As a mother I’m trying my best to raise all of my kids, both boys and girls, to realise that it’s OK for women to be confident. I want my girls to have faith in the choices that they make, to back themselves, and to try new things. Teaching that mantra is no mean feat in this day and age, where society is still bombarding us with unrealistic ideals and expectations, placing obstacles of self-belief in the way of girls from a very young age.
I want my daughters to realise the power of their own potential, to go grab their chosen career – or careers – by the horns, and live the life that they dream of.
Books play a big part in the way I try and teach my kids that there’s more to life as a woman than being a pretty ornament. Introducing books with gutsy and strong characters can show that it is OK to speak up, it is OK to go after what you want and, most of all, it is OK to be yourself.
Here are just 10 of the kind of books I’m speaking about. Girl-empowering books that will send a positive message, to both your daughters and your sons.
1. Esperanza Rising
Author: Pam Munoz Ryan
Strong character: Esperanza Ortega
When Esperanza’s father is murdered by bandits during the Great Depression, Esperanza has to leave her privileged life on the ranch she loves, as she and her mother flee to California. When their new life is threatened, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances, their lives depend on it.
2. Everything on a Waffle
Author: Polly Horvath
Strong characters: Primrose Squarp , Miss Bowzer
Philosophy and a quirky sense of humour tell the tale of ‘not an orphan but nobody believes her’, Primrose Squarp. Author, Polly Horvath makes Primrose’s search for peace and understanding a memorable one.
3. The Fault in Our Stars
Author: John Green
Strong characters: Hazel Lancaster, Augustus Waters
Despite the tumour-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, sassy Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.
4. Graceling
Author: Kristin Cashore
Strong character: Katsa
The first in a series of young adult fantasy novels, Graceling tells the story of the vulnerable yet strong Katsa, a smart, beautiful teenager who lives in a world where selected people are given a Grace, a special talent that can be anything from dancing to swimming. Katsa’s is killing. Brilliantly penned, Graceling treats sexuality – including birth control and LGBT characters – in a sex-positive way appropriate for young teenagers.
5. Fatty Legs: A True Story
Authors: Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton
Strong character: Margaret Pokiak
Margaret Pokiak is headstrong girl from an Inuvialuit community in the Arctic Circle, who is determined to learn how to read – even it means leaving her village. Margaret not only overcomes the geographical challenges, but takes on her bully – a nun who is determined to humiliate the headstrong Margaret – and in turn, gives her a lesson in the power of human dignity.
6. The Hunger Games Trilogy
Author: Suzanne Collins
Strong characters: Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark, Gale Hawthorne, Rue
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen steps forward to take her sister’s place in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
7. Stargirl
Author: Jerry Spinelli
Strong character: Susan Caraway aka Stargirl
An awesome tale about refusing to conform to society’s expectations. From the day she arrives at quiet Mica High in a burst of color and sound, the hallways hum with the murmur of “Stargirl, Stargirl.” The students of Mica High are enchanted. At first. Then they turn on her. Stargirl is suddenly shunned for everything that makes her different, and Leo, panicked and desperate with love, urges her to become the very thing that can destroy her: normal.
8. Big Fat Manifesto
Author: Susan Vaught
Strong character: Jamie Carcattera
Jamie is a senior in high school and, like so many kids in that year, doing too much – including trying to change the world – and fighting for her rights as a very fat girl. And not quietly: she’s writing a column every week in the paper with her thoughts and fears and gripes. As her column raises all kinds of questions, so too must she find her own private way in her world.
9. A Wrinkle in Time
Author: Madeleine L’Engle
Strong character: Meg Murry, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O’Keefe
A science fiction novel about Meg, Charle, and Calvin. They are in search of Meg’s father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government on the tesseract problem. A tesseract is a wrinkle in time. Despite being underestimated by her teachers and peers for years, Meg is confident that she will bring her family back together.
10. Inside Out and Back Again
Author: Thanhha Lai
Strong character: Kim Hà
“No one would believe me but at times I would choose wartime in Saigon over peacetime in Alabama.” Hà has only ever known Saigon, but now the Vietnam War has reached her home, Hà and her family are forced to flee to America. Critically acclaimed, this moving story is of one girl’s year of change, dreams, grief, and healing.
What other books would you include on this list?