Last week I shared a list of 25 Adventure Series Chapter Books for Young Boys–books that really engage their minds and imaginations and make them want to keep reading. This week I’d like to add to that list (because my Ladybug loves all those “boy” books too!) a few series that have key female characters or have really captured my daughter’s interest. As you may know, she’s a reluctant independent reader, but will listen to me read aloud all day long. And again, these are not just for girls, our boys enjoy some of these too! But they particularly appeal to my Ladybug.
You may note that a lot of this list will not be found on the bookshelves at Barnes and Noble. There’s no Ivy and Bean, no Judy Moody, no Ramona and Beezus, and no Goddess Girls. I skimmed through several of those recently as our kiddos came to that age and I was hunting for good stuff to fill their shelves. That stuff is just…junk. There, I said it. The parents are weak. The family structures (if there is one!) are weak and friends replace the family in a lot of cases. The plots are totally predictable, and the “adventure” is mostly young people intentionally breaking rules and trying to get away with it without any adult intervention. Or they’re filled with foolish, catty, girl behavior that is both too mature and much less authentic than I want my Ladybug pursuing right now.
Haley over at Carrots for Michaelmas wrote an excellent blog post about why they set limits on what their children will read at a young, impressionable age. We are leading their taste by what we bring into our house for them to absorb. Our time with the kiddos in the house and under our influence it too short to waste it with lame books!
Fun. Adventure. Inspiration. Literary value. And more books after the first one to keep your young reader on the hook…Here’s some great finds for adventure-loving young girls, with the standard “mean girl,” school drama, Disney princess, fair filtered out.
1. Dragon Slippers, Jessica Day George. We’re in the middle of this series right now, and the Ladybug really like it. She likes dragons and knights and castles, but we’re careful of the fantasy genre. (Maybe one day I’ll post about becoming a semi-reformed fantasy-fan.) These are very tame, harmless fun and Creel is quite the fearless female lead. It’s a pretty easy read as well if you have an independent reader.
2. Tuesdays at the Castle, Jessica Day George. I picked the first one of these up when I saw how well Dragon Slippers was going, and read through it. It’s just as fun and I’m sure we’ll enjoy it together soon.
3. The Princess Academy, Shannon Hale. I’ve read the first one and am looking forward to the next, since my Ladybug likes castles and princesses. {smile} This is not your run-of-the-mill, snag Prince Charming story, although it seems to start out that way! There’s a lot of meat in here about what true leadership looks like–for youth fiction, anyway.
4. Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levin. This is not a series, per se, but Levin has several of these “revised princess” stories (including The Two Princesses of Bamarre and A Tale of Two Castles) and they are all quite fun. They also have an important thread running through the story-line about using your influence and sensitivity as a woman for good and not just in selfish manipulation of other people–something I find of particular values raising a daughter.
5. Little House on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls Wilder. The classics that never get old. Laura shows our girls that every little moment in life is an adventure if you have the right heart and mindset. She also illustrates that bowing to the authority of God, your family, and your husband does not mean that you are mindless or weak, or without value or opinion for yourself. Laura works hard, respects the people around her, and is always and adventurer at heart.
6. Women of the West, Jeanette Oke. Ok, any Jeanette Oke book will be good for girls, but we’re really enjoying the Women of the West and the Canadian West series right now. You might be familiar with some of the stories from the Hallmark TV Series When Calls the Heart. (Pssst…the books were better!) Jeanette Oke’s Love Comes Softly books are great too, but feel a little familiar and less adventurous to us since we also farm. And I would highly recommend the Prairie Legacy series if you have a strong-willed young lady in your house. Virginia is a bit hard-headed and occasionally hard-hearted and that character might be just what a struggling teen needs to see.
7. Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery. Every day’s an adventure with Anne Shirley! Every girl needs these books! {smile} They remind us all that good intentions and a good heart can’t protect you from mistakes, but they can help you smooth things over as you go through the consequences.
8. Nancy Drew Mysteries, Carolyn Keen. I know there’s some newer versions of this series for younger readers (Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew) and have been curious to read them. I’m just afraid to be disappointed. {smile} The classics are, well, classic.
9. The Tale of Emily Windsnap, Liz Kessler. While I don’t think this will become a classic, it was an interesting story. The quality of the series weakened after book 3, so I’m glad we got them from the library before buying them. But if you have an avid reader, they’re a good choice.
10. All-of-A-Kind Family, Sydney Taylor. I read two of these when I was younger and had no idea there were more until recently. More great family stories to teach our girls that everyday life is an adventure if you put your whole heart into it. (Note: The family is Jewish and it saturates the books. I think it makes for great learning and discussion, but Christian parents might want to skim through and be prepared to respond to questions.)
11. Dear America, Various. We found this series at our library as well. They cover just about every moment in American history (which is a favorite topic around here!) and are mostly written from a female perspective.
12. The Borrowers, Mary Norton. Do you remember these? I dug them out from our library and read them and remembered LOVING them and then shared them with the crew. The boys…eh…they weren’t keen on finding the next one. The Ladybug loved them. The Littles is another version of the same basic story. I preferred the Borrowers, but they were both fun.
13. Daughters of Faith, Wendy G. Lawton. These are each wonderful. I’ve read them all and the Ladybug has read three of them. They also fit with just about any history-based unit study you could come up with.
14. Sisters in Time, Various. I was excited to find some of these at our local library. They are great living history books with female main characters. No need for our daughters to grow up thinking that Christian history is only full of men!
15. Liberty Letters, Nancy LeSourd. This series was new to me last year and I’ve been frustrated to have a hard time finding them (well, finding them in what we consider our price range!). They don’t show up in the brick and mortar bookstores (so no coupons), thrift stores, book sales, or our library. We have one–and I think it’s excellent. Our girls need good teenage role models! (While we’re on the topic of living history books, I just have to put in a plug for the Liberty Kids DVD. Our kiddos love these shows and they are always available for a reasonable price. The Cowboy was singing the little song while doing his chores yesterday.)
16. A Life of Faith, Various. When we got the Ladybug the Kathleen Series, I didn’t realize that it was a series within a series. There’s also the Violet Series, the Laylie Series, the Elsie Series, and the Millie Series. While these might not be swashbuckling, dragon-riding adventures (and those are important to girls too!), these are real, everyday life adventures that speak to a girl’s heart. I’m working on collecting them all for our library.
17. Brave Kids, Susan E. Goodman. These are new to us, but came highly recommended. More living history (I told you we love it!). They are a bit of an easy read but work well for multiple ages and independent readers.
18. Childhood of Famous Americans, Various. Pick the girl books for your girls. The role models are outstanding and show the valuable contributions women have made to history–while maintaining their faith and caring for their families! So far, the Ladybug’s favorites are Abigail Adams, Elizabeth Backwell and Clara Barton. These pop up at book sales pretty regularly–although its never the exact one we were looking for! We’re putting the whole series together one library sale at a time! {smile}
19. Heroes of the Faith, Various. This series has been published in may versions and updated a few times. We’ve found them at book sales and thrift stores easily. Any girl would be thrilled and inspired by these real-life adventures!
20. Peter and the Starcatchers, Dave Barry. Ok, I saved this one for last because I had said no Disney princesses, and this is a re-make of Peter Pan. Of course, the Disney movie is just a weak echo of the original–and we have that one too. {smile} But this is one of the Ladybug’s favorite stories and these books are BIG on adventure–if a little weak on plot. They’re the kind of bedtime story that ruins bedtime because no one will go to sleep. {smile}
And again, don’t forget to check out my post on 25 Adventure Series Chapter Books for Young Boys…your girls will love all of those too!
Do you have some more favorites that weren’t on this list? I tried to just include what’s on our shelves right now that I could vouch for! But I’m always ready to check out something new!
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