I'm in search of a book or book series for my partner's niece who is 17 or 18. She's a ballerina, about to start college, has been homeschooled, and her mom's a pastor.
I was thinking of something kind of like Tamora Pierce's Tortall books which I loooved when I was growing up. Just a little wary of my partner's pastor sister who might not appreciate all the magicky and pantheon stuff?
by goji_juice
9 Comments
Not quite what you are asking. But might I suggest **Cycle Savvy** by Toni Weschler. The period book we should have all gotten, in this book, Toni Weschler teaches the reader to chart her cycle according to the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM). I read it in my 40s to learn to chart my cycle for health reasons. What I didn’t expect was how much self-awareness I got from the process. I truly believe that if I had started as a teen, my life would have been different.
If you decide to get this book for your neice please advise her not to not use any apps for this. They already collect, track and sell data. With the current political climate, it’s only a matter of time before this data will be used to control women. If she want to chart, she can download excel templates from Toni Weschler’s website and make printouts.
Although the title leaves a lot to be desired, I *highly* recommend Megan Fairchild’s book, The Ballerina Mindset (it’s nonfiction). She’s the principal dancer at the New York City Ballet, but she is very clearheaded about her work, what it took to get there, and what it was like at the pinnacle of her career.
Educated by Tara Westover is an autobiography about the writer’s life as a homeschooled kid going onto college and eventually to study at Oxbridge in the U.K., it might be inspiring or relatable for her!
I’m interpreting “girlboss” to mean centering a young female character who has some sense of confidence and self assurance and so – as a fellow pastor’s kid – I’d recommend the Weetzie Bat books. Super cool, beautiful writing, some fantastical/fairy-tale like elements, and ultimately about love and community and family.
ETA – the author is Francesca Lia Block
Graceling is an awesome teenfic with a girl boss protag. For something a bit more mature try, Mistborn (or the final empire as it is sometimes labeled).
Sadie Robertson “Live Fearless”
Loved this book as a young adult!
Christina DiMarie “Ocean Star: Memoir”
Also this one is awesome! Similar vibes to” The Glass Castle” but more Christian
Non-fic but Taking Flight by Michaela DePrince. Your niece is probably familiar with her, though sadly Michaela died about a year ago. She was a ballerina who was very inspiring to many people. She faced a lot in her short life and was a beautiful dancer. Total girlboss.
For fiction, if you’re worried about fantasy elements being objectionable to your SIL, there are some great classics with total girl bosses in them. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a beautiful book about girls and women and follows the main heroine from age 10ish to about to start college. Her mother and aunts are also fabulous characters. The book is a celebration of women, and very validating that there are any number of ways to be a strong woman. It’s beautifully written and I bet would speak to your niece on some level.
You could also do something like Anne of Green Gables (the whole Anne series) or Emily of New Moon or even some Jane Austen who also wrote some badass girls.
There’s a lot of great heroines in YA but if SIL might object to Tamora Pierce, I think she’s definitely going to object to books that have any kind of sexuality in them which is common with a lot of the modern non-fantasy female-lead books since that is often an issue girls of that age are navigating.
They’re a bit dorky (for me, a grown adult), but I love the American Royals series. Basically an alternate version of the US with a modern monarchy. The eldest daughter is first in line for the American throne.
If her mom is a pastor, she’s almost certainly progressive (very few conservative denominations ordain women) and unlikely to object to fantasy.