14 Children’s Books That Expose Girls to Strong Female Characters
Did you know today is Women’s Equality Day? A day that commemorates the 1920 adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, solidifying women’s right to vote. In celebration, we wanted to highlight some of our favorite strong girls in middle grade fiction, with both classic female characters, like Ramona Quimby and Julie of the Wolves, to newer voices like Emma Greystone in the Greystone Secrets series by Margaret Peterson Haddix. This group of eclectic female characters can inspire all kids. Some are brave, some are funny, some are smart, and all of them are inspirational.
Emma from Greystone Secrets #1: The Strangers
First of all, Emma Greystone is a math whiz. And in this new series, told in alternating voices by three siblings, Emma is the rational one. The who’s most likely to calculate the odds and find a mathematical explanation for a super-strange coincidence: Three kids have been kidnapped. They all share the same first and middle names, ages, and exact birth dates as the Greystone kids. Emma and her siblings, Chess and Finn, follow puzzling clues that lead to complex codes, hidden rooms, and a dangerous secret that will turn their world upside down.
Usagi from The Twelve
Born in the year of the wood rabbit, Usagi can hear a squirrel’s heartbeat a mile away and soar over treetops in one giant leap. Her zodiac powers make her special, but they also mean that she, and others like her, is hunted by the Dragonlord who governs their island. When her younger sister is captured, Usagi must team up with a group of legendary warriors to hone her skills and save her sister before it’s too late.
Gilly from The Great Gilly Hopkins
Gilly Hopkins knows how to get a job done. She’s been stuck in more foster families than she can remember, and she’s disliked them all. She has a reputation for being brash, brilliant, and completely unmanageable — and that’s the way she likes it. When she’s sent to live with the strangest family yet, she decides to put her sharp mind to work. She devises an elaborate scheme to get her real mother to come rescue her. Unfortunately, the plan doesn’t work out quite as she hoped.
Annalise Meriwether, The Spinner of Dreams
Annalise Meriwether was cursed at birth by the devious Fate Spinner. Living a solitary life with her loving parents, she tries to ignore the monster living inside her, which seems to have an agenda of its own and grows more unpredictable each day. There’s only one way for Annalise to rid herself of her curse: to enter the Labyrinth of Fate and Dreams and defeat the Fate Spinner. So despite her anxiety, Annalise sets out to undo the curse that’s defined her — and to show the world, and herself, exactly who she is inside.
Julia from The One and Only Ivan
Julia may not be the star of the story, but she stands out as the kindest and most reliable human in Ivan’s life. Ivan has spent 27 years behind the glass walls of his enclosure in a shopping mall. He hardly ever thinks about his life in the jungle. But when he meets a baby elephant taken from the wild, he is forced to see their home through new eyes. It’s Julia, the janitor’s daughter, who works to understand Ivan and ultimately helps him carry out his plans.
Coraline from Coraline
Coraline is a girl who controls her own destiny. When she discovers an alternate world similar to her own, things seem marvelous at first. But soon she discovers that there’s another mother and another father, and they want Coraline to stay with them. They want to change her and never let her go. But Coraline will not be changed. She’s brave and resourceful, and when she ultimately escapes, she ensures that no one else will ever be trapped.
Lalani from Lalani of the Distant Sea
Life is difficult on the island of Sanlagita where the women live in fear of the deadly mender’s disease, spread by the sharp needles they use to repair the men’s fishing nets and the only future for young girls it to follow in their footsteps. When Lalani Sarita’s mother pricks her finger and falls ill, she gives Lalani an impossible task — leave Sanlagita and find the riches of the legendary Mount Isa. The journey will be dangerous, but may also be the only way to safeguard her future.
Violet Baudelaire from A Series of Unfortunate Events
In a terribly depressing series of misfortune continuously befalling three charming orphans, Violet, the eldest sibling, is intelligent, polite, and resourceful. Despite encountering a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, a lumpy bed, a deadly serpent, a large brass reading lamp, a long knife, and a terrible odor, Violet leads her siblings through disaster with smarts and good cheer, keeping readers entertained along the way.
Ramona Quimby from Ramona Quimby, Age 8
Ramona Quimby is an icon for little girls, and we’d advocate reading her stories at any age. Ramona is extraordinary in that she represents most girls. Her childhood is relatable, and it lends a voice to the everyday girl who is simultaneously frustrated, and thrilled, by childhood. Ramona likes that she’s old enough to be counted on, but must everything depend on her? In Ramona’s world, being 8 isn’t easy, but it’s never dull!
Ella from Ella, Enchanted
Ella is cursed. At her birth, she receives a foolish fairy’s gift — the “gift” of obedience. Ella must obey any order, whether it’s to hop on one foot for a day and a half or to chop off her own head! But strong-willed Ella does not accept her fate. Against a bold backdrop of princes, ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters, and fairy godmothers, Ella goes on a quest to break the curse forever. We love that Ella doesn’t sit back and let life happen to her; she finds a way to change her fate.
Salamanca Tree Hiddle from Walk Two Moons
Salamanca Tree Hiddle is a proud girl who wants nothing more than to be reunited with her missing mother. While traveling from Ohio to Idaho with eccentric grandparents, she recounts the story of Phoebe Winterbottom, a girl who received mysterious messages, pet a “potential lunatic,” and, like Sal, has a missing mother.
Laura from Little House on the Prairie
In nine timeless books, Laura Ingalls Wilder tells the true story of her childhood as an American pioneer. Laura is brave, smart, and resourceful. Her voice throughout the stories is authentic and strong, as she offers a unique glimpse into life on the American frontier and tells the heartwarming, unforgettable story of her loving family.
Julie from Julie of the Wolves
First of all, Julie is a survivor. And she shows us what it means to be proud of one’s culture. She is known as Miyax in her small village. To her friend in San Francisco, she is Julie. When her life in the village becomes dangerous, Miyax runs away, only to find herself lost in the Alaskan Wilderness. She tries to survive by copying the pack of wolves. Life in the wilderness is a struggle, but when she finds her way back to civilization, she is torn between her old and new lives as she struggles to determine who she is, really.
Hà from Inside Out and Back Again
Inspired by the author’s childhood experience as a refugee — fleeing Vietnam after the fall of Saigon and immigrating to Alabama — this coming-of-age novel has been celebrated for its touching child’s-eye view of family and immigration. Throughout change and hardship, Hà perseveres to survive and thrive in a foreign world.
Who would you add to this list? Tell us below; we’d love to know!
