Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

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

220 replies

staveleymum · 30/03/2017 14:25

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?

OP posts:
GinIsIn · 01/04/2017 08:38

TLDR but the Sally Lockhart series by Philip Pullman is great!

thethoughtfox · 01/04/2017 08:50

Is she too young for Nancy Drew? She was my hero.

faithinthesound · 01/04/2017 09:03

The Stevie Diamond books are great - they're about a 12yo girl detective. They're also quite funny, if I recall correctly. The first one is entitled "How Come The Best Clues Are Always In The Garbage?", if that gives you any indication!

5moreminutes · 01/04/2017 09:13

I've just been reading reviews of Nancy Drew as I never read them as a child. Is it true that the originals are full of racism but the revised versions change Nancy herself to make her less strong and assertive and more stereotypically feminine? I was thinking of ordering them but that put me off!

I'd say a lot of the recommendations on here are more for year 6 or later in terms of themes and content, the His Dark Materials series is quite disturbing though brilliant. Maybe i just have sensitive children but i wouldn't suggest them to a child under 11, though i wouldn't stop them reading them if they discovered them for themselves...

monkeycat · 01/04/2017 09:18

The Madame Pampelousse trilogy are great for girls and boys. The main character is a girl who has lots of cool adventures . Unfortunately the book covers look very girly but the content is great and doesnt reflect the pink and lilac cover.
I've read them to a class of 7/8 year olds and they all enjoyed them equally.
Here's a link to the first one.
www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Madame-Pamplemousse-Her-Incredible-Edibles/0747592306?tag=mumsnetforum-21

YetAnotherSpartacus · 01/04/2017 10:18

Trixie Belden.

I remember when I was into her there was a series meant for younger readers that had a siamese cat in it. I never read it, but it might be fun.

5moreminutes · 01/04/2017 10:32

'Ottoline and the yellow cat' came up as a suggestion when I looked up the Madam Pampelous suggestion. That looks suitable for the OP's DD now rather than a lot of the more teen / pre teen options. Going to order it for my own nearly 6 year old as almost all his stories do have boy hero's...

Though that reminds me - for a 6 year old now what about Mr Gum. Total comedy sillyness but Polly is undoubtedly the action hero! All my kids enjoy Mr Gum, girl and boys, plenty of action but nothing to give a 6 year old nightmares!

5moreminutes · 01/04/2017 10:33

Heroes not hero's

YetAnotherSpartacus · 01/04/2017 10:50

It was Meg Duncan (with the cat)!

Leeds2 · 01/04/2017 10:53

Sophie and the Shadow Woods series by Linda Chapman.

isithotinhereorisitjustme · 01/04/2017 11:10

I would also recommend the Mortal Engines series by Philip Reeve has strong female characters and my boys have really enjoyed them.

heffalumpshavewrinkles · 01/04/2017 12:18

following, but as dd only 5 does anyone know if there is a way to 'save' this page so I can refer to it as she grows?

TigersOfAlexpolis · 01/04/2017 13:33

Bookmark, heffalump?

Thingsgettingstranger · 01/04/2017 13:44

When she's a bit older, there's the Hunger Games. Can't think of anything else.

TigersOfAlexpolis · 01/04/2017 14:06

I am the Mumsnetter mentioned above who wrote the Lucy Evans Instaexplorer series. I would like to thank the posters who recommended my books. I am very glad that your children enjoyed them.

If anyone is interested in the books, you can find out more here.

I started writing them with my own children in mind - I wanted them to have the books that I wanted to read at that age, and I especially wanted them to have stories with strong girl characters. I hope you enjoy them!

LadyPW · 01/04/2017 14:09

Oh yes, Trixie Belden. I'd second those too.

MNHQ
ToniMumsnet · 01/04/2017 15:36

Can I suggest Terry Pratchett's 'Wee Free Men' It's a fantastic series of books and the lead is an intelligent brave young girl.
There are also a lot of other strong female characters in this series.

PowerofThree · 01/04/2017 15:42

Barbara Sleigh's Carbonel trilogy (about a girl who buys a magical cat). Penguin have reissued it as a children's classic - not sure on ages but definitely children not young adult so maybe suitable from 7-8?

GrumpetLikesCrumpets · 01/04/2017 16:01

How about The Borrowers? Arriettie (sp?) goes on all sorts of adventures in those books. Philip Pullman's Dark Materials trio (The Amber spy glass...er I've forgotten the others) also have a female lead character...but may be for slightly older kids.

x246 · 01/04/2017 16:23

Take a little care with Cherub books for younger readers. They're not TOO inappropriate for a while, but as the characters get older - about book 6 if I remember correctly - some of the content is more explicit.

And most of the boys have a really shitty attitude towards the girls. Sure, the girls beat them up for the shitty things they say and do rather than just accepting it but 'if somebody says something mean to you, you should punch them' isn't a great message either.

Another one that's probably a bit old but the Wind on Fire trilogy has a strong girl (and her more cautious twin brother) as the main character.

noramum · 01/04/2017 16:46

I didn't read the whole thread so sorry for any duplicates:

Chris Riddle Ottoline/Goth Girl
Astrid Lindgren, there is a lot more than Pippi
Cornelia Funke - Emma and the blue Genie, Rescue Missisippi, Igranie the Brave
Rescue Princesses - not too bad
Stacy Gregg - horsey books but not in a sugary-sweet way. The characters come across problems, sort out conflicts

Anarchyinateacup · 01/04/2017 17:01

Famous Five series by Enid Blyton

TasLondon · 01/04/2017 17:19

The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler. Spoiler alert: There's a plot twist at the end, which is... here: tinyurl.com/lrvp7bl

phoebemac · 01/04/2017 17:37

This is a really good site to explore. It shows you the age range and often has kid's reviews od books, plus you can download samples. They have a top ten which lists recent popular books:

www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/genre/top/Lovereading4kids-Top-10-Books.html

5moreminutes · 01/04/2017 17:43

The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tyler isn't the book where the narrator as a child was the groundskeeper's daughter passing as a boy, in fact I vaguely remember that her parents (or single dad - her mum was French and I think absent) didn't even know what she was doing, and she does a gender reveal to her supposed bff who she tries to kiss when they are on the roof towards the end? The adult narrator has returned to the school as a teacher and turns out to be planning to murder someone? That can't be surely? I can only half remember the plot but I remember it as an adult novel - does anyone know what I'm talking about?

Sorry, minor tangent/ derail ...