16 Books for Young Girls
A few weeks ago when I wrote about boys and reading, someone asked me my recommendation for girls, specifically 8-year-old girls.
I asked Anna, age 11, and Elenia, age 7, what they would recommend and here’s what they said (several of these are series):
1. Nancy Drew
2. Betsy and Tacy
3. Little House on the Prairie
4. Twenty and Ten
5. The Fantastic Mr. Fox
6. The BFG
7. Boy
8. Midnight in the Dollhouse
9. Baby Island
10. The Little Pilgrim’s Progress
11. The Chronicles of Narnia
12. The Boxcar Children
13. Miss Piggle-Wiggle
14. Elsie Dinsmore
15. D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths
16. James Herriott’s Dog Stories and Cat Stories
Of course, whether or not these are good fits for every 8yo girl depends on their taste and reading level. But these are their favorites. For now.
Ditto to just about everything Ann said, except I brought the WSJ article to his attention
)
I just wanted to add
The Fairy Rebel by Lynne Reid Banks
The Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye (one of the BEST EVER)
Supermouse and The Most Important Thing by Jean Ure (very hard to find)
and The Orphan Train (quartet)
Ditto to just about everything Ann said, except I brought the WSJ article to his attention
)
I just wanted to add
The Fairy Rebel by Lynne Reid Banks
The Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye (one of the BEST EVER)
Supermouse and The Most Important Thing by Jean Ure (very hard to find)
and The Orphan Train (quartet)
Lovely, Ann. Thank you for adding to the list!
I’ve been enjoying your blog since I read your wonderful Mother’s Day piece in the WSJ (which my husband brought to my attention and that of our 5 children). Since I am a children’s book-lover, and your list of books for 8-year-old girls includes many that my own 8-year-old girl loves, I thought I’d add a few more of our favorites: all of Eleanor Estes’ wonderful old-fashioned books, including The Moffats and Ginger Pye, L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its sequels, Marguerite Henry’s horse books, starting with Misty of Chincoteague, and Edith Nesbit’s books, including The Railway Children.
Printing this out right now.