Kidsmomo

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:

1. Pippi Longstocking, from The Adventures of Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
2. Anne Shirley, from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
3. Matilda Wormwood, from Matilda by Roald Dahl
4. George, from George Speaks by Dick King Smith
5. Tracy Beaker, from The Story of Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson
6. Lyra Belacqua, from the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman
7. Huckleberry Finn, from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
8. Petrova Fossil, from Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
9. William Brown, from Just William by Richmal Crompto
10. 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