Tell me about your favorite books about gifted girls from a variety of backgrounds
I put together a list I've been saving up for years of great books with strong, complicated, interesting, and smart girl protagonists. I wanted to make sure that these books were on my children's shelves - kids of any gender - to reinforce the idea that girls can be powerful and smart and strong.
The good thing is that these books were wonderful, fabulous, fun, and empowering. They taught me that being strong and smart (and Jewish, some of them!) was OK.
The problem is that it is also a list of all WHITE, able-bodied, American or European girls. Sexuality was, of course, never mentioned.
It's really remarkable to me to look back and see how my book choices were exclusively about white girls. I even remember reading pretty much every Judy Blume book except Iggy's House, which I seem to remember was the one where the typical white girl protagonist (gasp) encounters racism! no!
How young I internalized the concept of "other," and my society's racism. That wasn't my story, and I wasn't interested in it.
...I'm definitely going to have to broaden this list. Off to the bookstore and library! Here are some with more diverse characters that have been recommended to me that I plan to read:
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Island of the Blue Dolphins and Zia
And here is a website that seems to have some very promising leads...I will update as I find more sites and books.
Other recommendations? Our bookshelves will need strong, smart queer girls, disabled girls, immigrant girls, girls of color, and more...
Oh...and here is the original totally racially biased list (but still books which, as part of a more diverse list, are beloved favorites of mine that i recommend highly), for your reference:
A Wrinkle In Time and other Meg Murray books by Madeline L'Engle
Someday Angeline by Louis Sachar
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Caddie Woodlawn and Magical Melons by Carol Ryrie Brink
Anastasia Krupnik (and all the other Anastasia books) by Lois Lowry
The Laura Ingalls Wilder books
The All-of-a-Kind Family series by Sydney Taylor
The Real Me by Betsy Byars
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
A Summer to Die by Lois Lowry
Beat the Turtle Drum by Constance C. Greene (although I don't remember this one as well, I need to reread it)
The Westing Game (which does have diversity in it, just not the bright girl character) by Ellen Raskin
More books of all kinds to be added as we go.
Comments
Well, Anne of Green Gables is at the top of my list -- so much so that I'm preventing Katie from reading it until she's at the awkward why-don't-I-fit-in stage. I want it to hit her -- hard -- when it's relevant, and I know it will be, creative, smart girl that she is. I also love The Westing Game, and until now didn't know anyone else who had read it. I'll think about the diversity issue, but you may investigate the American Girl books, which introduce Native American, African American, and Latina American characters to girls. Their latest character, Jess, is IIRC half Japanese and the daughter of archeologists studying the Maya. It's something I plan on looking into.
Posted by: Jenn | April 20, 2006 06:15 PM
On a similar subject, I'd like to mention any of the Studio Ghibli/Hayao Miyazaki movies, all of which have young, female protagonists. Among my favorites: Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and Howl's Moving Castle. :)
Posted by: Dave | April 21, 2006 08:32 PM