Books for a 9 year old girl with female lead characters that aren’t about fairies or cute animals..

[PurpleCloak]

I need some help with my 9 year old DD - her favourite books are the “The Boy Who Grew Dragons” series, would love anything similar to this but more female character focussed? Or just anything generally focussed on female characters that like being active, sporty and aren’t about fairies or cats etc. However, nothing with too much peril or talk of death (we are going for through a sensitive period with those subjects 🤣). Thank you!

@Ironmanrocks
Carolyn Keene didn't exist. It was the name for a syndicate who wrote them. I think a number of them worked on the Hardy Boys too.

The Cogheart books are excellent, but the plots are all very much tied up with deaths of various parents and there’s quite a lot of peril.
Vi Spy is a good action adventure with a very strong female lead. It’s dramatic, but very ridiculous humour rather than threatening. Anisha Accidental Detective also has a strong female lead solving a mystery and some quite silly humour. Girl Who Stole an Elephant or Highland Falcon Thief could also be worth a look.

Something a bit different - a series of 3 scifi graphic novels, Zita the Spacegirl. DD still at 11 rereads these regularly, and she was similarly anti books where the main character tragically loses one or both parents in the opening pages. Thanks a bunch, The Secret Garden.

Er, although there is parent-less peril in Zita (she falls through a portal into another dimension), DD didn't find it scary.

Little Women
I wasn't much older when I first watched Gone with the wind tho probably about 12 when I read the book.

Ruby Redford can be a bit peril-y but from memory nobody dies, although she does get herself in bother a lot! I loved reading them so you would be okay giving them a go yourself first.

There are some great suggestions here! DD recently read (and enjoyed) Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell - the lead character is apparently orphaned at the start (albeit adopted by a wonderful guardian) but the whole book is about her unshakeable belief that her mother is still alive, and her search to find her. Other female-led favourites of DD's are the Amelia Fang books, the Violet mystery books by Harriet Whitehorn (fairly tame and I don't think there are any deaths), and the Shiny Pippin books by Harry Heape. Oh, and Pippi Longstocking!

@MargaretThursday - it is lovely to come across someone who has read some of my favourite books - though I am ashamed that you clearly remember them so much better than I do!

Hilary McKays Saffys Angel, which is the first in the Casson Family series.

Hilary McKays The Time of Green Magic

Jane of Lantern Hill by LM Montgomery

The Roman Mysteries series is terrific, and I actually learned quite a bit of history from them when I read them at about 10-11. Might be a bit too much peril, though.

@SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius I read all the Lone Pine to my ds not that long ago so that helps.

@MarisPiper92
The early Roman Mysteries are fine, but they get very gruesome in some of the later ones. The one watching the execution of prisoners in the colosseum made me feel quite sick.

@MargaretThursday yes, you're probably right. Pity though, as it's a great series.

How about Hounds of the Morrigan? Fantastical quest type story weaving together Irish myths, Boy lead but alongside his little sister who is great and centre of the action, not just tagging along. Theres episodes of peril and bits of darkness/sadness but they are always balanced with periods of safety, humerous quirky and lovely scenes.

Piopi Longstocking
The girl who stole an elephant
Journey to the river sea
Enid Blyton boarding school stories
What Katy did

Pippi

Not sure of age but the wizard of once and Charlie Thorne series' might be worth a look

The other thing to watch with Tiffany Aching is in one of the later ones somebody has a miscarriage because she's beaten by her father.

I'm realising how many of my go-to suggestions (The Little White Horse, most Chrestomanci books, Howl's Moving Castle, Ella Enchanted) have parents who have died!

Having had more of a think:

Charm School by Anne Fine
Lucy Jane at the Ballet by Susan Hampshire
Dolphin Diaries. Probably under Lucy Daniels (I think they were written by a syndicate). A family are travelling around the world researching dolphins. Nice, but not cutesy. She has twin brothers, but they're cast very much as "younger and annoying"!

If she likes Dolphin Diaries you could try Animal Ark. There are a lot of animals (obviously), but I wouldn't say they're particularly cutesy — they cover things like badger baiting. Mandy's parents are vets in Yorkshire, but there are some where they go to China, Africa etc. Lots of walking, cycling etc

She could read all those on her own.

Maybe The Steps Up The Chimney by William Corlett, but that might be better for you to read to her.

Amazing suggestions, thank you all. I will update as we get on with them.

Maybe a bit dated but the Scrambled Legs were good, it’s about a shit ballet group who hate ballet

If you can find a 2nd hand copy, try A Book of Princesses by Sally Patrick Johnson. It's a collection of fairy stories, some well known and some not so, but none of the princesses are the typical damsel in distress. The Light Princess & The Long Nosed Princess are two of my favourites.

If you want a good read for your 8 year old plus then have a look at www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B099C52VDJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_1DJ6KFG39SVVWGBQZTBQ?tag=mumsnetforu03-21
Thank you.

Not up on modern authors, but I had books by Julia Jarman called "when Poppy ran away" & "Poppy and the vicarage ghost" she was a good female character who got in scrapes with girls friends.

Also vintage 70s/80s but the turbulent term of tike tyler is good too, don't tell her the twist at the end where tyke is a girl, stereotypes lead you to believe tike is a boy. And in a similar vein I recall some with a character called Stevie Day but can't remember the author, but they may be too dated for her.

Is she to old for the worst witch?

Patricia Finney's Lady Grace Mysteries (they're about a young lady in waiting at the Tudor court who solves mysteries)
Judith Eagle's "The Pear Affair"

Will think of more....