Children’s Book Hero(in)es
March 18th, 2010 by Karen
A few days ago, the big-deal British newspaper The Guardian published their Top 10 list of the best heroes from children’s fiction. And here they are:
- Pippi Longstocking, from The Adventures of Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
- Anne Shirley, from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
- Matilda Wormwood, from Matilda by Roald Dahl
- George, from George Speaks by Dick King Smith
- Tracy Beaker, from The Story of Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson
- Lyra Belacqua, from the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman
- Huckleberry Finn, from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
- Petrova Fossil, from Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
- William Brown, from Just William by Richmal Crompto
- Sara Crewe, from A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Notice anything interesting? I’ve bolded some of the names to give you a clue… Okay, fine, I’ll tell you — almost all of the characters on the list are girls!
Since our current Kidsmomo theme is Girl Power books, I thought this was definitely something worth pointing out — and celebrating! Yeah, ladies, can you say RAWK?
And to amp up the Girl Power a few more decibals, here are a few more children’s book heroes heroines I’d add to the list:
- Charlotte, from Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
- Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
- Deeba from Un Lun Dun by China Miéville
Wanna know why I love these gals? I’ll spill the deets in our next podcast on 3/30.
Who would you nominate for the Children’s Book Heroine Hall of Fame? Leave a comment on this post or submit your response, and we may feature your answer in the podcast!
— Karen
One Response
I nominate Ella in Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine.