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Original poster

Kids books with strong female leads

92 replies

MipMipMip · 14/07/2018 22:04

After reading a thread in FWR I've realised how many books have stereotypical women in them. Not something we want kids growing up with! So I thought I'd start a thread for books where girls and women rebel against their conditioning and show their strength of all kinds. Obviously strong males can be in there too, the ideal is both.

Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer (Her daughter!) Between The Lines: an outcast teen girl loves fairy tales and realises the handsome Prince in one is real. So she sets out to rescue him.

Eva Ibbotson on Journey To The River Sea: a Victorian(ish) girl gets sent to live with unpleasant relatives in the Amazon. She continues the facade of being girly but prefers to explore and make friends with locals. Ends up sailing off with a male friend to escape. There's also a strong male, a very strong governess and a male who is afraid of everything but is still a good friend.

OP posts:
Sgtmajormummy · 25/07/2018 20:10

Tanglewreck by Jeanette Winterson. Mindblowingly good and one they’ll come back to at about 17 and appreciate even more if they’re scientifically minded.
Read it before the film comes out.

MNHQ
LornaMumsnet · 25/07/2018 20:03

Ask and ye shall receive. Brew

Original poster
MipMipMip · 25/07/2018 20:01

I've added Indigo to my wishlist SoHairy.

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Original poster
MipMipMip · 25/07/2018 19:57

I'll ask SeaEagel.

OP posts:
actualpuffins · 25/07/2018 17:01

I love Ottoline and Goth Girl.

SoHairyAndForeverSpartacus · 25/07/2018 16:42

I don't know if it's actually suitable for teens, and it's been a long time since I read them. But the Indigo series by Louise Cooper is brilliant. My younger brother also read and thoroughly enjoyed them!

It's eight books, in which the lead character goes from being a princess to saving the world by killing demons she had accidentally released. And transforms her along the way. The ending is just perfect to me.

TheNoodlesIncident · 25/07/2018 16:33

I loved Rumer Godden's books when I was a kid. She had lots of strong female characters, the heroines often called Olivia - I loved that name as a child when nobody else seemed to consider it. An Episode of Sparrows, The Greengage Summer, The Diddakoi - so many great and readable stories. The people are realistic as well, you can easily relate to the way they respond to events and each other.

She also wrote a lot of great novels for adults, as did Nina Bawden, who wrote alternately children's then adults' novels. Carrie's War is a good read. You might also try:

Your Friend Rebecca - Linda Hoy
The Middle of The Sandwich - Tim Kennemore
The Hand Me Down Kid - Francine Pascal
Marianne Dreams - Catherine Storr

All featuring some great girls dealing with crappy situations.

actualpuffins · 25/07/2018 15:59

I think most children's and young adult books have a strong female lead these days. In fact, often unrealistically so, as if they have no weaknesses whatsoever. Makes me want to read about someone who is wimpy and a bit crap at times.

SeaEagleFeather · 25/07/2018 15:56

Could this thread be moved to Books, OP?

DidimusStench · 25/07/2018 14:37

Oh and Philip Ridley has great strong female lead characters

DidimusStench · 25/07/2018 14:37

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Original poster
MipMipMip · 25/07/2018 14:15

Love Divergent but the last one, Alligent, was a bit rubbish. Very disappointing.

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BlooperReel · 25/07/2018 14:06

The Goth Girl books are good for 8/9/10 year olds.

The Paperbag princess for younger kids, my 4 year old loves the story.

PhilODox · 25/07/2018 12:13

The Hilda series by Luke Pearson

haverhill · 25/07/2018 11:30

The Ingo series by Helen Dunmore is focused on a strong young girl.

I’ll shut up now Grin

haverhill · 25/07/2018 11:28

For young adults The Sterkham Handshake is excellent.

claraschu · 25/07/2018 11:25

Laura Ingalls Wilder
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (not for kids, but I loved it when I was 13)
I adored Cowslip A Slave (or other title SLave Girl) by Betsy Haynes- fantastic book about a very strong slave girl- wonderful story which I loved when I was about 8 and older
Island of the Blue Dolphins
The Silver Sword

Other people have mentioned:
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler
The Ramona Books - wonderful
A Little Princess - on of my absolute favourite books and my kids loved it too
The Secret Garden

haverhill · 25/07/2018 11:15

The series by O.R. Melling which starts with The Hunter’s Moon. The second book The Lightbearer’s Daughter has a fantastically strong, resourceful lead character who’s a 12 year old girl.

eniledam · 25/07/2018 11:11

YA fiction is amazing at the moment - some of my favourite heroines have been created in the last few years.

My favourites:

Divergent - Veronica Roth
Throne of Glass - Sarah J Maas
An Ember in the Ashes - Sabaa Tahir
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones - Cassandra Clare
Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo
Shadow and Bone - Leigh Bardugo
Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Laini Taylor
Flame in the Mist - Renee Ahdieh
Daughter of the Pirate King - Tricia Levenseller

Smile
SeaEagleFeather · 25/07/2018 08:56

The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley. Young teen really. She writes a lot of strong heroines, well worth a read.

DotForShort · 17/07/2018 07:17

Two of my favourite books from my childhood (though both were written many decades before that):

Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher (I think it was published as Betsy in the UK). A young girl raised by well-meaning but overprotective relatives goes to live with some cousins in Vermont. She overcomes her fears and becomes strong and self-reliant.

Sensible Kate by Doris Gates. A girl who longs to be pretty or cute has resigned herself to being just “sensible.” A really lovely book about a lonely girl who finds a home among people who love her for herself.

Svanhildur · 17/07/2018 00:01

Ronja the Robber's Daughter by Astrid Lindgren. Also Pippi Longstocking as already mentioned.

RepealRepealRepeal · 16/07/2018 23:56

Only clicked into this to recommend Derek Landy, but Dextro has beaten me to it! They're amazing, funny, and Valkyrie is a strong character.

GrainneWail · 16/07/2018 23:51

I keep coming back to this list of Books for Bold Girls when I'm looking for presents for friends and relatives.

Original poster
MipMipMip · 15/07/2018 16:43

llykk phrase it however you prefer and for any age (ideally to be read by both boys and girls). It's just intended to be a small resource for parents/grandparents/aunts/teachers/anyone else.

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