100 Young Adult Books for the Feminist Reader

Whether you’re already knee-deep in young adult literature or looking to reacquaint yourself with an old favorite, the Bitch Media Community Lending Library has got you covered. We’ve put together a whopping 100 of our favorite young adult novels, featuring kick-ass teens and inspiring feminist themes. These stories will empower teenage and adult readers alike.

1. Estrella's Quinceañera by Malin Alegria
2. How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
3. Choir Boy by Charlie Anders
4. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
5. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
6. Alt Ed by Catherine Atkins
7. The Rhyming Season by Edward Averett
8. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
9. Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale by Holly Black
10. Dangerous Angels by Francesca Lia Block
11. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
12. Forever by Judy Blume
13. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
14. Debbie Harry Sings in French by Meagan Brothers
15. All-American Girl by Meg Cabot
16. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
17. The Plain Janes by Cecil Castelluci and Jim Rugg
18. This is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn by Aidan Chambers
19. Dancing in Red Shoes Will Kill You by Dorian Cirrone
20. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
21. Magic Knight Rayearth by CLAMP
22. Celine by Brock Cole
23. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
24. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
25. The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman
26. Sex Education by Jenny Davis
27. Mare’s War by Tanita S. Davis
28. Dreamland by Sarah Dessen
29. For the Win by Cory Doctorow
30. Down to the Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole
31. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
32. El Lector by William Durbin
33. The Skin I’m In by Sharon Flake
34. Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
35. Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn
36. Crossing Stones by Helen Frost
37. Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
38. The Year They Burned the Books by Nancy Garden
39. Sticks and Stones by Beth Goobie
40. Nothing But the Truth (and a few white lies) by Justina Chen Headley
41. Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
42. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
43. It’s Not What You Expect by Norma Klein
44. Uncommon Faith by Trudy Krisher
45. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
46. Toning the Sweep by Angela Johnson
47. The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson
48. Another Kind of Cowboy by Susan Juby
49. White Sands, Red Menace by Ellen Klages
50. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’engle
51. Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier
52. Voices by Ursula K. Le Guin
53. Ella Echanted by Gail Carson Levine
54. Gravity by Leanne Lieberman
55. Ash by Malinda Lo
56. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
57. Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden
58. Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty
59. Sold by Patricia McCormick
60. The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers
61. Thunder Over Kandahar by Sharon E. McKay
62. The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
63. The Secret Under My Skin by Janet McNaughton
64. Night Flying by Rita Murphy
65. Revenge by Taslima Nasrin
66. A Step from Heaven by An Na
67. Skip Beat! By Yosiki Nakamura
68. Simply Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
69. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
70. Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu
71. Rampant by Diana Peterfreund
72. Keeping You a Secret by Julie Anne Peters
73. Luna by Julie Anne Peters
74. Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
75. Trickster’s Choice by Tamora Pierce
76. What Happened to Lani Garver by Carol Plum-Ucci
77. Imani All Mine by Connie Rose Porter
78. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
79. The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman
80. Beneath My Mother's Feet by Amjed Qamar
81. The Sweet In-Between by Sheri Reynolds
82. Flygirl by Sherri Smith
83. Lucy the Giant by Sherri Smith
84. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
85. Big Fat Manifesto by Susan Vaught
86. Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman
87. Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian
88. Izzy, Willy-Nilly by Cynthia Voigt
89. Cress Delahanty by Jessamyn West
90. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
91. When Kambia Elaine Flew in from Neptune by Lori Aurelia Williams
92. Blue Tights by Rita Williams-Garcia
93. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
94. Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger
95. Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff
96. The House You Pass on the Way by Jaqueline Woodson
97. Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
98. When the Black Girl Sings by Bil Wright
99. Sweethearts by Sara Zarr
100. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Bitch Staff & Volunteers Rave About Their Favorite YA Reads

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
I know so many feminists who went through spy phases as kids, and we were all emulating Harriet. Harriet wants to be a writer, so she spies on her neighbors and writes all of her observations in her notebooks. She's a tomboy and a bit of an outcast, a little mean but absolutely lovable. I read Harriet the Spy 17 times in 3rd grade, and I still think about Harriet when I write. – Lindsay Baltus

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
The political, religious, class, and racial tensions in this story are accessible to readers of all ages, and ring scary-true today. Pullman expects a lot of his audience, which is the best formula for makingconfident, lifelong readers. Lyra, the main character in the trilogy, is clever, witty, rebellious, and she more than holds her own with much older, scarier characters. Not one page of His Dark Materials is flippant or derogatory; there’s far too much world-saving to be done for any of that nonsense! –Katie Presley

Mare’s War by Tanita S. Davis
Tali and Octavia’s parents force them to accompany their grandma on a summer road trip. The girls are annoyed, but they make a deal with their grandma not to wear any headphones as long as she doesn’t smoke. The headphones thing works out in everyone’s favor, as it gives the girls an opportunity to listen to their grandma tell stories from her childhood of domestic service and from her time in the African-American regiment of the Women's Army Corps. The girls undergo a powerful transformation while road-tripping as they begin to see their grandma as a person and come to understand the outstanding experiences that shaped her life. –Ashley McAllister

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
Karana lives alone on an island for eighteen years after jumping from a rescue ship. She learns to make her clothes, forage for her food, and look out for herself. As an 8-year-old, this book made me feel like I could do anything. When I learned years later that many people consider girls to be fragile and incapable, I knew better because of this book. – Emily McNulty Scripter

The Sweet In-Between by Sheri Reynolds
Kenny, a 17-year-old living in Virginia, is haunted by gendered bathrooms, not belonging, and the girl from out of town who was accidentally killed next door. I have never been so employed by a young adult character’s attempts to grapple with gender and sexual identity. Reynolds has crafted a complicated and lyrical coming-of-age story that you won’t soon forget. –AM

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
Set in the 19th century, 13-year old Charlotte Doyle finds herself the only passenger on a ship headed to Rhode Island. Mayhem ensues, and she rises to every challenge, journaling all the way. This book is full of excitement, provides an excellent story of a girl coming of age and standing up for herself, and makes a great read for seafaring feminists of all ages. –Kelsey Wallace