Girl Power! Teen Books Featuring Strong Females

As this is Women's History Month, I thought I would share some teen books featuring strong female characters.  Here are a few of my favorites . . . .

The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
Aerin, with the guidance of the wizard Luthe and the help of the Blue Sword, wins the birthright due her as the daughter of the Damarian king and a witchwoman of the mysterious, demon-haunted North.

Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins
Seventeen-year-old Harper Price's charmed life is turned upside down when she discovers she's been given magical powers in order to protect her school nemesis David Stark, who's an Oracle.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
In a world where some people are born with a unique and sometimes uncanny gift, Katsa was certainly no exception. At an early age, she demonstrated an uncomfortable gift for killing. This makes her the perfect tool for her uncle, King Randa. Katsa detests being used and decides to stand against the injustice surrounding her.

Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith
During World War II, a light-skinned African American girl "passes" for white in order to join the Women Airforce Service Pilots.

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton
In a world where Beauty is a commodity only a few control, one Belle will learn the dark secrets behind her powers, and rise up to change the world.


More Books --
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
All the Rage by Courtney Summers
The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa tahir
Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza
Furyborn by Claire Legrand
Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan
Girls With Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young
Heartless by Marissa Meyer
The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz
The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge
Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee
Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton
Scythe by Neal Shusterman
Sky Without Stars by Jessica Brody
Slayer by Kiersten White
Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin
The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through April 3, 2020.

Road Trip!

This week, I'm sharing books for teens about road trips.  Here are a few of my favorites . . .

Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Cameron Smith, a disaffected sixteen year-old who, after being diagnosed with Creutzfeld Jakob's (aka mad cow) disease, sets off on a road trip with a death-obsessed video gaming dwarf he meets in the hospital in an attempt to find a cure.

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
A young British lord embarks on an unforgettable grand tour of Europe with his best friend/secret crush in this eighteenth-century romantic adventure for the modern age.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
In a world where some people are born with extreme and often-feared skills called Graces, Katsa struggles for redemption from her own horrifying Grace, the Grace of killing, and teams up with another young fighter to save their land from a corrupt king.

You Are Here by Jennifer E. Smith
Sixteen-year-old Emma Healy has never felt that she fit in with the rest of her family, so when she discovers that she had a twin brother who died shortly after they were born, she takes off on an impulsive road trip to try to discover who she really is.

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
After the death of her father, Amy, a high school student and Roger, a college freshman, set out on a carefully planned road trip from California to Connecticut, but wind up taking many detours, forcing Amy to face her worst fears and come to terms with her grief and guilt.


More Books --
13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
American Road Trip by Patrick Flores-Scott
Down and Across by Arvin Ahmadi
Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E. Smith
First Love by James Patterson
Four Three Two One by Courtney C. Stevens
The Geography of Lost Things by Jessica Brody
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Nowhere Near You by Leah Thomas
Paper Hearts by Ali Novak
The Perfect Escape by Jennifer Brown
Return to Paradise by Simone Elkeles
Road Tripped by Pete Hautman
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
When Elephants Fly by Nancy Richardson Fischer
Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through August 2, 2019.

Fierce Female Fiction

Celebrate Women's History Month by reading some teen fiction featuring fierce females.  Here are some of my favorites . . . .

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
In a world where some people are born with extreme and often-feared skills called Graces, Katsa struggles for redemption from her own horrifying Grace, the Grace of killing, and teams up with another young fighter to save their land from a corrupt king.

Hero by Alethea Kontis
Saturday Woodcutter accidentally conjures an ocean in the backyard and, with sword in tow, sets sail on a pirate ship, only to find herself kidnapped and held captive by a mountain witch with the power to destroy the world.

Legacies by Mercedes Lackey
After her family is killed, Spirit White is taken to Oakhurst Academy, a combination orphanage and school for those with magical powers, where she and her new friends investigate when students start mysteriously disappearing.

Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
Eleven-year-old Alanna, who aspires to be a knight even though she is a girl, disguises herself as a boy to become a royal page, a learning many hard lessons along her path to high adventure.

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
When sixteen-year-old orphan Tessa Fell's older brother suddenly vanishes, her search for him leads her into Victorian-era London's dangerous supernatural underworld, and when she discovers that she herself is a Downworlder, she must learn to trust the demon-killing Shadowhunters if she ever wants to learn to control her powers and find her brother.


More Fierce Female Fiction for Teens --
Assassin's Heart by Sarah Ahiers
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman
Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith
The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress
The Girl of Fire and Thorn by Rae Carson
Impossible by Nancy Werlin
Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson
Palace of Spies by Sarah Zettel
Prom Dates from Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore
Revenge and the Wild by Michelle Modesto
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Sorcery and Cecelia, or the Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C. Wrede & Caroline Stevermer
Terrier by Tamora Pierce
Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee
Vessel by Sarah Durst


Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through April 14, 2017.

Fierce Females -- They Don't Need a Hero, They Are the Hero

I love stories with a great female lead.  It's wonderful to read of the girl saving the day instead of waiting meekly for a guy to do it.  So here are some of my favorite fierce females in teen stories . . .

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
In a world where some people are born with extreme and often-feared skills called Graces, Katsa struggles for redemption from her own horrifying Grace, the Grace of killing, and teams up with another young fighter to save their land from a corrupt king.

Avalon High by Meg Cabot
Having moved to Annapolis, Maryland, with her medievalist parents, high school junior Ellie enrolls at Avalon High School where several students may or may not be reincarnations of King Arthur and his court.

Prom Dates from Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore
High school senior and yearbook photographer Maggie thought she would rather die than go to prom, but when a classmate summons a revenge-seeking demon, she has no choice but to buy herself a dress and prepare to face jocks, cheerleaders, and Evil Incarnate.

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber
Perry's parents insist that he take Gobi, their quiet, Lithuanian exchange student, to senior prom but after an incident at the dance he learns that Gobi is actually a trained assassin who needs him as a henchman, behind the wheel of his father's precious Jaguar, on a mission in Manhattan.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
When a plane crash strands thirteen teen beauty contestants on a mysterious island, they struggle to survive, to get along with one another, to combat the island's other diabolical occupants, and to learn their dance numbers in case they are rescued in time for the competition.


More Fierce Females --
Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld
Dangerous by Shannon Hale
Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Dumplin' by Julie Murphy
Dust Girl by Sarah Zettel
Fallout by Gwenda Bond
Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
Hunter by Mercedes Lackey
I Become Shadow by Joe Shine
Impossible by Nancy Werlin
Picture Me Gone by Meg Rosoff
Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins
Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein
A School for Unusual Girls by Kathleen Baldwin
Seeker by Arwen Dayton
Sorrow's Knot by Erin Bow
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
The Wicked and the Just by Jillian Coats


Check out these books on display at the Arnold Branch through April 8, 2016.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Katsa is a Gracelign -- someone gifted with an amazing gift that is signaled by her two different colored eyes.  She has what is considered the most dangerous of the graces -- the gift of killing.  Her uncle, King Randa, uses her as his enforcer and bully to keep his subjects in line.  Until the day she refuses to harm someone.  Now she's left everything she knows to work with Po, a neighboring country's prince, who is searching for why his grandfather was kidnapped.

This is the first book in the Graceling Realms series.  It is a wonderful fantasy novel featuring one of the strongest female characters written for teens.  Katsa is sure of her abilities, knows her mind, and isn't afraid to be stronger than everybody else.  The villain of the book is truly evil in a way that seems completely invincible.  Yet the ending is realistic and completely believable.  This is great series for both teen girls and boys as well as adult readers of fantasy.

Have You Read the Series? Teen Edition

With the start of summer, it's the perfect time to start reading a series of books.  Here are some of my favorite teen series . . .

Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
The Alex Rider Adventures #1
After the death of the uncle who had been his guardian, fourteen-year-old Alex Rider is coerced to continue his uncle's dangerous work for Britain's intelligence agency, MI6.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Beautiful Creatures #1
In a small South Carolina town, where it seems little has changed since the Civil War, sixteen-year-old Ethan is powerfully drawn to Lena, a new classmate with whom he shares a psychic connection and whose family hides a dark secret that may be revealed on her sixteenth birthday.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
The Graceling Realm #1
In a world where some people are born with extreme and often-feared skills called Graces, Katsa struggles for redemption from her own horrifying Grace, the Grace of killing, and teams up with another young fighter to save their land from a corrupt king.

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Moon series #1
Through journal entries sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family's struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.

Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
Song of the Lioness #1
Eleven-year-old Alanna, who aspires to be a knight even though she is a girl, disguises herself as a boy to become a royal page, a learning many hard lessons along her path to high adventure.


More Teen Series --
Abandon trilogy by Meg Cabot
Adventurers Wanted series by M.L. Forman
BZRK series by Michael Grant
Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness
The Claidi Journals series by Tanith Lee
The Enemy series by Charles Higson
Gone series by Michael Grant
Halo trilogy by Alexandra Adornetto
I Hunt Killers series by Barry Lyga
The Luxe series by Anna Godbersen
Num8ers series by Rachel Ward
Redwall series by Brian Jacques
Shiver trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater
Witch & Wizard series by James Patterson
Zom-B series by Darren Shan


Check out these series on display at the Arnold Branch through June 26, 2015.

Teenage Assassins

This past weekend I watched the movie Hanna about a teen girl who was trained by her father to assassinate the woman who killed her mother.  This led me to thinking how many teen books feature teen assassins.  Here's just a few of them . .  .

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber
Perry's parents insist that he take Gobi, their quiet, Lithuanian exchange student, to senior prom but after an incident at the dance he learns that Gobi is actually a trained assassin who needs him as a henchman, behind the wheel of his father's precious Jaguar, on a mission in Manhattan.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
In a world where some people are born with extreme and often-feared skills called Graces, Katsa struggles for redemption from her own horrifying Grace, the Grace of killing, and teams up with another young fighter to save their land from a corrupt king.

Boy Nobody by Allen Zadoff
Sixteen-year-old Boy Nobody, an assassin controlled by a shadowy government organization, The Program, considers sabotaging his latest mission because his target reminds him of the normal life he craves.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
After she has served a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, Crown Prince Dorian offers eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien her freedom on the condition that she act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Grave Mercy by Robin La Fevers
In the fifteenth-century kingdom of Brittany, seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where she learns that the god of Death has blessed her with dangerous gifts--and a violent destiny.