Girls Worth Knowing

The books listed are a sampling of the titles available for brave little girls. Ask your Children’s Librarian for further suggestions, and tell us which are your favorites.

Picture Books

• THE ADVENTURES OF ISABEL. By Ogden Nash; illus. by James Marshall.
  Joy Street/Little, Brown, 1991. (jPS Nash)
  Isabel eats a bear and turns a witch into milk in this story told in nonsense verse.
• AMAZING GRACE. By Mary Hoffman; illus. by Caroline Binch.
  Dial, 1991. (jPS Hoff)
  Being a girl and black won't stop Grace from excelling at whatever she decides to do, including starring as Peter Pan.
• AUNT HARRIET'S UNDERGROUND RAILROAD IN THE SKY. By Faith Ringgold.
  Crown, 1992. (jPS Ring)
  Guided by Harriet Tubman, a young girl and boy take an imaginary trip from slavery to freedom on the underground railroad.
• BABA YAGA AND VASILISA THE BRAVE. By Marianna Mayer; illus. by K. Y. Craft.
  Morrow, 1994. (j398.2109 Maye)
  With the help of her doll and the memory of her mother, Vasilisa escapes from the witch and marries the Tzar.
• THE BALANCING GIRL. By Berniece Rabe; illus. by Lillian Hoban.
  Dutton, 1981. (jPS Rabe)
  Spunky Margaret's talent for balancing suggests a great fund-raising activity for the school carnival.
• BIMWILI & THE ZIMWI: A TALE FROM ZANZIBAR. By Verna Aardema; illus. by Susan Meddaugh.
  Dial, 1985. (j398 Aard)
  Captured by the wicked Zimwi, clever Bimwili must trick him to regain her freedom.
• BRAVE IRENE. By William Steig.
  Farrar, 1986. (jPS Stei)
  Buffeted by snow, wind and ice, Irene trudges and clambers her way to the castle to deliver her mother's handiwork.
• A CHAIR FOR MY MOTHER. By Vera B. Williams.
  Greenwillow, 1982. (jPS WiLL)
  After fire destroys her apartment, a little girl saves dimes with her mother and grandmother to buy a beautiful new armchair.
• CINDER EDNA. By Ellen B. Jackson; illus. by Kevin O'Malley.
  Lothrop, 1994. (jF Jack)
  Some princesses wait for their handsome hero to arrive, but Cinder Edna puts on her sensible shoes and gets him herself.
• CITY GREEN. By DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan.
  Morrow, 1994. (jPS DiSa)
  Young Marcy organizes a community garden on the vacant lot in her neighborhood.
• THE EMPEROR AND THE KITE. By Jane Yolen; illus. by Ed Young.
  (j398 YoLe) Philomel, 1988.
  Long ignored, the emperor's smallest daughter uses her kite to free her father from his prison tower.
• FLOSSIE AND THE FOX. By Patricia C. McKissack; illus. by Rachel Isadora.
  Dial, 1986. (jPS MacK)
  Cutting through the woods on an errand for her mother, a clever little girl outsmarts a not-so-sly fox.
• THE GHOST-EYE TREE. By Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault; illus. by Ted Rand.
  Holt, 1985. (jPS Mart)
  Quick as a flash, an older sister runs back through the scary night to the Ghost-Eye to save her brother's greatest treasure.
• THE GIRL WHO LOVED WILD HORSES. By Paul Goble.
  Bradbury, 1978. (j398.2 GobL)
  A young woman leaves her Native American family to live free among the wild horses.
• HARRIET AND THE PROMISED LAND. By Jacob Lawrence.
  Simon & Schuster, 1993. (j811.54 Lawr)
  Striking paintings and verse tell the story of Harriet Tubman and her struggle to lead her people to freedom.
• I SPEAK ENGLISH FOR MY MOM. By Muriel Stanek; illus. by Judith Friedman.
  A. Whitman, 1989. (jF Stan)
  Responsible Lupe is translator for her Spanish-speaking mother in this illustrated common-problem story.
• I WANT A DOG. By Dayal Kaur Khalsa.
  C.N. Potter, 1987. (jPS KhaL)
  With a roller skate on a rope, May cleverly proves herself responsible enough to own a dog.
• LEAVING FOR AMERICA. By Roslyn Bresnick-Perry; illus. by Mira Reisberg.
  Children's Book Press, 1992. (j325.247 Bres)
  The author warmly remembers her life as a little girl in a small Jewish town in Russia as she and her mother prepare to join her father in the United States.
• THE LEGEND OF MU LAN: A HEROINE OF ANCIENT CHINA. By Wei Chiang and Gen Xing.
  Victory Press, 1992. (Bilingual in English and several languages) (j398 Chia)
  Disguised as a young man to take her father's place in the army, Mu Lan bravely defends her country.
• THE LEGEND OF THE BLUEBONNET: AN OLD TALE OF TEXAS. By Tomie de Paola.
  Putnam, 1983. (j398.2 DePa)
  She-Who-Is-Alone willingly makes the sacrifice needed to save her Commanche people from a great famine.
• THE LIBRARY. By Sarah Stewart; illus. by David Small.
  Farrar, 1995. (jPS Stew)
  Avid reader Elizabeth Brown generously creates the town's first free library in this quirky picture story.
• LON PO PO: A RED-RIDING HOOD STORY FROM CHINA. By Ed Young.
  Philomel, 1989.(j398.2095 Youn)
  Three sisters use brains and brawn to thwart a threatening wolf.
• THE LONG-HAIRED GIRL: A CHINESE LEGEND. By Doreen Rappaport; illus. by Yang Ming-Yi.
  Dial, 1995. (j398 Rapp)
  Ah-Mei defies the God of Thunder and brings water to her drought-stricken village.
• MANDY. By Barbara D. Booth; illus. by Jim LaMarche.
  Lothrop, 1991. (jPS Boot)
  Even though Mandy hates and fears darkness, where her deafness makes her feel isolated, she goes bravely into the stormy night to search for her beloved grandmother's lost treasure.
• MEET DANITRA BROWN. By Nikki Grimes; illus. by Floyd Cooper.
  Lothrop, 1994. (j811.54 Grim)
  Danitra puts bullies in their place, wears royal purple, and reassures her best friend Zuri in this collection of 13 poems.
• MOLLY WHUPPIE. By Walter de la Mare; illus. by Errol Le Cain.
  Farrar, 1983. (j398 DeLa)
  Clever Molly, a poor woodcutter's daughter, outwits a giant and wins royal husbands for her sisters and herself.
• MUSIC, MUSIC FOR EVERYONE. By Vera B. Williams.
  Greenwillow, 1984. (jPS WiLL)
  Rosa overcomes stage fright to play accordion in a dance band and earns money to help take care of her ailing grandmother.
• NESSA'S FISH. By Nancy Luenn; illus. by Neil Waldman.
  Atheneum, 1990. (jPS Luen)
  An Inuit girl protects her grandmother and their catch from animal predators through one cold night.
• OUTSIDE OVER THERE. By Maurice Sendak.
  HarperCollins, 1981. (jPS Send)
  When her baby sister is taken away by goblins, Ida ventures into their mysterious world on a rescue mission.
• A PICTURE BOOK OF ANNE FRANK. By David A. Adler; illus. by Karen Ritz.
  Holiday House, 1993. (jB Fran)
  This biography introduces younger readers to the Jewish girl whose well-known diary describes her years hiding from the Nazis in an attic in Holland and her hope for humanity.
• PRINCESS FURBALL. By Charlotte Huck; illus. by Anita Lobel.
  Greenwillow, 1989. (j398 Huck)
  Having escaped marriage, this clever princess, disguised as a cook's assistant, captures the heart of a young king.
• PRINCESS SMARTYPANTS. By Babette Cole.
  Putnam, 1986. (jPS CoLe)
  Princess Smartypants resorts to special magic to remain single after Prince Swashbuckle successfully completes all the tasks she sets for her suitors.
• THE RAJAH'S RICE: A MATHEMATICAL FOLKTALE FROM INDIA; By David Barry; illus. by Donna Perrone.
  Scientific American, 1994. (j398.2 Barr)
  Does Chandra choose the right reward when she asks the Rajah to keep doubling rice grains on a chessboard from square to square?
• THE SAMURAI'S DAUGHTER: A JAPANESE LEGEND. By Robert D. San Souci; illus. by Stephen T. Johnson.
  Dial, 1992. (j398 SanS)
  In a quest for her unjustly exiled father, gallant Tokoyo eludes bandits, endures a haunting from a ghostly warship, vanquishes a fearsome sea serpent, and restores the family honor--all by herself.
• SAVING SWEETNESS. By Diane Stanley; illus. by G. Brian Karas.
  Putnam, 1996. (jPS Stan)
  In this rollicking Western tale, Sweetness, a resourceful young orphan, keeps rescuing the sheriff who thinks that he is saving her.
• SAVITRI: A TALE OF ANCIENT INDIA. By Aaron Shepard; illus. by Vera Rosenberry.
  A. Whitman, 1992. (j398 Shep)
  Even Yama, the god of death, is impressed by the intelligence and persistence of a beautiful princess.
• SILENT LOTUS. By Jeanne M. Lee.
  Farrar, 1991. (jPS Lee)
  Although unable to hear or speak, Lotus learns to dance tales of the gods and kings and becomes a Khmer court dancer.
• THE SONG OF MU LAN; By Jeanne M. Lee.
  Front Street, 1995. (CHINESE j895.1142 MuLa)
  Eldest daughter Mu Lan rides off to war in her father's stead, serving the emperor with courage and valor in this bilingual legend.
• THE SQUIRE'S BRIDE: A NORWEGIAN FOLK TALE. By P.C. Asbjornsen; illus. by Marcia Sewall.
  Atheneum, 1975. (j398 Squi)
  A hilarious tale of a farmer's daughter who escapes marriage to an elderly squire by outwitting her father and the prospective bridegroom.
• THE STORY OF RUBY BRIDGES. By Robert Coles; illus. by George Ford.
  Scholastic, 1995. (jB Brid)
  Inspiring true story of a six-year-old African-American girl's courageous efforts to integrate an all-white New Orleans elementary school.
• TAR BEACH. By Faith Ringgold.
  Crown, 1991. (jPS Ring)
  In this Caldecott Honor Book based on the artist/author's story quilt, eight-year-old Cassie imagines flying over her Harlem home and neighborhood.
• THREE STRONG WOMEN: A TALL TALE FROM JAPAN. By Claus Stamm; illus. by Jean and Mou-sien Tseng.
  Viking, 1990. (j398 Stam)
  Forever-Mountain thinks he is ready to wrestle before the emperor until he meets three women who give him the training he really needs.
• THUNDER CAKE. By Patricia Polacco.
  Philomel, 1990. (jPS PoLa)
  A little girl overcomes her fear of thunderstorms when her Baboushka (Russian for grandmother) teaches her how to make thunder cake. Recipe included.
• TROUBLE WITH TROLLS. By Jan Brett.
  Putnam, 1992. (jPS Bret)
  In a snowy mountain setting, Treva outwits an entire family of trolls to save her dog.
• VERY LAST FIRST TIME. By Jan Andrews; illus. by Ian Wallace.
  Atheneum, 1986. (jPS Andr)
  Lost while exploring the seabed under the ice, Eva, an Inuit girl, must react calmly and quickly to escape the water rushing back in behind her.

Books for Middle Readers

• ABUELA'S WEAVE. By Omar S. Castaneda; illus. by Enrique O. Sanchez.
  Lee & Low, 1993. Spanish ed: EL TAPIZ DE ABUELA. (jF Cast)
  A Guatemalan girl overcomes fears when she helps her grandmother sell a tapestry they have woven together.
• AEKYUNG'S DREAM. By Min Paek.
  Children's Book Press, 1988. (jF Paek & KOREAN jF)
  A gentle bilingual picture story about a Korean girl's difficult adjustment to life in America.
• BACKYARD RESCUE. By Hope Ryden; illus. by Ted Rand.
  Tambourine, 1994. (jF Ryde)
  Best friends, Lindsay and Greta rescue and rehabilitate wildlife and learn about civil disobedience while hiding the animals from a Fish and Game officer.
• BIRDY AND THE GHOSTIES. By Jill Paton Walsh; illus. by Alan Marks.
  Farrar, 1989. (jF Pato)
  A ferryman's daughter with the gift of second sight bravely describes the three invisible ghosts who have commanded her father to row them to a strange new island.
• BLUE WILLOW. By Doris Gates; illus. by Paul Lantz.
  Viking, 1940. (jF Gate)
  Janey longs for a real home and for schooling in this historical novel about migrant workers set in the San Joaquin Valley during the Depression.
• CADDIE WOODLAWN. By Carol Ryrie Brink; illus. by Kate Seredy.
  Macmillan, 1935. (jF Brin)
  Coming of age on the Wisconsin frontier in the mid-1800's, Caddie learns to treasure the freedoms and opportunities of life in America.
• ELEANOR. By Barbara Cooney.
  Viking, 1996 (jB Roos)
  Homely and lonely despite a privileged childhood, Eleanor Roosevelt endured to become a U.S. President's wife and noted humanitarian.
• FAMILY PICTURES. By Carmen Lomas Garza, as told to Harriet Rohmer.
  Children's Book Press, 1990. (j325.27 Loma)
  Lomas Garza's Mexican-American family inspired and encouraged her dreams of becoming an artist, and she pays tribute to them in words and colorfully detailed paintings.
• THE FRAGILE FLAG. By Jane Langton.
  HarperCollins, 1984. (jF Lang)
  Georgie, nine, leads a five hundred mile march to Washington to protest the President's "Peace Missile."
• FROM THE MIXED-UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER. By E.L. Konigsburg.
  Atheneum, 1967. (jF Koni)
  After careful planning, eleven-year-old Claudia, along with her brother James, runs away from her suburban home to live in comfort and elegance at New York's Metropolitian Museum of Art.
• HARRIET, THE SPY. By Louise Fitzhugh.
  HarperCollins, 1964. (jF Fitz)
  Harriet, eleven, must suffer the consequences of her poison pen when her spying notes become public.
• HELEN KELLER. By Nigel Hunter; illus. by Richard Hook.
  Bookwright, 1986. (jB KeLL)
  Learn about the amazing woman who triumphed over being both deaf and blind from the age of two.
• THE HUNDRED DRESSES. By Eleanor Estes; illus by Louis Slobodkin.
  Harcourt Brace, 1944. (jF Este)
  Wanda Petronski is the poorest girl in town, but when she vanishes, she leaves behind plenty for Maddie to think about.
• JENNIFER, HECATE, MACBETH, WILLIAM McKINLEY, AND ME, ELIZABETH. By E. L. Konigsburg.
  Atheneum, 1967. (jF Koni)
  If the most interesting girl in class challenged you to become a witch, would you say yes?
• KATE SHELLEY AND THE MIDNIGHT EXPRESS. By Margaret K. Wetterer; illus. by Karen Ritz.
  Carolrhoda, 1990. (jF Wett)
  Kate risks her life to save victims of one train wreck and to prevent another in this historical story for younger readers.
• KATE SHELLEY: BOUND FOR LEGEND. By Robert D. San Souci; illus. by Max Ginsburg.
  Dial, 1995. (jB SheL)
  In 1881, fifteen-year-old Kate braved a raging storm and flood to avert one train disaster and to lead rescuers to victims of another wreck.
• KEEP THE LIGHTS BURNING, ABBIE. By Peter and Connie Roop; illus. by Peter E. Hanson.
  Carolrhoda, 1985. (jF Roop)
  Left in charge of the lighthouse while her father is away, Abbie must keep the lights burning during a terrible storm.
• THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER'S DAUGHTER. By Arielle North Olson; illus. by Elaine Wentworth.
  Little, Brown, 1987. (jF OLso)
  Despite brutal weather and her own illness, a young girl heroically keeps the lighthouse lamps burning while her father is away.
• A LITTLE PRINCESS. By Frances Hodgson Burnett; illus. by Tasha Tudor.
  Lippincott, 1963.(jF Burn)
  In this popular British classic, Sara Crewe is left poor and alone by her father's death, but her fortune changes seemingly out of thin air.
• THE LITTLE WEAVER OF THAI YEN VILLAGE. By Khanh Tuyet Tran; illus. by Nancy Hom.
  Children's Book Press, 1987. (VIETNAMESE jF Tran)
  A young Vietnamese girl struggles to help others during the war, until she suffers a terrible injury and has to travel to the United States for medical treatment.
• MIRANDY AND BROTHER WIND. By Patricia C. McKissack; illus. by Jerry Pinkney.
  Knopf, 1988. (jF MacK)
  A determined girl wants to win the junior cakewalk contest in this Caldecott Honor Book.
• MR. LINCOLN'S WHISKERS. By Karen B. Winnick.
  Boyds Mills, 1996. (jB Linc)
  Based on truth, eleven-year-old Grace Bedell writes a letter to Abraham Lincoln suggesting that he would look better with a beard.
• MOLLY'S PILGRIM. By Barbara Cohen; illus. by Michael J. Deraney.
  Lothrop, 1983. (jF Cohe)
  When Molly brings a Russian-style doll for the class Thanksgiving display, her classmates learn that pilgrims have come to the United States from many places.
• NADIA THE WILLFUL. By Sue Alexander; illus. by Lloyd Bloom.
  Pantheon, 1983. (jF ALex)
  After the disappearance of her beloved brother in the desert, Nadia helps her father handle his grief by refusing to follow his decree not to speak about Hamed.
• A NIGHT WITHOUT STARS. By James Howe.
  Atheneum, 1983. (jF Howe)
  In the hospital after heart surgery, Maria shares strength and a new friendship with Donald, called "Monster Man" by some because he was badly scarred by fire.
• NUMBER THE STARS. By Lois Lowry.
  Houghton Mifflin, 1989. (jF Lowr)
  Ten year old Annemarie confronts danger to help rescue her Jewish best friend in Nazi occupied Copenhagen.
• ON CAT MOUNTAIN. By Arthur A. Levine; illus. by Anne Buguet.
  Putnam, 1994. (j398.2452 Levi)
  Knowing that no one ever returns from Cat Mountain, Sho makes the dangerous journey to find her beloved lost cat in this Japanese folktale.
• THE ORDINARY PRINCESS. By M. M. Kaye.
  Doubleday, 1984. (jF Kaye)
  Little Princess Amy, determined that no dragons be sacrificed to marry her off, runs away to live the ordinary life of a kitchen maid in a far-off kingdom.
• PEPPERMINTS IN THE PARLOR. By Barbara Brooks Wallace.
  Atheneum, 1981. (jF WaLL)
  Orphaned Emily braves the wrath of murderous Mrs. Meeching to unravel the sinister mysteries at Sugar Hill Hall.
• PIPPI LONGSTOCKING. By Astrid Lindgren; illus. by Louis S. Glanzman.
  Viking, 1950. (jF Lind)
  Pippi lives without parents, manners, or book knowledge, but she does have a horse, a monkey, a chest full of gold coins, and a wonderful sense of generosity and fair play.
• PRIETITA AND THE GHOST WOMAN: PRIETITA Y LA LLORONA. By Gloria Anzaldua; illus. by Christina Gonzalez.
  Children's Book Pr., 1996. (jF Anza)
  Hunting for an elusive herb to cure her mother, Prietita encounters the legendary Ghost Woman in this bilingual book.
• THE RAG COAT. By Lauren A. Mills.
  Little, Brown, 1991. (jF MiLL)
  Mina's Appalachian schoolmates make fun of her new quilted coat until she relates real stories that connect each child to one of the scraps.
• THE RED COMB. By Fernando Pico; illus. by Maria Antonia Ordonez.
  BridgeWater, 1994. Spanish ed: LA PEINETA COLORADA. (jF Pico)
  In 19th century Puerto Rico, a young girl and her elderly neighbor join forces to protect a runaway slave from a slave catcher.
• ROSES SING ON NEW SNOW: A DELICIOUS TALE. By Paul Yee; illus. by Harvey Chan.
  Macmillan, 1991. (jF Yee)
  Maylin earns recognition in her father's Chinatown restaurant as a great cook and a wise person.
• RUMPELSTILTSKIN'S DAUGHTER. By Diane Stanley.
  Morrow, 1997. (jF Stan)
  In this modern tall tale "sequel," Hope plots to cure the greedy king of his obsession for gold.
• SADAKO. By Eleanor Coerr; illus. by Ed Young.
  Putnam, 1993. (jF Coer)
  A promising track star, stricken with leukemia (the "atom bomb disease"), hopes to prolong her life by folding cranes in this fictionalized biography.
• THE SECRET GARDEN. By Frances Hodgson Burnett; illus. by Tasha Tudor.
  Lippincott, 1962. (jF Burn)
  Overcoming loneliness, a self-centered orphan discovers an abandoned garden and restores it and her pampered, sickly cousin, Colin, to full bloom.
• STARRING MIRETTE & BELLINI. By Emily Arnold McCully.
  Putnam, 1997. (jPS McCu)
  In this sequel to the Caldecott Award winner MIRETTE ON THE HIGH WIRE, young Mirette rescues her mentor from prison while they are performing in Czarist Russia.
• SWAMP ANGEL. By Anne Isaacs; illus. by Paul O. Zelinski.
  Dutton, 1994. (jF Isaa)
  Illustrations and text portray a larger-than-life Tennessee frontiers woman who performs amazing feats, including a wrestling match with a huge bear named Thundering Tarnation.
• SWEET CLARA AND THE FREEDOM QUILT. By Deborah Hopkinson; illus. by James Ransome.
  Knopf, 1993. (jF Hopk)
  Determined to be free, a young slave girl makes a quilt with a map pattern to guide her north.
• TAM LIN: AN OLD BALLAD. By Jane Yolen; illus. by Charles Mikolaycak.
  Harcourt Brace, 1990. (j398 YoLe)
  Jennet confronts the Faery Queen to reclaim her family home and free the captive human Tam Lin.
• TATTERHOOD AND THE HOBGOBLINS: A NORWEGIAN FOLKTALE. Retold and illus. by Lauren A. Mills.
  Little, Brown, 1993. (j398.2 MiLL)
  Strange and wild princess Tatterhood sets off to break the hobgoblins' enchantment of her sweet and mild twin sister.
• THIS TIME, TEMPE WICK? By Patricia Lee Gauch; illus. by Margot Tomes.
  Coward, McCann, 1974. (jF Gauc)
  Tempe, a tough, smart, independent girl, saves her treasured horse from raiding soldiers during the Revolutionary War.
• WILMA UNLIMITED. By Kathleen Krull; illus. by David Diaz.
  Harcourt Brace, 1996. (jB Rudo)
  A boldly illustrated biography of Wilma Rudolph who overcame crippling polio as a child to win three Olympic gold medals in track.
• YOUNG GUINEVERE. By Robert D. San Souci; illus. by Jamichael Henterly.
  Doubleday, 1993. (j398.2109 SanS)
  Guinevere meets King Arthur for the first time when she undertakes a perilous journey to tell Arthur that her father's castle is under attack.

Books for Older Readers

• ALANNA: THE FIRST ADVENTURE . By Tamora Pierce.
  Atheneum, 1983. (jF Pier)
  Alanna, disguised as a boy, follows her dream and trains as a knight in this medieval adventure novel.
• AMONG THE VOLCANOES. By Omar S. Castaneda.
  Lodestar, 1991. (jF Cast and F Teen)
  Can Isabel marry Lucas and still realize her dream of becoming a teacher and leaving the small Guatemalan village where she lives?
• ANNE OF GREEN GABLES. By L. M. Montgomery; illus. by Jody Lee.
  Grosset & Dunlap, 1983. (jF Mont)
  Anne Shirley may be an orphan, but she has character, imagination, and the determination to succeed, even with the gruff Cuthbertsons.
• BEAUTY: A RETELLING OF THE STORY OF BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. By Robin McKinley.
  HarperCollins, 1978. (jF MacK)
  The classic folktale is elegantly retold for older readers.
• THE BLUE SWORD. By Robin McKinley.
  Greenwillow, 1982. (jF MacK)
  Aided by magic, Harry Crewe joins her kidnappers to wage war against the demon Northerners.
• CAT RUNNING. By Zilpha Keatley Snyder.
  Delacorte, 1994. (jF Snyd)
  Cat might be the fastest running eleven-year-old at her school, but she can't run away from her unhappy family.
• CATHERINE, CALLED BIRDY. By Karen Cushman.
  Clarion, 1994. (jF Cush)
  A feisty girl crosses her eyes and blackens her teeth to avoid forced marriage in this award-winning story set in Medieval England.
• DEALING WITH DRAGONS. By Patricia C. Wrede.
  Harcourt Brace, 1990. (jF Wred)
  Bored with royal life, Princess Cimeron becomes housekeeper to a dangerous dragon.
• ELLA ENCHANTED. By Gail Carson Levine.
  HarperCollins, 1997. (jF Levi)
  Spirited Ella struggles to break the fairy Lucinda's curse that dooms her to always obey orders in this funny updated Cinderella story.
• THE ILLYRIAN ADVENTURE. By Lloyd Alexander.
  Dutton, 1986.(jF Alex)
  After her father's death clever and curious Vesper Holly organizes an expedition to search for the legendary treasure in which he father believed.
• ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS. By Scott O'Dell.
  Houghton Mifflin, 1960. (jF OdeL)
  Based on real life, this is the gripping story of a California Indian girl's eighteen year survival alone on an island off the coast.
• JULIE OF THE WOLVES. By Jean Craighead George; illus. by John Schoenherr.
  HarperCollins, 1972. (jF Geor)
  Escaping her arranged marriage, a thirteen-year-old Eskimo girl joins a wolf pack to survive in the Alaskan wilderness.
• LYDDIE. By Katherine Paterson.
  Lodestar, 1991. (jF Pate)
  When Lyddie at thirteen is abandoned by her parents and separated from her siblings, she courageously goes to work in the harsh textile mills of Lowell, Massachusetts in the 1840's.
• THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE. By Karen Cushman.
  Clarion, 1995. (jF Cush)
  A nameless, homeless girl finds her place in a harsh 14th century English village.
• THE RUBY IN THE SMOKE. By Philip Pullman.
  Knopf, 1987.(jF PuLL)
  Sixteen-year-old Sally Lockhart searches through Victorian London to find those responsible for killing her father, unraveling secrets about her own life as well.
• SHABANU: DAUGHTER OF THE WIND. By Suzanne Fisher Staples.
  Knopf, 1989. (jF Stap)
  In this story set among modern day Pakistani nomads, eleven-year-old Shabanu defies her father and tradition when she refuses an arranged marriage to an older man.
• THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF CHARLOTTE DOYLE. By Avi.
  Orchard, 1990. (jF Avi)
  Charlotte, the sole female on a ship with a mutinous crew, is accused of murder in 1832.
• WALK TWO MOONS. By Sharon Creech.
  HarperCollins, 1994. (jF Cree)
  Salamanca Tree Hiddle takes a cross-country trip in search of her mother and discovers something about herself along the way.
• THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND.By Elizabeth George Speare.
  Houghton Mifflin, 1958. (jF Spea)
  Compared to her home in the Caribbean, Puritan New England seems cold and grim, but Kit's unhappiness turns to terror when she is accused of witchcraft.
• YOLONDA'S GENIUS. By Carol Fenner.
  McElderry, 1995. (jF Fenn)
  Big Yolonda needs all of her intelligence and determination to show Momma and the world her six-year-old brother Andrew's strength, his music.