ma23peas Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 Here are the books I've put on my English comp/lit course for 9th and 10th, Farmer Giles (Tolkien), Ender's Game (Card), Eragon (Paolini), The Last Unicorn (Beagle), and Out of the Silent Planet (Lewis)..I REALLY need a fantasy/sci fi book with a femal protagonist... Ella Enchanted/Princess Academy style...but I feel those are too young for this age group. Can any of you recommend a good book with a female protagonist? Have already covered Divergent/Hunger Games in previous years...anything folks? Thanks! Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 One of the Pern or Darkover books? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 Dd19 says the Jemma Doyle trilogy---guise of historical fiction (though she says it's not historically accurate), fantasy, magic, boarding school, strong female characters, etc. Delirium trilogy---dystopian society where love is outlawed and teens get a shot of some sort Hold on, dd's opening her Goodreads app... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 The 5th Wave (long---first book in a proposed series) by Rick Yancey---dystopian sci-fi; odd but interesting Wither (series: The Chemical Garden) by Lauren DeStefano (spelling?) Legend by Marie Lu---dystopian Graceling by Kristin Cashour (part of a trilogy) Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness (but that's a male protagonist...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 - The Tombs of Atuan (Le Guin)Fantasy. My first choice and strong recommendation. It is the middle book of the Earthsea trilogy, but absolutely works great as a stand alone work; tremendously well-written; strong female protagonist. Not a Christian author or probably intended, but some beautiful/powerful Christian images.- Tuck Everlasting (Babbitt)I guess I'd call it "alternate world" -- this world, but with an element that is… fantastical? My second choice and strong recommendation, if you haven't done this one previously. Middle school level, BUT, because this is short and there is terrific symbolic imagery and powerful themes to discuss, I suggest this as the opening book to the semester. Can do it in one class.- "The Golden Key" (MacDonald)Fantasy. Short story, with joint male & female protagonists -- when they get separated, the story follows her. As with all MacDonald short stories, strong Christian images and themes, and strong female characters. Could cover this and "The Wise Woman" in one class session.- "The Wise Woman" (MacDonald)Fantasy. Short story. Actually, I find this story somewhat flawed and therefore problematic -- but then that makes it more interesting to discuss. I'd suggest doing it along with "The Golden Key" for comparison of themes, strong female characters, etc.- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland -- OR -- Through the Looking Glass (Carroll)Fantasy. Includes a lot of parody, comic poetry, and "nonce" words. AAiW contains riddles, while TtLG contains clever mathematical problems/chess moves. Both contain some interesting philosophical questions and concepts.- The Eyre Affair (Fforde)Great "alternate universe", funny, with allusions to, and characters from, Great Expectations, Jane Eyre, and nursery rhymes, among others. Probably not a lot under the surface to analyze, but it's a fun ride, amazingly creative world, strong female protagonist, and a fun "mash-up" of a number of literary types and tropes.- Till We Have Faces (Lewis)A stretch for a sci-fi/fantasy class: not a sci-fi or fantasy setting, but the ancient Mesopotamian-like setting can feel somewhat fantasy-like, and the subject matter includes the gods. Mature, complex work with lots of wrestle with Literature-wise, and so usually done in 11th/12th grade -- but if you have really strong readers/thinkers, you could "reach" with this work earlier...- The Book Thief (Zusak)A stretch for a sci-fi/fantasy class: set in Germany during WW2 (small town, rather than the battle front or concentration camp) -- BUT, having the character of Death as the narrator following the life of a strong girl character gives this work an "alternative world" type of feel.- The Changeling Sea (McKillip)-- OR -- Alphabet of Thorn (McKillip)Classic fantasy works with strong female protagonists. Well-written, but not a ton under the surface Literature-wise -- probably enough for a class or two.- Auralia's Colors (Overstreet)Fantasy. First of a quadrilogy. Christian author, but no obvious Christian themes and an interesting dark world. More poetically-written than many contemporary fantasy works, but probably not a ton under the surface Literature-wise -- I'd say enough to discuss for several classes.- Beauty (McKinley)Fantasy/Fairytale. Novel-length spin on the classic fairytale; this older retelling by McKinley holds together better and has more to it than the more recent second retelling by McKinley (Rose Daughter). Not sure how much there is to pull out of this one Literature-wise.- Howl's Moving Castle (Jones)Fantasy. Well-written/creative world. More for middle school. Not sure there's much to pull out of this one Literature-wise…- A Wrinkle in Time; A Wind in the Door; A Swiftly Tilting Planet (L'Engle)The first two books of the trilogy are at a middle school level, but lots to look at in them if your students have not read them previously. The third is a little more complex, so would work for high school, and most people have not read beyond the first book. All three easily stand alone as individual works.- The Blue Sword (McKinley)Fantasy. Well-written, but more for middle school. Definitely more of a romance novel than a fantasy novel. Not sure there is much to pull out of this one Literature-wise.- Hinds Feet on High Places (Hurnard)Extended allegory. Very Christian. Not the best in the writing department, and because it is allegory, everything is right there on the surface -- but it is short enough that if you were interested in covering allegory, you could include this one and cover it in 1 class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 Doomsday Book by Connie Willis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 I like Lori's suggestions above, I think I agree that Tombs of Atuan is a good meaty book for literary discussion. One more fantasy suggestion to add: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007TNBSQG/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1406834291&sr=8-2&pi=SL75 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenneinCA Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 Earth girl by Janet Edwards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 A sobering choice would be Kindred by Octavia Butler. "Dana, a modern black woman, is celebrating her twenty-sixth birthday with her new husband when she is snatched abruptly from her home in California and transported to the antebellum South. Rufus, the white son of a plantation owner, is drowning, and Dana has been summoned to save him. Dana is drawn back repeatedly through time to the slave quarters, and each time the stay grows longer, more arduous, and more dangerous until it is uncertain whether or not Dana's life will end, long before it has a chance to begin." Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 A sobering choice would be Kindred by Octavia Butler. I recently read Dawn by Butler… flawed, but very interesting. But I would NOT feel comfortable doing Butler with teens, esp. younger high school ages -- pretty adult! Is Kindred like that, too? I also really enjoyed Mieville's Embassytown last year, and Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go this year. Both well-written with female protagonists, But, both are for MATURE audiences… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyco Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 On Basilisk Station by David Webber. It's the first book of the Honor Harrington series for young adults. My 14 y.o. ds really liked it and is also enjoying the super long series about Honor Harrington geared toward adults. Re-reading your post, I am not sure you'd want to use it for a class...I haven't read it myself but I suspect it's not meaty enough. Sorry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happygrrl Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Doomsday Book by Connie Willis I was just going to suggest this! I just finished it, what a great read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 I recently read Dawn by Butler… flawed, but very interesting. But I would NOT feel comfortable doing Butler with teens, esp. younger high school ages -- pretty adult! Is Kindred like that, too? Yes, on reflection, it would not be a good choice for a young teen as it's very dark. The wikipedia entry is detailed. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 On Basilisk Station by David Webber. It's the first book of the Honor Harrington series for young adults. My 14 y.o. ds really liked it and is also enjoying the super long series about Honor Harrington geared toward adults. Re-reading your post, I am not sure you'd want to use it for a class...I haven't read it myself but I suspect it's not meaty enough. Sorry! Thanks for the recommendation! This book is free on kindle right now--I have a new fun read to look forward to :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigs Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 … - The Blue Sword (McKinley) Fantasy. Well-written, but more for middle school. Definitely more of a romance novel than a fantasy novel. Not sure there is much to pull out of this one Literature-wise. … Also, The Hero and the Crown by McKinley. The Blue Sword was written 1st, The Hero and the Crown is a prequel. I haven't read much of McKinley's later works, but avoid Deerskin - it has much more mature topics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ma23peas Posted August 1, 2014 Author Share Posted August 1, 2014 These are wonderful! Thank you all so much! I not only have some great suggestions for the remaining book but also a list for additional reads. I was amazed how rare it is to find female protagonists in sci/fi and fantasy...too many of the contemporary novels include adult material I try to avoid in my classes...I will also do a study on short stories so I can have more options, really want to include Asimov in there :) Thanks again! Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Leviathan (steampunk!) Cinder (cyborgs and androids!) Starglass (Jews in spaaaaaaace!) Dust Girl (fairies!) Ruinmarks (Post-Ragnarok fun!) Zahrah the Windseeker (Computer vine thingies!) Earth Girl (okay, I can't really exclam this, but it's fun) A Face Like Glass (Courtly Politics! And a big vocabulary! This one is most similar to Ella Enchanted of the ones I've listed, I think, and don't underestimate Hardinge) The Lost Girl (Weird cloning!) The Goose Girl (same author as Princess Academy. Everything by Shannon Hale is golden) Salvage (Escaping fundamentalism!) Katya's World (Worldwide ocean!) Tankborn (Not sure how to describe this!) Losers in Space (Giant pink elephant!) Of course, the old school option is definitely The Blue Sword. If you don't mind me saying so, your booklist is also awfully *white*. You could stand a little more diversity in the mix. I've gone ahead and bolded those books which definitively have non-white protagonists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbotoast Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Enchantress From The Stars Hands down recommendation--lots to talk about. I thought Kindred was poorly written. And it's not really sci fi in the usual sense of the word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Also, The Hero and the Crown by McKinley. The Blue Sword was written 1st, The Hero and the Crown is a prequel. I haven't read much of McKinley's later works, but avoid Deerskin - it has much more mature topics. The Hero and the Crown is a Newbery Award winner. :-) I love both of these books. :-) Deerskin... :ack2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 This recent post by Eliana has some titles that might work for you. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 It isn't scifi but it is fantasy: The Mists of Avalon. It is a retelling of Arthurian legend from Morgan's point of view. My friends and I all read it in high school and really enjoyed it. Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a classic social satire/fantasy "Woman on the Edge of Time" or "He, She and It" by Marge Piercy Octavia Butler has a lot of books. There was one series of hers... the Xenogenisis series..? Am I making that up? She was just so good. Sheri Tepper Dianna Wynn Jones prob has a few There is a book by Nancy Farmer "The Ear, The Eye and The Arm" and one of the main characters is female. She learns a whole lot about her world and gender and what it can mean in her life. It is set in a futuristic Africa. I really liked it and so did my older boy. It might be too young for this group though. I love her books set in Africa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegs Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 When Women Were Warriors, by Catherine M Wilson - might be better as a recreational read to complement fantasy lit work in general, or for something a little lighter. Still great value for what is is, though. :) Many titles by Ursula le Guin and Tamora Pierce have female protagonists, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Thanks for the recommendation! This book is free on kindle right now--I have a new fun read to look forward to :) The whole series is awesome. One of the few that I've ever bought in hardcover instead of waiting for the paperback. I don't know if I'd use it for a class really, but it'd be a great "extra reading if you're interested" topic. A bit older, but "The Ship Who Sang" has some interesting ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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