Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Elementary School Books with strong female characters for 7 year old

YES-- the Flavia books. Like Edward Gorey put into text form.

My DD is a huge fan of Flavia.

Thanks everyone, I am going to print out this list and take it to the library with us. My DD was devastated that the library was closed yesterday and is today as well. Many of these sound like wonderful options. I know I can always count on BTDT advice and suggestions from this board. There is nowhere else in our circle where I can share so much about my child and find that her interests and needs appear normal.

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede are great also

My kids also liked Patricia Wrede. And Tamora Pierce has some strong female characters, too, and given your daughter's tastes they might appeal to her.

Is she old enough for "From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" yet? Maybe a year away...

Matilda and The BFG by Roald Dahl

The Little House books

Understood Betsy

I'll try to think of more.

We did From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler for the first time when DD was 6. She loved it and has returned to it a few times over the past couple of years. Good choice!

Oh, yes... Understood Betsy is a good one!

Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl is also a good one.

In a year or two some of the Pern books by Anne McCaffrey have strong female characters. And when my daughter was in third grade she read "The Beekeeper's Apprentice" by Laurie R. King, so in another year or two you might introduce that one.

My daughter turned 7 on Sunday. She is on the same reading level as your daughter I think. Don't know if your school does AR, but she reads in a grade five to six, and completed first grade with 200 AR points. It left me wondering after first grade ended "where does she go now?" I really didn't want her finishing up all the best books before she even entered second grade.

Anyhow, this series has not been suggested and I think she might like it based in what you mentioned. Susan Wittig Albert has a series about Beatrice Potter that's very sweet, around grade 6 AR 13 points each. There are six of them I believe so far. I chose these for my daughter because she had read all Roald Dahl, all the Ramona books, the first three Potters, etc. my daughter likes a series book, and she doesn't like to be frightened.

There are some freebies on kindle that are really good, too. Around the same AR. "The princess and the goblin", "the princess and curdie", and mark twains granddaughter wrote a lovely book called "daddy long legs" that's also free on kindle.

Oh! And the Inkspell series. And wrinkle in time. And... And... I could go on and on like... Have you checked out this list? We have about half of these in ur library right now.
http://www.npr.org/2013/08/05/207315023/the-ultimate-backseat-bookshelf-100-must-reads-for-kids-9-14