Great books for girls!

Posted on June 12, 2012 by nobles

Last week we posted a list of great books for boys and as promised, here is the follow up, great books for girls/women! Obviously, both these lists are not only for boys or girls, these books are great for everyone, but we thought these titles might be of particular interest to our female students and faculty. Enjoy!

Daughter of Smoke and Bone and Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor This is an epic fantasy series about a (not so) regular girl named Karou. With her blue hair and lifelike drawings of monsters, Karou seems different from the rest of her friends in Prague.  And Karou is different, below the surface there is much more to her and her history then we can ever imagine, a history that will force its way to the present, leading to an epic battle where good and evil are not so clear cut and Karou must try to figure who she truly is.

Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth A great read for fans of The Hunger Games, this series’ heroine is a worthy successor to Katniss.  Beatrice is a teen girl living in a dystopian version of Chicago. In her world, you are born into a faction and are raised by those faction’s principles: Abnegation (selflessness), Candor (honesty), Erudite (intelligence), Dauntless (bravery), and Amity (peace). When you are sixteen you are tested and told which faction you are best suited for as an adult, but then you are allowed to choose.  Beatrice was raised in Abnegation and has spent her whole life being told how important it is to sacrifice her own happiness for the sake of others well-being. But when Beatrice is tested, something goes wrong and it is revealed that she is Divergent, a rare person who is suited for multiple factions.  Beatrice must keep this a secret, for there are those who would kill her for this, and she must decide if she wants to honor her parents and stay with her birth faction or choose another group to join.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood Set in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in a (hopefully) unrecognizable future, this is the story of Offred, a concubine in a new world, known as the Republic of Gilead, where women have no rights. Offred’s sole purpose is to serve as a reproductive vessel, as the men of the Republic try to repopulate their society. This is Offred’s story and we learn, through flashbacks, what her life was like before society fell and how her country collapsed. 

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart Frankie is angry.  Angry that her boyfriend’s secret society won’t accept female students and angry that no one takes her seriously, that she is just a “pretty face.” So Frankie decides to get back at her boyfriend and his friends with a few lighthearted pranks. Soon however, these pranks grow out of control and Frankie’s actions begin to seem like the work of a criminal mastermind.

Alanna by Tamora Pierce Alanna wants nothing more than to be a knight. But as a girl she is destined to learn how to be a young lady. Desperate to change her fate, Alanna disguises herself as her brother Thom and makes her way to the royal court, where she must learn to fight, ride horses, and protect her kingdom, all while hiding her true identity.

Does my head look big in this? by Randa Abdel-Fattah Amal is just a regular teenage girl growing up in Melbourne, but when she makes the decision to where her hijab (head scarf) full-time she must face the reactions, not all of them positive, from the people in her life.

Room by Emma Donoghue Five-year-old Jack has spent his entire life in Room, an eleven by eleven foot space where he and his mother are held captive by Old Nick, a man who kidnapped Jack’s mother many years before.  Jack has never known anything besides Room and he is content there, but his mother wants out and she will stop at nothing to leave Room and get herself and Jack to freedom.

People of the book by Geraldine Brooks An ancient Haggadah (Jewish book that tells the story of Passover) filled with secrets? When Australia rare book expert Hanna Heath is tasked with the preservation of the 15th century Sarajevo Haggadah (a real book) she never expects to find the entire history of a people.  Told in the present and past, this book explores one artifact’s journey through history and the lives that were affected by it.

Unorthodox by Deborah Feldman Feldman’s memoir tells of her religious Jewish upbringing in Brooklyn, New York, and the brave decision to leave all that she knew behind so she could live a life of fulfillment and happiness with her young son.

Is everybody hanging out without me? by Mindy Kaling Written by Mindy Kaling, the star of The Mindy Show and former writer/producer/actress from The Office, this is a hilarious book of essays that deals with, among other things: her childhood growing up in Cambridge (she went to BB&N), her rise to fame, her hilarious exploits in Hollywood, and her idealistic look at love and relationships (which often resembles a romantic comedy).

Drama by Raina Telgemeier
In this graphic novel aimed at middle school and early high school age students, we are introduced to Callie, a seventh grader who loves theater and musical performance, but has no talent onstage.  She is, however, excellent at set design and over the course of the novel, attempts to create insane, elaborate and cost effective sets, while trying not to fall for two adorable brothers.

Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards (best known for her portrayal of Mary Poppins and Maria Von Trapp) This was on of my favorite stories when I was in middle school. Mandy is an orphan who wants nothing more than a family and a place to call her own.  When she finds an abandoned cabin on one of her walks she becomes obsessed with turning it into her own safe haven. But who does it really belong to? And since no one knows where is spending most of her time, when tragedy hits will they find her in time? The fact that Julie Andrews, who played Mary Poppins and Maria in the Sound of Music, wrote this book makes me love it even more!

Let me know what other books you recommend!

Happy Reading,

Ms.