In recent years, we have begun to see a real positive change in the way that women are represented in popular culture, with a slew of TV shows and movies providing new and relatable role models for young girls around the world.
This month, our five books to look out for all feature female leads, and actually, we didn’t have to look far to find them. These books stand alone as brilliant stories but also provide opportunities to share a message of empowerment and equality with your students.
Tes’ five to watch
By Chelsea Clinton
She Persisted Around the World shows the value of persistence in the face of adversity, courage in the face of challenge, and compassion in the face of indifference. Chelsea Clinton has collected 13 stories of incredible women from across the world that will reach both young girls and boys and show them both just how much women are able to achieve.
By Natasha Carthew
Only the Ocean is a story of survival and finding love in a post-apocalyptic world. The protagonist, 15-year-old Kel, is relentless and determined to make a life for herself and fix her heart defect. It’s a poignant story about searching for comfort wherever you can find it, all told through Carthew’s intense prose.
By Katherine Applegate
Katherine Applegate has had huge success in the past with her Animorphs series, so it is little surprise that the first book in her new series, Endling: The Last, is already a hit in the US. The war-torn kingdom of Nedarra is a well-crafted fantasy world that will draw young readers into its forests full of intelligent anthropomorphic animals under threat of extinction at the hands of humans.
By Astrid Lindgren
Ronja the Robber’s Daughter is a story of defiance and independence in an enchanting fantasy forest.
Whether or not you have already read this classic tale of youth and adventure by Astrid Lindgren, you will find new life in its pages in the fantastic illustrations taken from the Studio Ghibli TV series adaptation.
By Alex Bell
This is one for girls who enjoy unicorns, fairies and fluffy animals, but also want to be able to do whatever the boys do, too. Stella has become an explorer, despite the Polar Bear Explorers’ Club specifically banning girls from joining. This is the second book in the series by Alex Bell, and it is an easygoing read full of unique takes on classic tropes with some unexpected twists and turns along the way.
Every children’s book released this month
A T-wit for a T-woo by Charlie Farley
Doctor Who: The Secret in Vault 13 by David Solomons
Dragons: Dangerous Songs by Dreamworks
Dragons: Thor Bonecrusher by Dreamworks
Endling: Book One: The Last by Katherine Applegate
Explorers on Witch Mountain by Alex Bell
Frockodile by Jeanne Willis
Last Chance by Gregg Hurwitz
Lots of Frogs by Howard Calvert
Midwinter Tales from Moominvalley by Tov Jansson
Once Upon a Snowstorm by Richard Johnson
Ospira the Savage Sorceress by Adam Blade
Ronja the Robber’s Daughter by Astrid Lingren
The Rains by Gregg Hurwitz
This Cruel Design by Emily Suvada
Treasury of Bedtime Stories by Enid Blyton
Twelve Nights by Andrew Zurcher
War is Over by David Almond
When Santa Got Stuck up the Chimney by Nanette Regan
Doctor Who: Dr Thirteenth by Adam Hargreaves
A New Home in Space by Damian Harvey
Agent of P.A.W.S. by Tony Lee
Bitra and the Witch by Andy Elkerton
Dragon Dance by Sue Graves
Harry and the Dinosaurs Romp in the SwampIan by Ian Whybrow
Jack’s Junk by Elizabeth Dale
My Little Brother’s a Zombie by Tony Lee
Oolaf and the Golden Book by Andy Elkerton
The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit by Emma Thompson
Tom the Naughty Tooth Fairy by Elizabeth Dale
Cicada by Shaun Tan
Dog Diaries: happy howlidays! by James Patterson
The Ultimate Book Hugger’s Guide by Chris Colfer
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