Take-Charge Heroines

Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy (series) by L.A. Meyer

Reduced to begging and thievery in the streets of London, a thirteen-year-old orphan disguises herself as a boy and connives her way onto a British warship set for high sea adventure in search of pirates.

The Darkest Hour by Caroline Tung Richmond

In 1943 sixteen-year-old Lucie Blaise is the newest recruit of Covert Ops, a secret espionage and sabotage organization of girls, and her mission in German occupied France is to track down information about a weapon that could wipe out all of Western Europe--and then dismantle it before it can be used.

Defy (series) by Sara Larson

Seventeen-year-old Alexa's parents were killed by a sorcerer during a raid, so she has disguised herself as a boy, joined Antion's army, and earned a place on Prince Damian's guard--but Antion is ruled by an evil king, and "Alex" must find a way to defeat him and protect her prince.

Dumplin (series) by Julie Murphy

Sixteen-year-old Willowdean wants to prove to everyone in her small Texas town that she is more than just a fat girl, so, while grappling with her feelings for a co-worker who is clearly attracted to her, Will and some other misfits prepare to compete in the beauty pageant her mother runs.

Geekerella by Ashley Poston

In a modern version of "Cinderella," geek girl Elle Wittimer enters a cosplay contest behind her stepmother's back and meets teen actor Darien Freeman at a convention cosplay ball.

The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas

After witnessing her friend's death at the hands of a police officer, Starr Carter's life is complicated when the police and a local drug lord try to intimidate her in an effort to learn what happened the night Kahlil died.

Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe

Follows Dita Kraus from age fourteen, when she is put in charge of a few forbidden books at Auschwitz concentration camp, through the end of World War II and beyond. Based on a true story.

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

In a small Texas town where high school football reigns supreme, Viv, sixteen, starts a feminist revolution using anonymously-written zines.

Poison Princess (series) by Kresley Cole

In the aftermath of a cataclysmic event, sixteen-year-old Evie, from a well-to-do Louisiana family, learns that her terrible visions are actually prophecies and that there are others like herself--embodiments of Tarot cards destined to engage in an epic battle.

Steeplejack (series) by A.J. Hartley

Repairing roof fixtures in an alternate world resembling Victorian South Africa, Anglet Sutonga investigates the death of an apprentice while caring for her sister's baby against a backdrop of racial tensions, political secrets, and a historical icon.

 

Teen Nonfiction

Muslim Girl: A Coming of Age by Amani Al-Khatahtbeh

At nine years old, Amani Al-Khatahtbeh watched from her home in New Jersey as two planes crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. That same year, she heard her first racial slur. At thirteen, her family took a trip to her father's native homeland of Jordan, and Amani experienced firsthand a culture built on the true peaceful nature of Islam in its purest form, not the Islamic stereotypes she heard on the news. Inspired by her trip, Amani created a website called Muslim Girl. As the editor in chief, she put together a team of Muslim women and started a life dedicated to activism.

Fearless Women: Courageous Females Who Refused to be Denied by Toby Reynolds

Profiles thirty-six women who fought for freedom, and forged new paths to help change society, including such notables as Rosa Parka, Malala Yousafzai, Jane Goodall, Maya Angelou, and Amelia Earhart.

Women Heroes of World War II: The Pacific Theater: 15 stories of Resistance, Rescue, Sabotage, and Survival by Kathryn J. Atwood

In these pages, readers will meet these and other courageous women and girls who risked their lives through their involvement in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II. Fifteen suspense-filled stories unfold across China, Japan, Malaya, Singapore, the Dutch East Indies, and the Philippines, providing an inspiring reminder of women’s refusal to sit on the sidelines around the world and throughout history.