Ideas for books for my DDs with strong female characters?

[BigFatLegsInWoolyTIghts]

DDs are 8 and 4. I got a great one for DD who is 4 "The Night Pirates" in which a little boy is woken up by a shipful of female child pirates....they take him away with them to take treasure from some bad adult pirates and then return him and sneak away.

It's lovely to see my DD get all excited...she's very physical, very into super hero behaviour and really believes in her own strengths...so I want to help her to celebrate that.

DD 8 is very vocal on equality and she's also an extremely fluent reader. She prefers books for older children but I don't want her to read anything too scary or too mature.

I'd love some suggestons if anyone has any?

[meddie]

thanks for the help. I have a huge Pratchett collection which she has read avidly. will take a look at Margaret Atwood and Jasper Fforde.

[FairPhyllis]

I'm not so good on recommendations for younger children, but for DD1:

Anne of Green Gables
Flambards - the first book is not too mature, I think I read it at about that age. Has a very physically active lead character.
Little Women
Little House books
The Anastasia Krupnik series by Lois Lowry
A Traveller in Time - Alison Uttley

[chaya5738]

For you four-year old:

Keep Climbing Girls

The Pirate Girl - Cordelia Funk

[FreelanceMama]

and keep them far far away from the Twilight series when they're older...

I like the older sister Bella in 'Dogger' for little girls.

For the 23 year old, Jasper Fforde writes some great female characters e.g. Thursday Next. And yes, Terry Pratchett.

[sashh]

Politically Correct Bedtime Stories

[Dozer]

Ooh obviously for 23yr old anything by margaret atwood, maybe Cat's Eye.

[Dozer]

For 4yr olds I really like Winnie the Witch, also Emily Brown.

The "Blue Kangaroo" series is also OK.

Older girls maybe Noel Stretfield (?) and The Borrowers (Arietty pretty good)! Secret Garden

For 23yo would recommend Stepford Wives and "Hideous Kinky"!

[R2PeePoo]

Koyasan

[R2PeePoo]

The two Clover Twigg books
The Firework Makers Daughter
Necklace of Raindrops
Rapunzels Revenge (graphic novel)
Princess Polly to the Rescue by Mary Lister
Zita the Spacegirl (graphic novel)
The Extra-Ordinary Princess by Ebbit
Ronia, the Robber's daughter by Lindgren
The Squire series by Tamora Pierce (I have the Lioness series put by for when DD is a little older)
Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke
The Lily Quench series by Prior
The Wrestling Princess and other stories
Gobbolino the witches cat
The extraordinary princess
Clever Gretchen and other forgotten fairytales by Lurie
The practical princess and other liberating fairytales by jay williams
My favourite as a child and now DD's is 'The Farthest Away Mountain' by Lynne Reid Banks

[MarysBeard]

Aurora and Socrates I loved when I was about 8. Her mum goes off to work as a lawyer and her dad stays home to watch the kids. It's all sort of snowy and Norwegian. Also on the Scandiwegian front Little Old Mrs Pepperpot is a very determined little lady.

[Takver]

For the 8 y/o what about Journey to the River Sea (and also Monster Mission aka Island of the Aunts) by Eva Ibbotson.

There's lots of good recommendations when she's a little older on this thread.

Ottoline was one of the books mentioned on there and is fantastic - more for your 8 y/o but your younger dd might enjoy the pictures.

Lots of classics of course have strong girl leads - Noel Streatfield's Ballet Shoes of course but especially Thursday's Child and the sequel Far to Go.

Then the Wolves of Willougby Chase + sequels, Anne of Green Gables (maybe when she's a little older), Emily of New Moon

[BigFatLegsInWoolyTIghts]

Pesh I would suggest she looks at books from Virago Women's Press

They're often brilliant and Virago is all about female authors...who would otherwise be forgotten.

She could also try Nell Dunne who wrote Poor Cow and Up the Junction...amazing books about the female working class experience in 60s London. Though the characters often appear to be victims, they're only usually victims of their circumstances and cope amazingly with all kids of problems.

[HiHowAreYou]

Dragonsbane, aw, I remember reading that to my baby sister when she was little!

[meddie]

What would you recommend for a 23 year old. My daughter loves to read, but is sick of the majority of books having weak female characters who drive her demented at how pathetic they are, unfortunately if I mention 'feminist literature' she has quite negative connotations of what that is thanks to bad press about feminism ( I am working on changing that view).
I am just looking for a cracking read with a strong female lead, that isnt blatantly man bashing iykwim as I dont want to put her off while she is still finding her feet on her views, she is definitely pro female and equality but doesn't see that as 'feminism' yet.

[PeshwariNaan]

Joan Aiken's "Wolves of Willoughby Chase" series... Dido Twite is brilliant. Loved her when I was about 8-10.

Also loved Lyra in Philip Pullman's trilogy.

[NinthWave]

at crossposting of Stewie's blog link

[NinthWave]

This is a fabulous list - I've bookmarked it.

[SuperB0F]

There's a good list on this blog of decent stuff to read, especially for girls.

[LeggyBlondeNE]

More variation on a theme but Dragonsbane by Patricia Wrede is good. Again, a princess who doesn't like doing pincessy things, runs away to live with a dragon, refuses to be rescued and thwarts a bad-dragon's plot, eventually becoming 'her' dragon's cheif cook and librarian. Oh yes, and King of the Dragons is the title for male and female dragon. Cimorene's dragon is female but is still King at the end. Good fun, aimed at c. 11 year olds but if she's ahead for her age she should be okay.

[EduCated]

I seem to remember the Railway Children being relatively good in terms of girls being active and non-stereotyped. May be wrong.

[Hullygully]

oops mine was wrong thread, soz..

[jeee]

Go back a century or so to E. Nesbit, and 'The Last of the Dragons'. The princess in that story is somewhat annoyed that she has to be rescued by a prince, as she's much better at fencing and archery than any of the neighbourhood princes.

[Hullygully]

I think she's read the sabriel series, will check. ds did, not sure if she has altho have seen them in her room.

Yyy loved wolves.

[racingheart]

All the Wolves of Willoughby Chase series (Joan Aitken) have great girls in them. Dido is a fantastic heroine and Sophie is very self reliant and upbeat.