This third book list, to support the UN's International Day of the Girl, October 11, provides some young adult fiction that lets us...
...stand together to champion the right of all girls to be Fierce, Fearless and Free.
on October 3, 2012.
Young Adult
Ashes, Ashes
by
Jo Treggiari
Scholastic Press
341 pp.
Ages 12+
2011
In dystopian New York City, Lucy Holloway has survived the plague that has killed so many, but now must evade those who seek to capture her and learn who she can trust.
by Moira Young
Doubleday Canada
459 pp.
Ages 14+
2011
In a post-Wreckers world, Saba heads for brutal Hopetown where the Tonton (who abducted her twin brother Lugh) keep order with slavery and deadly entertainment.
by Brenda Hammond
Great Plains Teen Fiction
326 pp.
Ages 14+
2012
Attending ballet school at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, Renee Pretorius becomes immersed in the beginnings of the anti-apartheid movement of 1989.
by Allan Stratton
Annick Press
193 pp.
Ages 12-15
2004
In Sub-Saharan Africa, sixteen-year-old Chanda takes responsibility for her ill mother and younger siblings in an atmosphere rife with fear and suspicion about HIV/AIDS.
Fostergirls
by
Liane Shaw
Second Story Press
256 pp.
Ages13-16
2011
At yet another foster home, Sadie Thompson, 15, vows to avoid any disturbances until she turns 16 and can ask for legal emancipation.
by Gail Sidonie Sobat
Great Plains Teen Fiction
162 pp.
Ages 12-15
2008
Anise battles anorexia in a rehab centre, reflecting on her health, circumstances and emotions in a journal.
Half World
by
Hiromi Goto
Illustrated by
Jillian Tamaki
Puffin Canada
190 pp.
Ages 12-15
2009
After her mother dies and enters Half World, Melanie follows her and must re-establish balance between the three realms (Flesh, Spirit and Half World).
by Cheryl Rainfield
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
316 pp.
Ages 13+
2012
Caitlyn, 15, has lived through her father's murder, her brother's abduction and her mother's denial of her gifts to evade the government agents determined to destroy Paranormals such as herself.
I'll Be Home Soon
by
Luanne Armstrong
Ronsdale Press
200 pp.
Ages 10+
2012
Thirteen-year-old Regan takes to the streets to look for her mother after she disappears.
by Valerie
Sherrard
Dundurn Press
232 pp.
Ages 11-15
2003
Having been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour, Kate is determined to enjoy all her remaining days to their fullest.
by Pam Bustin
Thistledown Press
272 pp.
Ages 16+
2008
Even in her tentative life, with her naive parents and then just her flighty mother Prissy, Bean works to create harmony and move forward.
Mountain Girl, River Girl
by Ting-xing Ye
Puffin Canada
213 pp.
Ages 12-15
2008
Two girls leave their homes to look for better lives in a bigger modern Chinese city but must rely on their courage and wit to survive.
Plain Kate
by
Erin Bow
Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic
314 pp.
Ages 12-15
2010
Orphaned Kate finds the means to survive while dealing with the suspicions of villagers and those of the gypsies that offer her some support.
Secrets
by
Marthe Jocelyn
Tundra Books
175 pp.
Ages 9-12
2005
Short stories by women about female protagonists who must deal with secrets.
Skim
by Mariko Tamaki
Illustrated by Jillian Tamaki
Groundwood Books/House of Anansi
141 pp.
Ages 14+
2008
Skim navigates the challenges of her teenage years at school, exploring new friends, witchcraft, and a personal relationship with a female teacher.
Surviving Sam
by Karen Rivers
Polestar/Raincoast Books
205 pp.
Ages 14-17
2001
Three years after her twin brother Sam dies in an avalanche that she survives, Pagan is still struggling to separate herself from his memory and death.
A Spy in the House: The Agency, Book 1
by Y. S. Lee
Candlewick Press/Random House Canada
335 pp.
Ages 13-17
2009
Mary Quinn, rescued from hanging, is recruited by the Agency, a covert operation of female spies, to investigate smuggling activities.
by Courtney Summers
St. Martin's Griffin
326 pp.
Ages 13+
2012
Sloane becomes part of a group finding refuge in the high school from marauding zombies.
Thunder Over Kandahar
by
Sharon E. McKay
Annick Press
260 pp.
Ages 12+
2010
Unescorted by men, Yasmine (separated from her parents) and Tamanna (escaping a forced marriage and abuse) attempt to reach the safety of Pakistan.
Under the Moon
by
Deborah Kerbel
Dancing Cat Books (Cormorant Books)
194 pp.
Ages 12-15
2012
Lily is desperate to deal with her relentless wakefulness, even sneaking out at night, and the compounded turmoil she experiences.
Voiceless
by Caroline Wissing
Thistledown Press
241 pp.
Ages 14+
2012
After her granny is murdered, Annabel goes into foster care and finds both compassion and danger, though not where she expects.
Help girls be
Fierce Fearless Free
Two previous lists for
International Day of the Girl can be accessed here:
•
Picture Books
•
Fiction (middle grade novels)
