Books for the girls (that aren't about Princesses)

International Women's day just happens to coincide with me trying to think about books for young children with strong female role models. My list is quite patchy as, to my shame, there are some seminal children's books that I've never got around to reading, but these are the first five that came to mind. Feel free to add, to disagree or wade in with your comments:

1) Lightning Lucy - Jeremy Strong

I got this book out of the school library when I was a child of around 8 or 9 and read it again and again. I remember it as being funny and having a really cool central character.

Lucy makes doorstep sandwiches, has special powers and she saves people. I loved her and wanted to be her.

2) Sophie from Howl's Moving Castle - Diana Wynne Jones

The character of Sophie is not fearless, more the reluctant hero, insecure but brave, triumphing over adversity (along with the rather vain Howl of the title). It’s also my favourite Studio Ghilbli film - definitely worth a watch. It’s quite a bizarre story really and that’s what I like about it - you can’t second guess what’s going to happen next.

3) The Paper Bag Princess - by Robert Munsch and Michael Martchenko

Thanks for telling me about this one,TH (if, by rare chance, you happen to be reading this) this features a Princess, admittedly, but she is a strong, brave and intelligent one who outwits the dragon and, *spoiler alert*, rescues the Prince. He is profoundly ungrateful and undeserving of her efforts. The last line of the book is priceless.

4) Emily Brown and the Thing by Cressida Cowell and Neal Layton

One for very young children. The eponymous heroine goes on nocturnal adventures with her friend Stanley (a toy rabbit). The 'thing' in the title of this book is a monster who keeps Emily Brown and Stanley awake with his constant crying. I like this one because Emily Brown has short hair, is fairly grumpy and outspoken and seems very brave.

5) George from the Famous Five series by Enid Blyton.

I was wary of including this one for obvious reasons (the dubious racial and class stereotypes that abound in her books for a start). But George is feisty, fearless and a counterpoint to the milksop, Ann. Ann likes making house and George wishes she was a boy. Rather outrageous polar opposites but if I was going to identify with anyone , as a child, it would be bad-tempered, sulky tomboy George, rather than bland, pathetic Ann. When I read a hatchet job biography of Blyton, I discovered that she identified with George too.

Of course there are many, many ones of missed and this is an entirely arbitrary list but it’s one that is a work in progress really because I want to find lots more inspirational girls for my girls to read about.

Note - I didn’t include Jo from Little Women because I find the whole tone of that book rather sanctimonious.