As we reach the end of March and Women’s History Month, I wanted to recap some of our posts from this month and share them with you all. We have all had a great time celebrating women (fictional and non-fictional), and thinking about some of our favorites. Earlier this month, Deimosa hosted a “Live from Our Library” on the Scholastic Parents page and shared some recommendations for books that celebrate Women’s History Month. She included one of my absolute favorites, Players in Pigtails by Shana Corey, a children’s picture book about the All American Girls Professional Baseball League. Deimosa also wrote a post recommending some great “Girls” Books for Boys – books featuring female characters that can appeal to anyone and crack the defenses of a picky reader. Emily wrote about some of her favorite characters all month long which included The Ladies of Harry Potter, Esperanza Ortega, and Ms. Fizzle from the Magic School Bus. Gina dedicated her weekly “Throwback Thursday” post to female winners of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards that went on to become famous names. And Mike shared his story about the books he had as child that helped him become a feminist – a great read!
I wanted to use the last #WCW of Women’s History Month as an opportunity to share some of our all-time favorite female literary characters on OOM.
For me, one of my favorites would definitely have to be Violet Baudelaire from A Series of Unfortunate Events. She is smart, caring, brave, selfless, innovative, and a natural leader. She takes on the role of care-taker after the loss of both her parents and makes sure to always keep her younger brother and sister safe, despite the challenges they always seem to face. A little female MacGyver, Violet was always an inspiration and serves as a reminder to always do the best with what you have at hand.
“Hands down… Anna Madrigal from the Tales of the City series. Anna Madrigal’s character was (and still is revolutionary) in literature. She is caring, a spitfire and, most importantly, one of the most developed characters I have read in ages. She is the matriarch of Barbary Lane and I wished she was my landlady!” – Michael B.
“I am going to have to say Daenerys Targaryen for this one! From George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, Daenerys is the epitome of a powerful female character! She not only has three pet dragons, but she is also empathetic, creative, and fearless in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges.” – Brittany S.
“I talk about this book all the time, but one of my all-time favorite literary characters was the titular character in the YA book Celine by Brock Cole. Celine is funny, weird, smart but awkward, an artist and a free thinker. When I was in high school, that was everything I wanted to be, but what I really loved about Celine was how comfortable she was being herself. She transcended high school drama in an appealing, surprisingly realistic and seemingly achievable way. When I was fifteen, that kind of artsy aloofness was totally aspirational for me. Celine lives in her own dreamy world.” – Julia G.
“Amelia Bedelia’s stories always made me feel better about my natural clumsiness or naiveness, especially as a child. Even though she did things “wrong,” her train of thought was genuine and most of the time her method of doing chores was more fun!” – Loribelle L.
“I’ve been sharing my favorite female characters all month long— but no list of smart, strong, brave fictional ladies would be complete without the BSC! And yes, I’m choosing all of them. Whether you’re a boss lady like Kristy, a fashionista like Claudia, a bookworm like Mary Anne, or a mathlete like Stacey, there’s something to love — and be inspired by — within all of the girls from Stoneybrook.” – Emily M.
"Sierra Santiago (Shadowshaper, by Daniel Jose Older) – I love Sierra because she is pushes back against both the gentrification in her Brooklyn neighborhood and the male chauvinism in her family unit, plus she code-switches constantly as she navigates the story; being able to adapt to whatever is thrown at her is one of Sierra’s strengths/superpowers, and I can identify with that wholeheartedly. – Deimosa W.
Who would you say are some of your favorite female characters?
