Tranquility7 Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 DD loves books, especially ones with adventuresome storylines, but all the main characters are usually boys, or "girls acting like boys", or "animals that are boys". She is interested in finding some books out there where the heroines are "sweet girls", and yet the stories still fun and interesting (and maybe even adventuresome)? She is only 5, but is an extremely advanced reader (at least 5th grade by now). I'm just looking for lots of suggestions and then I can figure out which ones might be suitable when. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Milly Molly Mandy is a good one. Also the Sophie series from Dick King-Smith (the heroine is fairly rough-and-tumble, but still sweet, I think). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southern Ivy Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 I have a whole pin board for the Mighty Girl book lists. Here's a list of books with heroines for ages 6-10. (There is a list on my board for ages 11-14 as well.)https://www.pinterest.com/pin/191191946657197987/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
almondbutterandjelly Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Old Nancy Drews? Cherry Ames, nurse series 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momacacia Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Little princess 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhioMomof3 Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic has an adorable 10-year-old main character named Persimmony. We enjoyed it! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 I'd guess the All-of-a-Kind Family qualifies, as do the Betsy-Tacy books. What, exactly, does "sweet" mean? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Swallows & Amazons 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 The Little White Horse Understood Betsy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertflower Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 A Wrinkle in Time. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 SWEET OLD FASHIONED / GENTLE HEROINES gr. 2-3 reading level Understood Betsy (Fisher) The Courage of Sarah Noble (Dagliesh) Betsy-Tacy (Lovelace) gr. 3-4 reading level Emily's Runaway Imagination (Cleary) Ellen Tebbits (Cleary) B is for Betsy (Haywood) All of a Kind Family (Taylor) Milly-Molly-Mandy (Brisley) Baby Island (Brink) No Flying in the House (Brock) - fantasy Twig (Jones) - fantasy The Rescuers, Miss Bianca, The Turret, Miss Bianca in the Salt Mines, Miss Bianca in the Orient -- (Sharp) -- talking animals; girl and boy Grandma's Attic (Richardson) -- girls and boys The Moffats (Estes) -- girls and boys The Saturdays (Enright) -- girls and boys Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (Sidney) -- girls and boys Boxcar Children series (Warner) -- mysteries; gr. 3 reading level; girls and boys gr. 4-5 reading level Two are Better Than One (Brink) The House Above the Trees (Elliot) Nancy & Plum (MacDonald) Ballet Shoes series (Streatfeild) Roller Skates (Sawyer) gr. 5-6 reading level Wolves of Willoughby Chase (Aiken) Strawberry Girl (Lenski) A Little Princess; The Secret Garden (Burnett) Thee, Hannah! (de Angeli) Pollyanna (Porter) Mandy (Edwards) gr. 6 reading level Anne of Green Gables FANTASY HEROINES gr. 1-2 reading level Toots and the Upside Down House (Hughes) gr. 2-3 reading level Magic Rainbow Fairy series (Meadows) Flower Fairies Friends series (Barker) Fairy Realm series (Rodda) Seven Chinese Sisters (Tucker) The Lighthouse Family series (Rylant) -- talking animal; girls and boys Catwings (Le Guin) -- talking animal; girls and boys gr. 3-4 reading level Mermaid Tales from Around the World (Osborne) -- girl and boy The Golden Fairytale Book (Sequr) -- girl and boy The World's Best Fairy Tales (Sideman) -- a Reader's Digest Anthology -- girl and boy Pippi Longstockings; Pippi in the South Seas (Astrid) Twig (Jones) No Flying in the House (Brock) The Witch Family (Estes) The Borrowers series (Norton) gr. 4-5 reading level Book of …. series (Ruth Manning Sanders) -- Book of Fairies, Book of Mermaids, Book of Witches, Book of Princes and Princesses, etc.; OOP, but worth looking for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (Lin) Raising Dragons (Nolen) Miranda the Great (Estes) -- talking animals; girls Raggedy Anne and Andy (Gruelle) -- preview; some of the stories may be a bit much for a 5yo The Rescuers, Miss Bianca, The Turret, Miss Bianca in the Salt Mines, Miss Bianca in the Orient -- (Sharp) -- talking animals; girl and boy gr. 5-6 reading level Enchanted Forest Chronicles (series) (Wrede) The Ordinary Princess (Kaye) Hitty, Her First Hundred Years (Field) The Princess and the Goblins (MacDonald) -- girl and boy SILLY / TALL TALE HEROINES The Golly Sisters Go West (Byars) -- gr. 1-2 reading level The Golly Sisters Ride Again (Byars) -- gr. 1-2 reading level Amelia Bedelia series -- gr. 1-2 reading level REAL LIFE HEROINES (fictional) The Little Riders (Shemin) -- gr. 2 reading level Ivy & Bean series (Barrows) -- gr. 2-3 reading level Cam Jansen series (Adler) -- gr. 3 reading level Nim's Island (Orr) -- gr. 3-4 reading level The Year of Miss Agnes (Fitzpatrick) -- gr. 4-5 reading level The School Story (Clements) -- gr. 4-5 reading level Daughter of the Mountains (Rankin) -- gr. 5 reading level PIONEER HEROINES gr. 2-3 reading level A Lion to Guard Us (Bulla) -- sister and brother The Secret Valley (Bulla) -- brother and sister The Courage of Sarah Noble (Dalgliesh) gr. 3 reading level Silver (Whelan) Shadow of the Wolf (Whelan) Sarah Whitchter's Story (Yates) Pioneer Cat (Hooks) Caddie Woodlawn (Brink) The Cabin Faced West (Fritz) Little House in the Big Woods, On the Banks of Plum Creek (Wilder) House on Rocky Ridge (Macbride) -- series following Laura Ingalls Wilder's descendants Sarah Plain and Tall (MacLachlan) gr. 4-5 reading level Bound for Oregon (Van Leeuwen) gr. 5 reading level Calico Bush (Field) I am Regina (Keehn) BIOGRAPHY HEROINES gr. 1-2 reading level The Big Balloon Race (Coerr) Pocahontas: An American Princess (Milton) The True Story of Pocahontas (Penner) The 18 Penny Goose (Roop) Sacajawea (Milton) Clara and the Bookwagon (Levinson) gr. 2-3 reading level Joan of Arc (Corey) Phoebe the Spy (Griffin) Sybil Ludington's Midnight Ride (Amstel) The Secret Soldier: The Story Of Deborah Sampson (McGovern) Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie (Roop) Helen Keller (Davidson) Helen Keller's Teacher (Davidson) Helen Keller: Courage in the Dark (Hurwitz) The Daring Escape of Ellen Craft (Moore) Little Sure Shot: Annie Oakley (Spinner) The Girl Who Struck Out Babe Ruth (Patrick) Flying Ace: Story of Amelia Earhart (Bull) 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomandlorih Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Lori D has a fantastic list!! I'll second All of a Kind Family and if you can find the audio versions, the reader if fantastic! Second Betsy-Tacy and the In Grandma's Attic series too. You might also try her on the Mandie books by Lois Gladys Leppard 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiara.I Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 The Princess and the Goblin. The sequel is more from the boy's perspective, but still excellent. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Lori D. listed most of the ones I thought of, but also: Momo Laddie, a True Blue Story Ozma of Oz The Road to Oz Little Women Little House on the Prairie Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (an ensemble of siblings, 3 boys and 2 girls) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Enid Blyton. Though sometimes they are sweet to the point of nauseating. I loved them as a kid though. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Betsy-Tacy series Milly-Molly-Mandy All of a Kind Family (except that at the end of the book, the father is SO happy to FINALLY have a son) The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew Pollyanna The Moffats Grandma's Attic (a bit moralistic, though, IMO) The Railway Children (at least I think that the girls "act like girls") Caddie Woodlawn -- absolutely about a tomboy, but in the end, Caddie does decide the she will embrace and welcome becoming a young woman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collins4 Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Following this thread! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALB Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Elsie Dinsmore- my dd's current favorite! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 The Theodosia series. They are Percy Jackson in Egypt. The heroine is an 11 year old homeschooled girl who lives in London at the turn of the century. She can see curses and removes them before they can harm any one. Some of the curses are funny and make you feel like you have sand in your undies or bark like a dog uncontrollably. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awisha. Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 The Jewel Kingdom series by Jahnna N. Malcolm Lily Quench books by Natalie Jane Prior Matilda Mudpuddle books by Gordon Winch Thea Stilton series Nancy Drew Trixie Beldon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Just saw she's only 5. I would hesitate to give a 5yo some of the listed books, even if she can read them. I would recommend Betsy-Tacy, though the first has a death. It's handled beautifully--really, my favorite chapter in any children's book, ever. No Flying in the House is wonderful! Has she started the Little House series? The first 4, esp Big Woods and Farmer Boy, would be appropriate. I'd wait on Silver Lake (it's got a lot of transitional parts--dog dies, sister goes blind, they move, etc.). Milly Molly Mandy is a favorite here--really, really sweet. Raggedy Anne and Andy is an old favorite of mine! It's syrupy sweet but a good book of short stories. She's not particularly sensitive, is she? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue daisy Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Great lists! I second (third?) Betsy-Tacy. All my kids loved it. I just ordered Milly Molly Mandy for my 4 year old daughter as a read aloud. We also all loved Caddie Woodlawn and the Little House series. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tranquility7 Posted March 27, 2015 Author Share Posted March 27, 2015 Oooh I love all these options! Thanks so much for the great replies. We are off to the library to see what we can find :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 The Secret Garden has a girl who becomes sweet. The Saturdays In Place of Katya (such a great book!) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiara.I Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 The Secret Garden has a girl who becomes sweet. :lol: Yup. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 No long chapter books, but very sweet, with Pandora, the light house keeper, rescuing a dog, and then mice children. The Light House Family series by Cynthia Rylant. Also sweet, and by Rylant: The Cobble Street Cousins series. A title I can't recall, based on a true story, another light house keeper. Abby....something. Her father goes to town and she has to ah! Here- Abby, Keep the Lights Burning! I adored the old Bobbsey Twins books when I was a kid. My memories are pure sap. lol Love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe has Lucy. That fits the description. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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