If my work as a middle school librarian has taught me one thing, it’s that one of the best ways to inspire people is to tell them a good story. For this Women’s History Month, I’ve curated a list of books that do just that ‚Äì tell a beautiful story, and in the process change or contribute to our understanding of girlhood. Below you’ll find a wide array of books ‚Äì historical fiction, non-fiction, comics, tales of adventure ‚Äì which bring together gender identity, culture, and race to tell a story about modern girlhood, and what it means to be a woman today.
Grades K-2
The Seven Chinese Sisters, by Kathy Tucker
The Dot, by Peter H. Reynolds
My Name is Not Isabella, by Jennifer Fosberry
The Girl Who Wouldn’t Brush Her Hair, by Kate Bernheimer
Violet the Pilot, by Steve Breen
Grades 3-5
Harriet the Spy, by Louise Fitzhugh
Esperanza Rising, by Pam Munoz Ryan
Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Homefront, by Penny Colman
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared the Dream, by Tanya Lee Stone
Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O’Dell
Pippi Longstocking, Astrid Lindgren
Middle School
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelly
Code Name Verity, by Elizabeth E. Wein
I Am Malala, by Christina Lamb and Malala Yousafzai
Kira-Kira, by Cynthia Kadohata
Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson
Ms. Marvel, by G. Willow Wilson, Sana Amanat, and Adrian Alphona
High School/Adult
The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant
Phyrne Fisher Detective Novels, by Kerry Greenwood
Shrill, by Lindy West
If I Was Your Girl, by Meredith Russo
The Bloody Chamber, by Angela Carter
Bad Feminist, by Roxanne Gay
And be sure to check out our Illustrated Girls exhibition to find even more books about some amazing girls and women.
-Rebecca Valley
Junior Girl
Girl Museum Inc.