Young Adult Fantasy Heroines Worth Reading About: From Ella Enchanted to Coraline

Here is a list of young adult fantasy books and series with powerful heroines. Though not necessarily feminist books, these works still show that children's fantasy isn't just a boy's game. All of them are worth the read and great choices for both young girls, young boys, and the young at heart.

Ella from Gail Carson Levine's Ella Enchanted

What the book is about: Published in 1997 and the inspiration for the 2004 movie with Anne Hathaway, this Newbery Honor book is the story of Ella, a girl who was unfortunate enough to be given the "gift" of obedience by a flighty fairy godmother. In turn, Ella is stuck doing whatever she is told, which gets her into trouble when her spiteful finishing school peers take advantage of her. Full of ogres and giants, fairies and elves, rich mean-girls and a charming prince, Ella Enchanted is a fairy tale story about breaking always from the "gifts" one is born with and making decisions.

Why she's a heroine: I can't give away the ending, but if you reach it, you'll know why Ella is indeed a heroine. Ella doesn't quite slay dragons or play the tomboy, but having to do as she's told has left her rebellious and anything but submissive. She understands the value of having a mind of one's own and that is what sets her apart from the fairy-tale princesses of stories past.

Aerin from Robin McKinnley's The Hero and the Crown

What the book is about: This Newbery Medal winner was written in 1984, and is the first part of the story of Aerin, daughter of King Damar. The second book is called The Blue Sword. In The Hero and the Crown, Aerin comes from a world where the royal bloodline's most significant trait is the Gift, a mystical power; however, Aerin has shown no signs of this power, and her legitimacy as the king's daughter is questioned. When she finds a book of dragons and a recipe for an ointment that would allow her to withstand a dragon's fire, she goes on a quest to perfect its formula and becomes a slayer of dragons, and eventually, the warrior who must save the legendary Hero's Crown.

Why she's a heroine: Aerin is a clumsy girl subject of ridicule and disliked for sharing her foreign mother's physical attributes. She stands in the face of prejudice and is persistent, spending many years to reach her goal with the ointment. Aerin establishes herself as a leader and a dragon slayer, and her hard work, loyalty, and dedication make her into a hero of legend.

Kaye Fierch from Holly Black's Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale

What the book is about: Tithe was published in 2002, and its has a sequel called Ironside; also privy to the same fantasy universe is Black's book Valiant. In this urban fantasy for teenagers, Holly Black creates a world of underground magic and beasts. Kaye finds herself in a dangerous situation when she begins to investigate the world of the Faery court. Fantasy politics, a dangerous battle between species, and a touch of romance make Tithe a dark fantasy story that's both modern and original.

Why she's a heroine: Kaye isn't sweet as pie and her mouth could use a little soap at times. She's rough around the edges and tough as nails, but her curiosity gives her the extra boost of complexity that her character needs. Kaye isn't a fairy-tale princess, but she is brave and determined. Kaye is a great heroine for those readers who want a darker, realistic punk girl in their fantasy stories.

Katsu from Kristen Cashore's Graceling

What the book is about: Full of romance and adventure, Graceling is the story of the warrior girl named Katsu, a rarity amongst her people known as a Graceling, which means that her skills are used in defense of the king. When she falls for the prince and finds herself with more information about her talent than she ever wished to know, she is cast a dangerous stone that could lead to the destruction of her kingdom.

Why she's a heroine: Katsu is a warrior and deadlier than the men of her kingdom. And, it seems, a feminist by nature. Katsu has controversial beliefs, one of which is that she doesn't want to marry, even though she has found love.

Hermione Granger from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Series

What the book is about: We all know the name Harry Potter due to the book series' massive popularity and the movies made in recent years. Harry Potter is the story of a boy who finds out that he's a wizard and attends wizarding school. Harry's enemy is the wizard who killed his parents and attempted to him as a baby. Throughout the series, Harry faces many battles, both in his personal life and in the world of good versus evil, but one constant in his live is his friendship with Ron and Hermione, two talented students who keep him out of trouble more often than not.

Why she's a heroine: Intelligent, brave, and loyal, Hermione is one character who's hard to beat. She's at the top of her class, punched the school bully, and was an asset to the savior of the wizarding world. Though she's not the title hero of the series, Hermione plays one of the most important parts in helping Harry save himself and defeat his enemies.

Princess Cimorene from Patricia Wrede's The Enchanted Forest Chronicles: Dealing with Dragons

What the book is about: A series of four books, The Enchanted Forest Chronicles are humorous, filled with adventure, and a slap in the face to any fairy-tale that's every painted a princess as a maiden in distress. In the first book, Princess Cimorene decides that a life of honing her sewing skills and marrying wealthy princes isn't for her, so she goes to work as a damsel for Kazul, a dragon living in The Enchanted Forest.

Why she's a heroine: Hilarious and headstrong, Cimorene doesn't want to be like the other princesses. She doesn't care for balls and pretty dresses. She's an independent soul who decides to separate from her wealthy family in search of an exciting profession. It just happens to be one involving a dragon.

Alanna, Daine, and Aly from Tamora Pierce's Tortall Universe

What these books are about: Pierce's Tortall universe spans across many books and a few generations, so it's no wonder that there are more than one decent heroine to be found in her works. In fact, there are more than three. However, the ones I've chosen to mention are Alanna from the quartet called The Song of the Lioness, a series about a young woman, Alanna, who decides to go against the norm and poses as a boy so that she can become a knight; Daine, from the series The Immortals, a group of books that follows an orphan (Daine) with "wild magic" that allows her to communicate with animals, and, eventually, immortals; and Aly, The Daughter of the Lioness, aka Alanna, from the Trickster books . In the Trickster series, Aly finds herself separated from her parents, sold as a slave, and put under the guiding and mischievous tutelage of the god of tricksters. These series do not need to be read in order to be enjoyed.

Why they are a heroines: All of them are independent, strong willed, and have practiced long and hard for their talents. For Alanna, she became a figurehead of female power in her kingdom as the first woman knight. Daine overcame her inability to properly connect with humans and took grasp of her ability to communicate with animals, making herself a strong asset to her country. Aly was raised strong by her knight mother and is perhaps the most resourceful and clever of the three young women, proving herself a spy and a central part of a foreign kingdom's slavery uprising.

Coraline from Neil Gaiman's Coraline

What the book is about: Gaiman's Coraline has received numerous awards since its release in 2002 and has inspired the 2009 3D stop-motion animation film of the same name. Original, imaginative, and at times very frightening, Coraline is a fantasy novella that's closer in nature to Alice in Wonderland than a classic fairy tale. A bored Coraline begins to explore the new house she's moved into and finds herself in a world of perfection, where animals talk and she has an Other Mother who pays her far more attention. She could stay in this world forever. . . The only drawback is that the Other Mother requests that Coraline sit still so that buttons can be sown in place of her eyes. This doesn't sit well with Coraline, and so begins a struggle between the young girl and the dangerous Other world that shares the house.

Why she's a heroine: Curious Coraline is intelligent and resourceful--she has to be to survive the world she's fallen into. And she doesn't give up, even when it seems that giving up might be a very easy and desirable option.

Sophie Hatter from Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle

What the book is about: First published in 1986, Howl's Moving Castle is an ageless story of a fantasy world of fantastic devices and intriguing characters. It was also the inspiration for the 2004 animated (and Academy Award nominated) film as well as two written sequels. After an unfortunate encounter in her family's hat shop, Sophie Hatter finds herself cursed by The Witch of the Waste to appear as an old woman. Unable to face her family and feeling a sense freedom from her fate as a hat maker, Sophie wanders out and becomes the cleaning lady for a wizard rumored to eat the hearts of young women, Wizard Howl.

Why she's a heroine: Sophie had devoted a good part of her young life to pleasing her family by working in the hat shop and allowing her younger sisters the freedom to pursue their lives. But when the Witch strikes, Sophie doesn't mope and lament her state for long, she takes advantage of it and goes out on a journey to break the curse for herself. Witty, intelligent, and patience with the self-aborbed Howl, Sophie proves to be a great heroine who balances her optimism with light sarcasm.

Sources:

Personal knowledge and a large personal library

http://faculty.salisbury.edu/~elbond/hero.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ella_Enchanted

http://www.blackholly.com/aboutholly.htm

http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/hmhbooks/graceling/

http://www.mousecircus.com/flash/coraline.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howl%27s_Moving_Castle