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?

The Alana the Lioness series. Perfect for that age with strong female roles.

Lari Don writes great adventure stories with strong female characters. DD has read her 'Fabled Beast Chronicles' and has now started on the Spellchasers series. She has also written some books about females in mythology e.g. Girls, Goddesses and Giants. She writes books for all ages
www.laridon.co.uk

DD is 11 and only now reading the His Dark Materials series - I think 9 would probably be too young.

Other books DD has read (she likes adventure/action/fantasy books with strong females, she isn't a big fan of Jaqueline Wilson)

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

The Spirit Animals series (various authors)

Cliff McNish - The Doomspell Trilogy

Eva Ibbotson books

RJ Anderson books - Knife, Rebel etc - an alternative take on fairies!

Also - how about Graphic novels? My kids get the Phoenix comic which is great and from that I got DD the graphic novel 'Tamsin and the Deep' by Neil Cameron - Tamsin is a fab heroine!
www.neillcameron.com/3440743-tamsin-and-the-deep

DS is 7, and stuff he's enjoying with female lead characters are mostly ones which have been been mentioned - we're currently on the second of the Alanna books by Tamora Pierce, but she's written lots of other series which I think are even better. Cakes in Space and Jinks and O'Hare, Funfair repair are lovely, with brave, funny and resourceful heroines. The graphic novel Pirates of Pangaea is wonderful, with a dinosaur-riding adventurer heroine.

I hadn't noticed the post above mine - a Pirates of Pangaea is also by Neil Cameron.

What a great thread. Shamelessly bumping for more.

Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching series of books. Starts with The Wee Free Men.

Will second Lari Don - brilliant female characters.

Many of the 'My Story' books have female protagonists and they're perfect for that age group.

Northern Lights, although I'd probably try to wait a year or two.

Harry Potter for Hermione?

Not at all. Especially if she is happy to read what you choose.

I have always been 'different' in the way I raise my daughter. As a baby I tried to avoid pink clothes (really hard 5yrs ago) I like her to get messy and explore.

She's v girlie now, but quirky and happy x

I liked the Lone Pine adventures by Malcolm Saville. I don't think there was a massive amount of stereotyping in them, despite them being set in the 50s and 60s. As well as the Lone Pine adventures there was a shorter series of Buckingham books - they were also quite good and had some strong female characters.

Another vote for the Roman mysteries adventures by Caroline Lawrence - my ds read them all several years ago and there was a TV series too.

Also The Silver Sword by Ian Seraillier which has strong female characters and is one of my favourite books of all time. Also When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr - main character is a girl.

I loved Trixie Belden as a kid. A bit like Nancy Drew

For younger girls there's Jane Bond

Enid Blyton - The Famous Five, Mallory Towers, loads of books

With all due respect, I don't remember the Famous Five having particularly strong female characters. Anne and George were both very much a stereotype (silly vapid girl/tomboy) of the time and the dominant character was Julian, backed up by Dick.

I never read Mallory Towers, so not sure about that.

The EJ 12 series (and EJ 10 for younger readers) by Susannah Macfarlane are excellent. The writer is Australian but they are widely available.

Can you still get the Babysitters Club? Loved them as a pre teen

Though they're not exactly spy or adventure books granted! And have probably dated horrendously since the 90s!

I think Mallory Towers was about certain characters coping with boarding school and various challenges.