into P.C. Hodgell - don't let the hideous cover art of the latest edition deter you. The character is not a buxom barbarian who forgets to wear a vest.

I was just thinking this morning of The Blue Sword and The Hero & the Crown and how much I enjoyed them. So glad to see they are still finding readers.

I most highly recommend anything Diana Wynne Jones. In addition to the previously listed ones, Hexwood has a strong female protagonist. Homeward Bounders' character Helen is emo awesome too.

One of my favorites was The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope.

Sorcery and Cecelia, and The Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer

College of Magics by Caroline Stevermer

The Dark Angel/ Gathering of Gargoyles/ The Pearl at the Soul of the World - all by Meredith Ann Pierce (speaking of feminist lit) the storytelling is so vivid - this is really not like anything else I've ever read and some parts of it stick with one so - when the main character has to weave her feelings into robes for undead wraiths and her weaving goes from jagged horror to feather light compassion -

P.C. Hodgell's Godstalker chronicles, which is still being written - the protagonist is basically an avatar of Nemesis and inadvertently deadly. Has a cat & many adventures. Gory at times, but I read the first at 12 and loved it. Am still reading it (author makes George R.R. Martin look speedy) and enjoying it as much as ever.

Cecelia Dart-Thornton's Bitterbynde trilogy might be heavy going on prose, but she won't notice if she gets into it - Ill-Made Mute, Lady of the Sorrows, Battle of Evernight

Enjoyed Anne McCaffrey a lot at that age - all the dragons and fire lizards books.

Can't help with a series, but Barefoot Books have some story collections focusing on myths and legends of powerful women - Goddesses and the Lady of Ten Thousand Names

A couple of good books with mermaids as main characters are:
Herm's Secret by Kate O'Hearn
The Undrowned Child by Michelle Lovric

Elizabeth Goudge's "The Little White Horse" - more magical than fantasy tho.

Definitely Canavan; they're really good and her heroine is great. I've only read the Magician's Guild series though (and dd is less interested in fantasy and more into history so I don't have the excuse!).