I am looking for book ideas for my 10-year-old daughter. All my old favorites she loves, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Caddie Woodlawn, etc. But so many of these books are about young girls who either wish they were boys, or wish girls could do things boys were not allowed to do at the time. She has entered puberty earlier than her friends, and she is the only girl in a family of 5 boys, so she is feeling lonely for other girls who enjoy all that is girlhood. Plus, our culture is so anti-girl right now. Betsy-Tacy is good; there is no undertone of “girls are so oppressed!” What else would fill that hole of girlishness she is craving?
Great question! Here are some that my 10yo daughter loves.
Little Women (although Jo is a boyish character, the other girls aren’t)
Anne of Green Gables (whole series)
The Secret Garden and A Little Princess
Understood Betsy
Five Little Peppers series
Eight Cousins and the sequel Rose in Bloom (she might like these about one girl growing up among 7 boy cousins)
Jane of Lantern Hill
Heidi
An Old Fashioned Girl
Ballet Shoes and other shoe books
Books by Patricia St. John like Rainbow Garden, The Secret at Pheasant Cottage, and Treasures of the Snow (I recommend finding the old used unabridged ones)
Great ideas ErinD….I especially love Understood Betsy.
I’ll add;
Sensible Kate by Doris Gates my 10 yr old dd just read and loved that one
Baby Island by Carol Ryrie Brink (funny adventure) by 10 yr old dd is loving it now;)
Dancing shoes
Some of my and my kids favorite growing up family stories
Family Grandstand and Family Sabbatical both more family stories both boys and girls in a family and their adventures
Gone Away Lake and Return to Gone Away Lake boy and girl cousins have an adventure
The Saturdays, the 4 story mistake, then there were 5, Spiderweb for 2. A series about a family of 4 children (2 girls 2 boys) and their fun and funny adventures
I loved the Grandma’s Attic Series by Arleta Richardson. They are Christian books about a girl and her best friend growing up in the late 1800’s. The series starts when they are small children and ends with their time as young wives and mothers. I recently read these books to my own girls (9 and 10) and they were a big hit. My 10 year old read them herself before we did them as a family read aloud.
Hitty: Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field
This is the story of a doll and her adventures with different owners. The language might be a bit hard for a 10 year old to read herself, but I read it to our girls and they both loved the unique plot. It also has a lot of history woven into the story.
Emily’s Runaway Imagination by Beverly Cleary is a favorite too.
I will be looking up the other books suggested in this thread as I’ve been having trouble finding more feminine books as well!
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