One of the very first books my now eight year old daughter loved was called Ruby Bridges Goes to School. Even before she could read well, she would return again and again to this slim volume, turning the pages reverently, frowning at the hateful expressions of pro-segregation racists, smiling as she contemplated the bravery of this ‘real little girl.’
At the time, I thought that perhaps it was the similarity of their ages. Ruby was an entering first grader, as was my daughter. She was a girl of color, also like my child. But Ruby lived in such a different time, and struggled against such overt, violent racism. What did my daughter find so compelling about this book, that she preferred it to most others – including bookshelves full of fairy tales and princess stories?
Now, a few years and any number of books later, my big reader eight year old still gravitates to fiction and nonfiction exploring the lives of ‘real little girls.’ Unlike her older brother, who launched quickly from early chapter books into fantasy series like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Artemis Fowl, Septimus Heap, and the like, my daughter craves stories about realistic girl protagonists. I was at first a bit flabbergasted at her lack of attraction for fantasy – a genre her mother and brother both adore. In fact, my current middle grade novel is a fantasy adventure based on Indian folk-tales, and starring, you guessed it, a middle grade girl protagonist. So why doesn’t my daughter enjoy the genre I so love?
As a parent, pediatrician, and feminist activist, I’ve always struggled against the notion that there even is such a thing as a ‘girl book’ or a ‘boy book.’ In fact, my beliefs had been seemingly verified out by my son, who as readily consumes male protagonist fantasy as he does more ‘realistic’ stories with girl main characters such as the Ramona books or Little House on the Prairie series.
Yet, there is clearly a message being sent. And it’s through the eyes of my daughter that I am finally able to see it. With the notable exception of Harry Potter’s Hermione (whom my daughter loves), there are few central female characters in middle grade fantasy novels. If literature is a mirror – an opportunity to show children a reflection of their own lives and their own experiences (or approximations of their own lives and own experiences), then what is happening for my daughter is obvious. While she was able to see herself even in the struggles of a girl who lived in such a different time, like Ruby Bridges, she is unable to see herself in most of the the fantasy novels that populate the bookshelves in her house.
Even the names of each of her brother’s favorite series send out the message loud and clear – fantasy is a boy’s genre. Or at least a genre dominated by boy protagonists. And it’s certainly not because women aren’t writing fantasy. As this blog entitled Finding Female in Middle Grade Fantasy notes:
“Even fantasy books written by women have mostly male protagonists: Rowan of Rin by Emily Rhodda, Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke, The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black, Septimus Heap by Angie Sage, and The Unnamables by Ellen Booream. And among those books with females heroines, most are paired alongside boy heroes, such as A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snickett, Fablehaven by Brandon Mull, Rick Riordan’s The Kane Chronicles, and of course, Rowling’s Harry Potter.”
Fantasy as a genre has perhaps been considered a vehicle to ‘get boys to read.’ Yet, without getting embroiled into a debate about whether the ‘reluctant boy reader’ notion is a myth, we as writers, publishers, parents and teachers have got to ask ourselves: what are the consequences of boxing female protagonists out of fantasy?
The problem can be examined from multiple angles. While both male and female authors are writing fantasy about primarily male protagonists, female protagonists dominate realistic fiction. Just consider, while both my son and daughter began their reading careers with The Magic Treehouse series (historical time travel fantasies with a boy and girl protagonist), my son soon graduated to The Time Warp Trio, The Bailey School Kids, and then rapidly to the fantasy series named above. My daughter, on the other hand, seemed to skip like a pebble against a lake from one to the other series of realistic novels with girl protagonists.
In approximate order, these books included: Ivy and Bean, Judy Moody, Amber Brown, Clementine... see a pattern? Each of these (wonderfully written) series were named for their girl protagonists. Even her most recent literary love affair – with Rebecca, Kit, Kanani, Lanie, McKenna – and all the other heroines of the American Girl series — follows this pattern.
Which has gotten me wondering (and worrying!): is the gendering of realistic vs. fantasy middle grade fiction simply playing into archaic gender roles? Ie. that girls should care about things like home life and friendships, while boys should be training to use magic, fight dragons, be secret agents, or discover treasure? Is our literature itself encouraging domesticity and relationships in female readers and imagination, bravery, and problem solving in boy readers?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m certainly not trying to suggest that friendship and home life aren’t important — for both boys and girls. Or that realistic fiction can’t model problem solving or other important skills. Or even that there aren’t some fantastic realistic fiction about boy protagonists (just think of Andrew Clemets’ great school stories). But rather, what worries me is that the predominance of fantasy books with boy protagonists and realistic books with girl protagonists is a troubling gender divide.
So in writing this blog, I’m making myself a pledge. To try to at least introduce my realistic fiction-loving daughter to some girl protagonist middle grade fantasy, a partial list below. (Some more great suggestions here and here). I’m thinking some of these fantasy heroines just may match up to the bravery of Ruby Bridges, the zaniness of Clementine or the pluck of American girl Kit Kittredge. The goal isn’t to steer my daughter away from realistic stories, but rather, open up for her the possibility of reading in multiple genres. Some of the books I’ve been thinking about include:
The Worst Witch Series by Jill Murphy
The Tiffany Aching Series by Terry Pratchett
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairy Land in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester
In the comments below, please suggest your favorite girl protagonist middle grade fantasy to add to the list!
Sayantani DasGupta is a lover of fantasy, but also of traditionally ‘domestic’ stories. Her ideal fantasy-realistic fiction might be a Jane Austen inspired remake of Lord of the Rings. Hey, you never know. It could happen.
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Interesting thought. There are actually a lot of middle grade fantasy with female characters, especially time travel books. There are not, however, as many realistic books for boys as I would like to see. I am very torn about concentrating on books for boys, but it’s what I do now. You should think about joining up with our Guy Friday group! http://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/2013/01/guy-friday-war-and-dogs.html
wow what a fantastic list — keep ’em coming please and thanks to all these great ideas!
So do people think this is a lack of proper MARKETING of girl protagonist fantasy, or what? I mean, if books are getting written but not into the hands of girls (as much as realistic stories are) why is that?
I concur with the recommendations of Tamora Pierce (who does mostly female protagonist, YA fantasy) and Gail Carson Levine (who also has a large number of female protagonist YA and middle grade fantasies). Diana Wynne Jones has a mix of male and female protags.
Cornelia Funke – Inkheart trilogy (the first book stands on its own, so you don’t have to do all three).
Clare Dunkle – The Hollow Kingdom trilogy (also, the first book stands on its own), and By These Ten Bones
Rapunzel’s Revenge by Hale (x3) – graphic novel
Eiko Kadono – Kiki’s Delivery Service (works well as a middle grade reader)
Neil Gaiman – Coraline
Natalie Babbit – Tuck Everlasting (magic in a very real world setting, middle grade)
Phillip Pullman – The Golden Compass
May be a bit much for an 8 year old, but your mileage may vary
Garth Nix – Sabriel
Ysbeau Wilce – Flora Segunda
Libba Bray – A Great and Terrible Beauty
Robin McKinley – Spindle’s End
A wonderful early entrant (insofar as the reader being a newcomer to the world of Middle Grade books) series is Michael Buckley’s “The Sisters Grimm” (completed, books 1 – 9). Buckley treats protagonist sisters Sabrina and Daphne with utmost care, cleverness, and charisma, all while navigating the original texts of The Brothers Grimm and those of more recent fairy tale authors like Irving, Baum, and Barrie. Each book is done in the style of a different genre while maintaining the overall narrative arc and an engaging cast of new and familiar (though with welcome twists) characters.
Anything by Tamora Pierce is middle-grade appropriate fantasy with strong female protagonists – to the point where I can’t recall a male protagonist in any of her books.
Diana Wynne Jones also did some female-centric books, too.
I second Greg’s Theodosia recommendation, the historical aspect may open her up to the fantastical.
Jodi Lynn Anderson’s May Bird trilogy
Adrienne Kress’ Alex and the Ironic Gentleman is a must. It starts of “real” yet odd, and then just becomes Wonderland-ish.
Lian Tanner’s Keeper’s Trilogy.
anything Frances Hardinge, but The Lost Conspiracy is a personal favorite.
Horns & Wrinkles by John Helgerson.
and Un Lun Dun by China Mieville is entrancingly bizarre.
It really hasn’t been my experience that MG fantasy is lacking in female protagonists. But here are a few of my favorite titles — some may straddle the line between MG and YA, so it’s up to you to decide if your daughter is ready for them 🙂
Book of a Thousand Days, Princess Academy, and Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
Ella Enchanted and Fairest by Gail Carson Levine
Beauty by Robin McKinley
There are also E.D. Baker’s books and (probably more YA here) Tamora Pierce’s books.
Anne Mccaffrey’s Harperhall Trilogy
R.L. Lafever’s Theodosia series
Nikki Loftin’s The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy
Thanks for these fantastic book titles – keep ’em coming! 🙂
And Jenn – thanks for the link to your fantastic post – love your references to Geena Davis’ organization — I so agree “if she can see it, she can be it!”
I loved Barbara Sleigh’s Carbonel books, about a girl who is able to hear the words of her cat and who has magical adventures, at that age. British books, I found in my childhood, had a lot more magic in them. California-writer Zilpha Keatley Snyder plays with the boundary between realism and magic in a number of her books and she is one of my all-time favorite writers. I loved The Changeling especially (about the relationship between two girls, one of whom may be magical) as well as The Witches of Worm. Another girl friendship book in which one girl seems to have magical powers that I loved is E. L. Konigsburg’s Jennifer Hecate Macbeth William McKinley and Me, Elizabeth.
Oh, and just last night I finished ICEFALL by Matthew J. Kirby which has a wonderful female protagonist named Solveig. It’s technically historical, but felt magical.
And let’s not forget Trix from Deva Fagan’s CIRCUS GALACTICUS — definitely a great hero, too!
The books with girl heroes I mention at Book Smugglers are:
The Kat, Incorrigible series by Stephanie Burgis
Claws by Mike and Rachel Grinti
The Cabinet of Earths by Anne Nesbet
Winterling by Sarah Prineas
The Wig in the Window by Kristen Kittscher (2013)
One of my recent favorite girl protag middle grade fantasies is Stephanie Burgis’s Kat, Incorrigible, which is historical (Regency England) fantasy (the second in the trilogy is out too, and the third is coming later this year). As a kid myself, I loved Diane Duane’s contemporary fantasy (or sf, depending on how you look at it) Young Wizards series, starting with So You Want to Be a Wizard. There are multiple viewpoint characters but in the first two books it is equally divided between the boy and the girl. Deep Wizardry, the second book, is one of my all-time favorites.
RJ Anderson’s fairy books, starting with Spell Hunter (or Knife, in the UK) are lovely and each feature a different young fairy girl. The third (sadly only pubbed in the UK) is a POC too.
There’s also Ella, Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, a fairytale retelling, and Shannon Hale’s Princess Academy.
Maybe Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes would work too? I loved it, though it’s a bit sad in places (aftermath of Katrina in NOLA). It’s more magical realism.
I know there are others I am forgetting too — I think it is true that the “big name” MG fantasies do seem to feature boy protags, but there are plenty of girl fantasy heroes out there too. And there are a number of books labelled as YA that might work for younger readers. Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore and Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George and Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones books, for example. And I am pretty sure I first read Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonsong and Dragonsinger when I was around 10-11.
@Deva Fagan, Thank you for mentioning McCaffrey’s Dragonsong and Dragonsinger books because I remember reading and adoring those right along with my Wizard of Oz books.
I’d add some of the Discworld books to the above. Equal Rites has a young girl wanting to be a wizard in what is traditionally a male-only profession. Then there are several funny stories with the witches–Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Magrat Garlick.
Also, although the roles are more traditional/conservative, the Narnia books have strong female characters as well. Lucy, after all, is the one who finds her way into Narnia and later returns to the land.
I’m sure I’ll think of others, as soon as I hit send, but there are so many suggested already that I may choose to just update my “to be read” reading list.
Oh, and of course there’s Jenn Reese’s ABOVE WORLD, featuring a girl protagonist who struggles with a tendency to rely on herself too much!
Anne Nesbet’s THE CABINET OF EARTHS is a great one, as is Kate Milford’s THE BONESHAKER. And my all-time favorite middle grade protagonist just might be Robin LaFevers’s Theodosia Throckmorton – the THEODOSIA books are fabulous.
Great post! I recently did a guest spot on The Book Smugglers about some of my favorite “girl adventurers” (mostly in fantasy) from 2012 that you might find useful.
http://thebooksmugglers.com/2012/12/smugglivus-2012-guest-author-jenn-reese.html
I definitely want to see more girls starring in science fiction and fantasy adventures for middle grade readers!