Young Adult Books for Feminist Readers

Teen readers (13 and older) often want to dig into books with complex themes that help them understand the world and themselves.  Young adult novels are some of the best-written books around today, and wonderful entrees into the rich world of adult-themed reading.  Recommended by some of our favorite young women, we present our starting list for today’s teens:

A Step from Heaven by An Na

Jina Oh leaves her Korean homeland to journey to the United States when she is 4 years old.  She is a quiet and courageous heroine, telling her story first in her child voice then bringing her readers with her as she bravely takes action in her desperate and difficult life as a teenager.  Each chapter can be read as a kind of stand-alone short story, but is so powerful read as a connected tale.  An Na fills the book with many-sided characters and telling detail.  Kids we know from different cultures have reported how true the immigrant experience is portrayed, sparking their own stories and experiences.  Winner of the ALA Printz award for Adolescent Literature.

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Winter Girls by Laurie Halse Anderson

A portrait of the destructiveness and devastating psychological and physical effects of anorexia.  This riveting tale brings to life the self-deception and pain that is the heart of this fixation on thin-ness. We hear Lia’s voice as she descends further and further, first into competition with her friend Cassie, and then as she is hospitalized and even there, food becomes only a number, a bunch of calories, and something to always resist.  It’s dark, but riveting, poetic and often stark.  It’s not just a “problem/single issue” book, either–we read of her tangled relationships, her struggles as a contemporary teen, and learn her own unique voice.  A compelling novel that begs discussion.

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Tithe:  A Modern Faerie Tale by Holly Black

Sixteen-year old Kaye is a modern girl; she tours the world with her mother’s rock band, traveling from city to city.  A devastating attack leads her to seek refuge with her grandmother on the New Jersey shore, where she had spent her childhood.  It is here at her birthplace she discovers she is , well, not human, but a pixie, caught up in ancient faerie rivalries.  Kaye-as-human-teenaged drop-out, was a drinking, smoking, swearing rebel.  Kaye’s journey of self-discovery and change is a real page-turner, as she enters into a fantasy world filled with magic and dark beauty and a confusing dark knight named Roiben who needs her help. This modern faerie tale is edgy and gritty, and brings us the scary and awe-inspiring faeries of ancient myths.

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Dangerous Angels:  The Weetzie Bat Books by Francesca Lia Block

The first Weetzie Bat book, written about 15 years ago, blew us away with its sophisticated and cool language, references and inside knowledge of urban life, and poetic engaging language.  And then there’s Weetzie Bat herself, an off-beat heroine in a kind of magical realism world–one foot firmly in Los Angeles, and the other in the world that includes the occasional ghost or genie. One friend in her 20′s says this is her favorite feminist young adult novel:  “a fun, wacked out, feminist fairy tale.”  We like this compiled collection of the books that include Weetzie Bat–and her friends–in their many adventures.  They struggle with the universal trials of growing up, letting go, finding love, being in community and knowing yourself.

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Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Katsa is a smart and talented teen-ager in this fantasy world. Well, talent may be an understatement:  she is gifted with a “grace,” as are many in her world. Your grace might be swimming, creative arts, dancing. . .anything.  Katsa’s grace?  She is extremely talented at killing, a skill that her evil uncle forces her to use for his support. Katsa embarks on a journey of self-discovery, finding ways to channel her graceling skills to carry out secret missions in the service of justice rather than tyranny. Engaging and believable characters fill this fantasy world.  Katsa’s adventures ( and romance!) continue in Fire and Bitterblue.

Books for Middle School (and older) Feminist Readers

There are so many great reads for young feminists, it’s hard to know where to start.  We both have our favorite classics, but decided to focus on those we’ve seen really connecting with the tweens and teens in our lives who tell us what we should be reading right now.  Some books are very new, some older–but we agree:  these are great recommendations for today’s young women.

Estella’s Quinceanera by Malin Alegria

Estrella Alvera is a fourteen-year-old girl moving between two cultures. In this funny, touching, and moving novel, she makes sense of her own role in a complicated world where culture and class cast shadows on daily experiences.  She is embarrassed when her family begins plans for her special 15-year birthday celebration, imagining a big tacky celebration.  Some of her childhood friends from the barrio resent her scholarship to an elite private school, so she feels torn between her friends.  To complicate her life even further, she falls for Speedy, a classmate from her elementary school days (and a genuinely nice guy) –but is forbidden to see him.  Girls of all background will connect with Estrella’s story–and love her sarcastic wit–and sometimes surly responses to her loving family. Author Alegria writes from her own Mexican-American experience, and kindly provides a glossary of Spanish terms for readers who might need it.

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Flygirl by Sherri Smith

We love the heroine of this book!  Ida Mae is a teen-aged  Louisiana country girl whose father introduced her to crop-dusting at an early age.  She  loves to fly and is a great pilot and wants to join World War II as a non-combat flyer.   The problem?  She is African-American in a country which still uses race to deny opportunities to its citizens–and as a woman, she isn’t eligible for a pilot license (except for the war effort).  Ida Mae makes the difficult decision to pass as white to get into the program.  She takes us into her conflict as she wrestles with her  emotions about her family, and the ways she is denying her heritage.  We learn about her relationships with friends and family, and her courage learning to be herself.  A terrific historical novel.

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The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi

A good old-fashioned adventure story on the high seas:  a tale of mutiny, accusations of murder, –and a 13-year -old swashbuckling mate.  Who happens to be a girl.  It’s 1832, and on her long and difficult passage from England to Rhode Island, our heroine undergoes a huge transformation from the proper schoolgirl who boarded the ship.  The journal she keeps on the trip shows the reader the thinking of this brave, intelligent, and strong young woman.  It’s easy to see why this fast-paced and well-written historical novel won the Newbery Medal.

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Beneath My Mother’s Feet by Amjed Qamar

Fourteen-year-old Nazia is growing up in a working class neighborhood in contemporary Pakistan–she’s a dutiful daughter, who loves school and her friends, and is preparing for her future marriage to a cousin.  When her father has an accident at work and is unable to work, the family’s life starts to come apart. . .her dowry is stolen, she must drop out of school to work hard as a live-in maid in a wealthy suburb, and she experiences wrenching circumstances.  But Nazia is a courageous  and compassionate young woman, and makes inspiring decisions. ( No spoilers here!)  A first novel by a Muslim Indian-American–we hope to read more of her books!

Feisty Girls in Early Reader Chapter Books

Got a feisty little girl in your family?  We have quite a few:  Molly, Charlotte, Hazel. . .and lots more in our neighborhoods and among extended friends and family.  We’re always on the lookout for new beginning reader chapter books that will delight them with the kinds of fun and adventure they can chuckle over, enjoy, and learn from.  Not just for girls, these heroines are great reads for boys, too–and for the parents and teachers who get drawn into their adventures.

Frankly, Frannie by A.J. Stern, illustrated by Doreen Mulryan Marts

You can’t help but love Frannie!  She’s an original–with always-hatching-plans in mind.  In this first of the series, she is ready for business–literally!  Her class is going on a fieldtrip to a radio station, and she wants in.  She brings her handmade business cards and resume (and mustard packets -so much more grown up than ketchup), ready to leave them off at the station.  But of course, she can’t stop there, and trouble follows as she takes to the airwaves. As one friend told me, “She’s a good girl who makes makes bad decisions.”   The whole series is perfect for those feisty girls who’d like a contemporary Ramona.  The illustrations are spot on, and the use of different fonts will also draw in young readers.  And there are lots of books in the series–with a new one due out this summer!

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Sophie the Awesome by Lara Bergen

Sophie is a reader.  Her heroes are Ramona the Brave, Nate the Great, and Harriet the Spy.  She decides her own name is just too boring–there’s even another Sophie in her class, so she is called Sophie M.  Not acceptable!  She needs a new name–and finds one.  But how to convince her friends and classmates she is as Awesome as her new name?  After some mis-steps, she finds her way.  Nice introduction to a spunky third-grader.  Another series that will be a hit for early readers who want to read Sophie (and her best friend Kate’s) further adventures.

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Just Graceby Cherise Mericle Harper

Poor Grace wants to be known for  herself–especially after her somewhat frenzied teacher makes the unfortunate decision to call her “Just Grace” to distinguish her from the three other Graces in her third-grade class. This series is easy to distinguish from others, though–with its particular brand of comic wit and humor that make it a winner. Grace and the other kids in this book–and the series–come alive as real kids, ones you’d like to meet and hang out with.  I love her “teeny tiny superpower” for instance—she can tell if someone is unhappy and often tries to fix it. Of course, her good intentions often backfire. . . Chapter headings give a taste of what goes on in Grace’s life:  “What Happened At Home That Was Completely Surprising” and “Spying For A Good Reason Is Not Bad”  Check out the Just Grace website with its superpower quiz, podcasts, excerpts, and downloads.

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Clementine, Friend of the Week by Sarah Pennypacker

Being chosen to be Friend of the Week is pretty special in Clementine’s third-grade classroom.  You get to be line leader, feed the fish, collect the milk money–and best of all, at the end of the week:  you get a friend booklet signed by all your classmates letting you know the ways they appreciate you.  Clementine is determined to make it the best week ever–but of course, things go awry.  A missing kitten, forgotten commitments, adventure and creative subplots are all part of this early elementary read.  Clementine herself is funny, smart and very observant.  She is also remarkably kind-hearted. Combine that quality with her powers of observation and she always seems to know exactly the right thing to do to help people in the end.  A great series to introduce to your own feisty girls.

For Mother’s Day, I Asked For…

-posted by Meghan

Clearly, I love books.  And I love my kids (hopefully, that has come through without my saying so!).  And I love to write.  There is nothing I delight in so much as helping the kids starting to write their own first books.  We’ve made them as gifts for everyone in the family… except me!

So this year for Mother’s Day, I decided that’s what I want.  I want a book, written just for me, from the kids.  Usually I’m helping them, encouraging them, watching them make the cards and books we give to everyone in the family for every occasion.  And then when they’re done, if it isn’t done with someone special in mind, I ask if I can have it.  “No, Mommy,” they always say, exasperated. “It’s not for YOU.  It’s for _____”  (Fill in the blank with a beloved family member, or even “For ME” they say.)  Pictures, they give me.  But they’ve been writing books lately, and selfishly, I want one!

So I gave my husband his orders at the beginning of March.  “I want a book.  One from each kid.  For Mother’s Day.  That’s it.  No chocolates.  No bought gifts.  They don’t even have to make cards. But I want multiple pages, bound together, with markings of some kind on each page.”

I’ll let you know what I get…but it seems like all signs are pointing to a happy Mother’s Day for me, as I have seen a few whispered art rooms sessions lately that I’m not privy to!

The Amelia Bloomer Project

-posted by Meghan

Some days I lose a lot of time surfing the web.  I get sucked into a whole host of time-wasting garbage that I regret later.  But there are times that you stumble on something brilliant, someplace where you do lose time, but it’s time well spent, where you always learn something interesting and come away thinking.  One such discovery for me was the day I stumbled onto “The Amelia Bloomer Project.”

Here’s what they do, in their words: “We create an annual booklist of the best feminist books for young readers, ages birth through 18.  We are part of the Feminist Task Force of the Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association!”

Hallelujah!  And can I get an “Amen, sister?”  Feminist books for birth on up?  Fabulous!  And the books they pick really are pretty fabulous.  You can browse the site forever, and each time you come away  with your list of books to-read just a little longer and your wallet just a little lighter.

So, in honor of all women everywhere, go check out the Amelia Bloomer Project.  Find a book for you, one for your daughter, and maybe one other for another special girl/woman in your life.

Just to give you an idea of the kinds of books you’ll find there, here was my reading list from my first visit to the site: (I limit myself to one fiction and one non-fiction pick for each myself and Molly per visit – when our local library doesn’t have the books I want to read, I have a terrible and expensive tendency to order them online, so I have to set artificial book limits for myself!)

Me non-fiction pick:Who is Ana Mendieta? by Christine Redfern and Caro Caron

This graphic novel is explained on the back by this sentence: “Ana Mendieta, whose bold work about the female body and violence was changing the course of art history, ‘went out the window’ of the New York City apartment she shared with her husband, sculptor Carl Andre, at the height of her career. Andre was tried and acquitted of her murder, and the legacy of Mendieta has been shrouded ever since.”  It definitely got me wondering more about this woman I’d never heard of, and the illustrations look fascinating.  I can’t wait to dig in.

Me fiction pick: Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury

I read this one first.  I couldn’t help it.  It’s about a girl who is making her debut in London about 200 years ago, but all she wants is adventure.  Throw in some Egyptology, romance, international intrigue… well, frankly, you had me at Egyptology.  Agatha reminds me of a young Amelia Peabody, and this seems like the start of a great new YA series.

Molly non-fiction pick: Tillie the Terrible Swede by Sue Stauffacher, illustrated by Sarah McMenemy

The story of Tillie, girl who is taught that “bicycles aren’t for ladies,” but dreams of riding—not graceful figure eights, but speedy, scorching, racy riding, is told with gorgeous gouache and hand-painted paper collage illustrations.  How the little immigrant seamstress changes bicycle riding (and fashion) forever looks fabulous and inspirational for all little girls.  I can’t wait to read it to my kooky-dressing rule-breaking little girl.

Molly fiction pick: Every-Day Dress-Up by Selina Alko

Remarkable similar to the Isabella books, this book about a little girl who dresses up like great women throughout history is a no-brainer for my dress-up queen.  What I particularly love about it is that so many of Molly’s friends only want to dress up as a princess, to their mother’s despair.  The little girl in this book pointedly moves away from princesses, instead picking “daring dames” to dress as.  I also love that she picks more than just the usual suspects from the list of fabulous women in history, and dresses up like Frida Kahlo, Julia Childs and Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

So, go check out the Amelia Bloomer lists!  And then come tell us what books catch your eye…

April 30th – Beltane

If you say “Beltane” (or “Samhain”), most people think pagan festival, if they think anything at all.  Maybe people painted blue, romping naked by bonfires, a thousand or so years ago.  But actually these so-called pagan rituals are ancient Celt holidays or celebrations, and if you look at them on the calendar, they line up very closely with modern holidays, as other cultures borrowed and adapted these rituals to fit their own needs and religions.  For example, Beltane, began the celebration of the beginning of spring with a bonfire the night before the first of May.  (Samhain, the feast of the Harvest, was celebrated at the end of October, and became Halloween/All Saints Day.)

It’s fascinating to think about where and why many of our holidays came from, and also to look at how closely early celebrations mirrored the relationship humans have with nature.  These two books are both wonderful references for learning about Beltane and other Celtic/Nature celebrations.  As a nice bonus, both have plenty of activities for kids and parents to do to celebrate these days.

The Ancient Celtic Festivals: and How We Celebrate Them Today by Claire Walker Leslie and Frenk Gerace

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Celebrating the Great Mother: A Handbook of Earth-Honoring Activities for Parents and Children by Cait Johnson and Maura Shaw

April 29th-Zipper Day!

Or should we say. . .the “Automatic,  Continuous Clothing Closure” Day. That’s what Elias Howe, inventor of the sewing machine, dubbed his zipper-ish invention in a patent in 1851.  Or how about the “Clasp locker,” a similar invention that Whitcolm Judson tried to market for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair?  Neither was a success. . .

The world had to wait until 1913 for the real “zipper” patented by electrical engineer Gideon Sundback –on yes!–April 29th!  Read all about the Zipper’s intriguing history, including information about our debt to the Goodrich Tire Company for the name we know and love: “The popular ‘zipper’ name came from the B.F. Goodrich company, when they decided to use Gideon’s fastener on a new type of rubber boots or galoshes and renamed the device the zipper, the name that lasted.”   Interested in more zipper facts?  Check out The History of the Zipper.

And to learn more about how zippers work, we recommend. . .

I Wonder Why Zippers Have Teeth and Other Questions About Inventions by Barbara Taylor

Not just about zippers, this information picture book for young readers is packed full of great stories and facts that introduce readers to engineering and research.  Yes, you’ll  learn more about zippers and what a fascinating invention they really are, but also answers to all kinds of questions, like:  How were drinking straws invented?; why don’t nonstick frying pans sticks; and my personal favorite:  Which came first–screws or screw drivers? Read all about it!

April 28th-Harper Lee’s Birthday

We both love the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and revel in the idea of celebrating Harper Lee’s birthday today. Did you know the book is the twentieth century’s most widely read American novel—has sold thirty million copies and still sells a million yearly?  Yet Harper Lee remains quite mysterious. . . We suggest learning more about her life with your family or students through our book recommendations at adult and young reader levels by the same author.

One for You and One for Me:

Mockingbird:  A Portrait of Harper Leeby Charles J. Shields

This is the first-ever biography of Harper Lee.  She stopped granting interview about 40 years ago, and Shields had to rely on years of extensive research and interviews with those who knew her.  No wonder it is a best-seller!   We not only learn about her struggles to create her best-selling novel, but also the highlights of her life and their impact on her writing. Shields focuses on several questions:  Why did Lee not follow up the amazing success of To Kill a Mockingbird with another novel? Did her friend Truman Capote really write the book? Why did Nelle Harper Lee never marry?  We think you’ll enjoy every minute of this fascinating read–and you’ll be ready to share the following version with younger readers. . .

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I am Scout:  Biography of Harper Lee by Charles J. Shields

How cool is that–Charles Shields takes his best-selling biography of Harper Lee and adapts it for a younger audience.  Best of all, this is a thoughtful and serious biography that in no way speaks down to its readers.  Both informative and interesting, the bio helps us learn the parallels between Lee’s life and experiences and her great novel.  It makes you want to read To Kill a Mockingbird all over again–or perhaps for the first time!

April 27th – Tell A Story Day

Since it’s National Tell A Story Day, I’m going to tell you a little story:

Once upon a time, there was a mom.  She was driving her two 4-year-old twins in the car.  They were being very good, but were very tired of being in the car, and were often resorting to kicking the seat, shrieking loudly and fighting over the books and toys that were in the backseat.  Quite tired of playing 20 questions (where the object being guessed was often changed mid-game without warning, rendering all previous guesses moot and all answers contradictory) or listening to the Muppet Movie soundtrack for the hundredth time, she racked her brains for how to keep the peace.  As she often did, she thought of her own favorite books.  The first thing that entered her head was (as it often was) one of her favorites, Little Women.  She thought of the game that they all played at Camp Laurance that they called Rig-marole.  It’s played like this:

“One person begins a story, any nonsense you like, and tells as long as he pleases, only taking care to stop short at some exciting point, when the next takes it up and does the same. It’s very funny when well done, and makes a perfect jumble of tragical comical stuff to laugh over. “

So they began to play, the mom starting with any old nonsense, and throwing it to her daughter at an exciting point.  The daughter got off to a slow start, with a plot borrowed from the Smurfs, and fairly quickly threw it to the son, who followed up with some key plot points from Rapunzel.  And they were off and running, telling a story so wild and funny and fun that they all forgot to fight or kick, and the mom sort of forgot where she was going and they laughed and giggled and ended up staying in the car for almost 20 minutes after reaching their destination to finish their story.

And so the family found a new car game, and car trips were in general much happier from then on.  And they all lived happily ever after and went to college.  (That is how the mom’s friend always ended fairy tales: “And so the princess lived happily ever after and went to college.”  The mom loved that, and borrowed it, and always ends her stories that way now too.)

April 26th-National Pretzel Day

To celebrate National Pretzel Day, let’s make some home-made “honest” pretzels!

According to  Mollie Katzen (famed cook and cookbook author), honest pretzels “are way more interesting than the store-bought kind: They’re chewy on the outside, and soft and tender on the inside and you get to make them any shape you want!”  Does that make your mouth water for pretzels?  If so, here’s the cookbook for you:

Honest Pretzels: And 64 Other Amazing Recipes for Cooks Ages 8 & Up by Mollie Katzen

Too many cookbooks for kids are condescending and tend toward variations of how to use  peanut butter in creative ways, (think:  “ants on a log”).  This cookbook assumes kids are perfectly capable of learning to cook, and put real food on the table for their families.  From breakfast items like pancakes and scrambled eggs to lasagna, dinner rolls, and dessert (with tasty treats like honest pretzels in between!), the recipes in this cookbook are good staples and perfect for the family that cooks together.  It also helps older kids be independent cooks.  Start with pretzels today–and then branch out!