YA girl-friendly fic recs?

[telophase]

I have a friend who works at a feminist bookstore and is trying to build up the juvenile fiction collection. She's looking for recs of girl-friendly interesting fiction for older children.

Comments

[janni.livejournal.com]

Any specific criteria? About two thirds of what's published in YA these days is girl friendly ... that's much of the focus of the genre.

She should definitely have all of Tamora Pierce's books. And Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak and Chains. But--there's just a ton of stuff out there.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

I've dropped a note to her asking - either she'll come by here and mention it, or she'll let me know.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Seconding the rec for Tamora's Pierce, especially her early stuff, the Alanna and Daine series.

[blissfish.livejournal.com]

Hey, telophase reposted this for me. I'm accepting all recommendations, because neither me or my bass has kids, or really familiarity with the genre at all. I'm doing web-research and scouring reviews and publishers catalogs, but I really welcome recommendations by people who've read them. It gives me a place to start. I'm reading things as fast as I can to preview them, but a direction in which to focus my time is great.

Thank you for the recommendations, I'm checking them out. :D

[vito-excalibur.livejournal.com]

You need Scott Westerfeld, especially the Uglies (http://www.scottwesterfeld.com/books/uglies.htm) series.

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (http://www.lemonysnicket.com/books.cfm). SO GOOD.

Diane Duane's Young Wizards (http://www.youngwizards.com/node) series, seriously.

Diana Wynne Jones: the Chrestomanci Chronicles (http://www.leemac.freeserve.co.uk/chresto2.htm) are an excellent place to start.

Robin McKinley (http://www.robinmckinley.com/books/) is pretty awesome for the older set. Sunshine, in particular, is sort of the anti-Twilight. ^___^

A lot of people like Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart (http://www.philip-pullman.com/pages/content/index.asp?PageID=28) quartet.

Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower (http://www.amazon.com/Perks-Being-Wallflower-Stephen-Chbosky/dp/0671027344) is wonderful.

I have not read, but have heard very good things, about Speak (http://www.bookrags.com/essay-2005/4/9/171755/6410) by Laurie Halse Anderson.

If you're open to graphic novels, you should seriously consider the Girl Genius (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php) printed collections! Brilliant, funny gaslamp fantasy (according to them; I'd call it steampunk) that not only features a wonderful heroine, but also easily passes the Bechdel test.

For more mainstream comics, Marvel's Runaways (http://www.amazon.com/Runaways-Vol-1-Pride-Joy/dp/0785113797/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_k2a_1_txt?pf_rd_p=304485601&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-2&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0785128530&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0ZMG1A2GKK7K8FKZH7VW) isn't bad. Similarly, Spiderman Loves Mary Jane (http://www.amazon.com/Spider-Man-Loves-Mary-Jane-Vol/dp/078511954X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231521817&sr=1-1). High school and so cute.

Good luck!

[blissfish.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much for the recommendations! I love The Perks of Being a Wallflower but had forgotten about it.

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

Young Wizards is seriously excellent.