This month, our featured booklist is Kick-Butt Heroines! This was was a blast to assemble. All of the titles on this list feature a strong female protagonist facing adversity. As you've guessed from the title, some of these heroines literally kick butt:
- Katsa (from Kristin Cashore's Graceling) is gifted with physical fighting prowess.
- Billi (from Sarwat Chadda's The Devil's Kiss) is a female Knight Templar.
- Katniss (from Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games) must survive a brutal death match on national television.
- Stephanie (from Derek Landy's Skulduggery Pleasant) struggles to defeat the Faceless Ones, who have returned to destroy the world.
These heroines' strengths are not limited to combat, however. This list also includes amazing young women who challenge social norms:
- Ida Mae (from Sherri Smith's Flygirl) fights the societal limitations of her gender and race to become a black female pilot during World War II.
- Amal (from Randa Abdel-Fattah's Does My Head Look Big in This?) courageously chooses to wear her hijab full-time, despite the anti-Muslim prejudices in her community.
- Sara (in L.S. Lawrence's Escape by Sea) becomes a successful female sea merchant following the ransacking of her home city and the death of her father.
- Lakshmi (in Patricia McCormick's Sold) refuses to give up on gaining her freedom, even after her stepfather sells her to a brothel in India.
There are many fascinating, action-packed books about strong teen women from all walks of life in YA literature! This month, pick up one of these great titles and share it with a teen in your life.
