Fiction for young girls can be notoriously bad. No just, "Wow, that's poorly written," kind of bad ... sadly, too often what fills the shelves of most booksellers borders on (or overtly crosses over into) the realm of, "I can't let my daughter read that!"
Is fiction for boys that much better? No, not really. But for some reason, when it comes to girls it's all about boyfriends, and dumb parents, and teasing mean girls. Yuck.
Guess what? There are options! You will have to look long, and you will have to look hard, but yes, they are out there. I know, because I have navigated the waters and come out on the other side. And trust me, it's so worth it. Well-written, interesting, maybe even edifying fiction can be found. I promise.
And hey--I'll even give you a heads up. :-) Check out Susan K. Marlow's Andrea Carter series. Published by Kregel Publications, this is a fun, adventurous series focusing on a spunky girl with a zest for life, an indomitable spirit, and a thirst for the right things in life. This series would make a fun read-aloud for younger girls (in the 7 and up range) or a great summer fun series for slightly older girls.
GIVEAWAY!
I'm giving away one free copy of Andrea Carter and the Trouble with Treasure! Simply leave a comment listing your own favorite girlhood series and what you enjoyed so much about it to be entered into a drawing for this free book! Winner will be drawn on June 5.
Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this product for review purposes. Refer to my general disclaimer for more information on my policies regarding reviews.
7 comments:
My all time favorite book series as a kid was without a doubt Anne of Green Gables. Also anything by Madeleine L'Engle.
I always loved Polyanna, but I don't think that was a series. Like Rebecca, I also loved Anne of Green Gables.
I loved Little House on the Praire! I read a lot of those dumb horse storie too but was excited when I discovered the Misty series as well.
My first thought: The Elizabeth Gail series by Hilda Stahl. Libby, a foster daughter, had problems. I had problems. Sometimes her problems were worse than mine, and I took comfort in her reliance on God to get her through.
I don't know if this counts for girlhood series, but I was a girl and it is a series. I liked the Happy Hollisters. I always liked mystery books and I don't know why I enjoyed these more than other better-known series like Nancy Drew, Bobbsey Twins, or Boxcar Children. I suspect it was because there was a large set of Happy Hollisters books in our church library and I had easy access to them.
What a fun post and a nice plug for the book(s). I am SO with you on the dumb (and inappropriate) books for girls (and boys) these days. I was just at the Idaho homeschool convention last weekend and some parents asked me to give them a list of books they could let their young ones read. O . . K . . caught me by surprise. They weren't quite old enough for my books, so I gave them some of my personal favorites (which qualifies as answering your post question, BTW.):
1. Henry Huggins books are great for both boys and girls
2. Ramona books (while a pest, Ramona is a NICE pest, not like the junie b. jones of the world)
3. The Betsy Books (B is for Betsy, etc., by Carolyn Haywood)
And for older (upper elementary and beyond), my very favorite series (I read them in high school) was the Trixie Belden Mystery series. NO Nancy Drew for me. Trixie Belden has a family (older and younger brothers), lives on a farm in upstate NY, has a millionaire but lonely best friend, and all these family members are kind and loving to each other! What a great example of the kind of stories that are great for girls!
OK, that was my 2 cents.
Thanks again for the nice review,
Susan
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