Fantasy books with girls/women as the main character?

[Takver]

DD reads a lot of fantasy books - the Eragon series, Wizard of Earthsea, Diana Wynne Jones Chrestomanci series, Charlie Bone, Harry Potter, that sort of thing.

Thinking about it, although there are plenty of strong female characters in them, just about all of these books have a male protagonist. The only series' I can think of with female leads are the Narnia books (taking Lucy as the main character for several, which I think is fair enough), and the Dark Materials trilogy.

Can anyone think of any other fantasy books (ideally series!) with a female lead - I just think it would be nice for a change for dd to have some books where the women get to be centre stage.

She's 9 btw, so need to be reasonably age-appropriate - so not Mercedes Lackey, for example, and probably not the Dragonrider books, though can't remember how unsuitable they might be (actually, if they weren't too dreadfully inappropriate they might be just her sort of thing).

KatyMac, I really like the Arrows books, but its just the last one IMO is a bit much for a 9 y/o (I know the world can be a grim place for women, but still . . .)

Maybe - I wonder if DD is too young for that even at 13 but he never got past bk1

Robin McKinley writes fantasy which is mostly marketed in the YA sector. Two that your dd would probably love are 'The Hero and the Crown' - which won the Carnegie medal, and 'The Blue Sword'. Dragonhaven is also suitable for a younger reader, I think. They are books I read as an adult, but would have devoured had they been written when I was 9!

Some of her later books would most definately NOT be suitable for a 9 year old, so you would need to pre-screen (Sunshine and Deerskin, especially).

On her website, there is a section called 'Pollyanna's booklist' which covers a lot of book recommendations here. I found a whole lot of new authors there.

I read a fair bit of Andre Norton when I was 9 - I remember 'The Beastmaster' in particular. Again, you would need to pre-screen.

Ooh I've just remembered another FAB one.

The series begins with Across The Nightingale Floor and they are sort of pseudo Japanese warrior novels with a couple of really strong female characters. DD1 read them aged around ten but there is a lot of gore and a lot of sex, both hetero and homosexual. Tbh she said she just skimmed over those bits!

I totally recommend them to anybody who likes well-written fantasy, as opposed to a lot of the crap out there.

I started to really dislike the Nightingale Floor series, thought they got very iffy on the sex/violence front and stopped reading half way through the last one (very very unusual for me).

Sounds like your 9 year old reads lots of great stuff Takver! I'd second the recommendation for Tamora Pierce, especially the Wild Magic series, and perhaps suggest Joan Aiken too (not quite fantasy, but not far off really).

Oh, can't believe I forgot Zoe Marriott -- she writes very good young adult books which all have strong female leads. The Swan Kingdom would probably be fine for a 9yo, but her others from memory are perhaps better in a couple of years.

I would second more Diana Wynne Jones - Dogsbody, The Spellcoats and The Crown of Dalemark (though it's best to read the other Dalemark books first) and especially Fire & Hemlock; also the Mortal Engines series and its prequels which have strong female central characters.

Incarceron and Sapphique by Catherine Fisher are excellent fantasy books with strong characters.

Definitely Joan Aiken!

I love Joan Aiken, so am with you on that one, but dd didn't go a bundle on her, not quite sure why. She's read Wolves of Willoughby Chase and a couple of the sequels, but didn't like Dido Twite as a heroine, and hasn't picked up any of her other books.

Yseabeau Wilce Flora series has a fab feisty heroine and is just amazingly inventive and original. Although maybe a bit old? I love Tiffany Aching but also thought she'd be good reading for someone at the upper end of the 9-12 bracket rather than lower. Also Ellen Renner, Castle of Shadows. Has anyone said a Wrinkle in Time yet?

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!).

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

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

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

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.

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 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...

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

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.

Just coming back to the thread to report that the first Anne McCaffrey Harper Hall book was a great success :) She's now desperately waiting for the other two in the series from Abebooks as they don't have them in the library.

(and was most disappointed when she opened my package yesterday & got '23 things they don't tell you about capitalism' )

I am PMSL at the "buxom barbarian who forgets to wear a vest" - I've got a fair few sci-fi books like that myself

Anyway, I reckon this lot here will be a good selection for quite a while!

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

The Various Trilogy by Steve Augarde

really really good with female leads

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.

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.