A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
This book is a historical novel about a 16 year old girl growing up in the early 1900s. She works at a hotel to help pay for college where she hopes to study writing. However, social conventions and her love for her family make her hesitate to pursue that dream. This story is not your typically romantic view of the early 1900s and it shows some of the more gruesome aspects of early 20th century living, including repression, racism and cruelty.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
This story centers around four girls who grew up together. In the story, they are 15 years old and facing their first summer apart. They send the pants to each other to encourage and remind the other girls of their strong friendship, even while apart. Subsequent Sisterhood books expand the relationship and shed some light on the difficult process of growing up.
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
This story gives a modern twist to the classic fairy tale of Cinderella. It explores the difficulties of marrying someone at sixteen whom you hardly know at all. This is a fun a quirky story that fans of princess tales will love. Levine has also written several other stories based on other classic fairy tales that are also enjoyable.
The Princess Diaries Series by Meg Cabot
This series follows the high school career of Mia Thermopolis as she discovers that not only is she one of the most awkward girls in her school, but she also is a princess. If a girl has only seen the movie, she will be pleasantly surprised at the depth and realism present in the books that was deleted from the movie. The book series is no fairytale. Other books by Meg Cabot are also enjoyable and fun.
Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
If your middle schooler or junior high student neglected to read Harry Potter, it is also an entertaining read as a high school student. The fantasy may not appeal to all girls, but the writing is good enough to keep most older readers entertained.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin
This is the classic story of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. They start out hating one another, but then the feelings change to love. The story can drag, but it is a classic that many teen girls (and fully grown women) fall in love with. My favorite part is how she mocks the entire system of her then-modern society throughout the book.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
This story follows another classic romance of Katherine and Heathcliff. The tale is heartbreaking and somewhat tragic, and is also an interesting social picture into the minds of people that lived in the early 1800s. I love how downright creepy the story is in parts. Wuthering Heights is a classic Gothic novel for a reason.
This story is my favorite classic novel. Jane is a governess for Mr. Rochester’s French daughter. Jane is headstrong, independent and funny. She does not put up with misbehavior and does not allow men to control her life. Considering the time the story was written, it was somewhat revolutionary. I love how she sticks to what she believes in no matter what.
There aren’t that many books marketed to teen girls that don’t have romance as a heavy part of the book. Can you think of any?Â