AIBU to want a spy/action/adventure book with female/girl leads for my daughter to enjoy?

[staveleymum]

My DS (9) has been reading Alex Ryder, Young Bond, Johnny Maxwell as well as Roald Dahl, David Walliams etc. These are all great books and I am sure that when it's time for my DS (6) to start on books some of these will appeal to her too. However, I've been looking around and trying to find books with strong female lead characters is rather thin on the ground in comparison to 'boys books' (FYI I dont advocate that there are books for boys or girls - just books) - but I would love for my daughter to have the choice to read books with strong girl characters that can also save the world!

We are on Worst Witch and have Naughty Little Sister for now but other than fairies, princesses, animal themed books I am struggling to find anything in the 7-9 age group that are more adventure based. I am going to try and find some Nancy Drew (I read those as a girl) but can anyone recommend any alternatives?

M

The Virals series by Kathy Reichs has a lead female character. It's sci-fi thriller style.

The Demon Headmaster by Gillian Cross has action and adventure galore, and a fantastic female protagonist who is brilliant at maths and computing
I thought there was just one sequel (which 7 year old me thought was the best book ever), but she has since written 4 more. - My DD will have to fight me for them!

Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge is appropriate for age 10+ if they're a good reader and would fit your brief, but her other books are pitched a bit older, as are Philip Pullman's books.

Rick Riordan's books are increasingly ensemble based, age appropriate, and have some great female heroes (plus an almost stamp collector devotion to ethnic diversity).

My DD age 8 loves the Skullduggery Pleasant books - he's a magical skeleton detective, but his partner is a strong 12 year old girl who discovers she's also magical and learns to solve crimes and fight monsters. I'm not entirely sure they're one hundred per cent age appropriate - there's a lot of monsters and fight scenes, didn't realise at first - but DD is addicted, in fact she dressed up as the girl character (Stephanie Edgely aka Valkarie Cain) for World Book Day - I had to make magical fireballs for her to hold. I think in the later books Stephanie gets drawn towards the dark side of magic and maybe goes a bit evil, but DD hasn't got that far yet. DD likes scary/gross/monstery stuff though, perhaps they wouldn't suit some younger children.

I wrote one for my dd when she wanted one.

My 11yo devoured The Hunger Games. I'm encouraging her to read the His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman (mainly because I loved it when I read it about 10 years ago). Lyra, the main character, is wonderful.

(Did you mean Cherub? 5foot5)

God, yes! Of course I did. Where did Cupid? come from?

The Wilma Tenderfoot series by Emma Kennedy - highly recommended.

Instantly thought of Nancy drew
I had a Nancy drew book when I was 9 😊

@reallyanotherone

Not the Buffy comics for a 9 year old - They're extremely sexually explicit! As was the TV series in fact.

So many for when she is older - the secret series, Lauren St. John, his dark materials, other Philip pullmans books, Majorie Blackman books (some are aimed at younger children like operation gadget man).
This website might help
www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/books-with-strong-female-characters#

Haven't rtft but Scott Westerfield's 3 book series uglies/pretties/specials is awesome. Hunger games esque but less mass slaughter...

The Laura Marlin mysteries are good. Skullduggery Pleasant for age 9+ Demon Road when she's ready for battling serial killers, torture, hell and an introduction to lesbian relationships.

The Murder Most Unladylike series - think there's four now - two girls at a 50s boarding school are detectives. Lots of discussion about social class / foreign-ness but above all, really lovely, proper whodunnits with two very different but complementary heroines. My ds loved them. I like them too

Oh, and again in a year or two, the "Wee Free Men" series by Terry Pratchett.

I loved the Nancy Drew books when I was a child. my daughter lived all of the Tamora Pierce books. Give them a try. Also I've just bought the 'Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls' book which she may like to try.

I'd second the Terry Prachett Tiffany Aching books and then the Witches books when older too.

Emily Eyefinger - Duncan Ball
EJ12 - Susannah McFarlane
Ruby Redford - Lauren Child

It's good to see from this thread that there is clearly loads of books with strong female characters.

Oh dear - I really should stay off book recommendations threads. Have just ordered the Demon Headmaster books.

Thank you everyone who has posted with your recommendations. It is so good to see that there are good books for girls out there and I will certainly be looking some of them out.

Thank you also for the website recommendations and one I will explore further.

Not a book, but this film is one of my favourites. Smart, adventurous female protagonist, like a clever Indiana jones for kids (and adults). It's french and the version I saw was subtitled but as soon as your kids are up for that I would highly recommend en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Extraordinary_Adventures_of_Adèle_Blanc-Sec_(film)

Hm, not exactly sure about the age here, as I don't have children yet and don't know what they understand or don't understand, but you can always give it to her later.

"Bliss Family Bakery Series" by Kathryn Littlewood; a series about a family that can do magic by baking. Main protagonist is Rosemary Bliss, the eldest daughter of the family. Many people are after the family's magic recipe book, action ensues.

Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis (part of a series, not sure how many books). Kat belongs to a family who can do magic. The series takes place somewhen in the Victorian Age or so (I am bad at telling the exact time period) so there's some heavy misogyny, but since the story is all about Kat trying to escape/ escaping the gender prison, I think it is still suitable for the age group it is recommended for.

I would recommend the Cat Royal series by Julia Golding. The books are full of adventure historical fiction.
Also, The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell is excellent.