Girl Adventurers

Here is a selection of adventure and historical fiction novels that I enjoyed reading. They all have young female protagonists who come of age while undergoing an adventure of one kind or another. I hope your interest is piqued by these book talks and you enjoy reading one or all of them yourself.

As a note to/for younger teen and preteen readers; Julie of the wolves has a passage relating the sexual advances of the boy that Julie was married to and Copper sun has many passages which graphically relates the hardships of slaves and the unwanted sexual advances by masters and their sons.

McCaughrean, Geraldine. The white darkness. 2006. Michael L. Printz Award 2008.

What does Symone, a shy, 14-year-old fatherless girl want more than anything - to visit the Antarctic. She inherited her passion for the Antarctic from her father and now it has been fostered by the two most important men in her life, her father's oldest friend Uncle Victor and Captain Lawrence "Titus" Oates, who was an explorer who accompanied Robert Scott on his doomed expedition to the South Pole in 1912. Her wish to see the Antarctic is granted when her Uncle Victor takes her there on an excursion with other tourists. At first Symone is in awe of her surroundings and her Uncle Victor. Unfortunately, Symone's Uncle Victor is dangerously obsessed with seeking Symme's Hole, an opening that supposedly leads to the center of a hollow Earth and its inhabitants. This obsession puts Symone and others in peril. But, through the whole ordeal, Symone's imaginary "Titus" is there to help her survive her adventures in the Antarctic and ultimately recognise the deceptions and betrayals that have surrounded her. The white darkness is a story of love, obsession, survival and greed all within the backdrop of the killing white ice of the Antarctic. It is an adventure to remember.


George, Jean Craighead. Julie of the wolves. 1972. Newbery Medal 1973.

Miyax lives in an Eskimo village where she is a 13-year old orphaned child bride. There is nothing she can do about being an orphan but a child bride; she can do something about that. Since she can’t stop the marriage, she can leave. Miyax decides to run away to San Francisco where she has a penpal who knows her as Julie and is always asking “When are you coming to San Francisco?” Julie decides to walk from Point Barrow to Point Hope and then work her way to her friend. Along the way, Julie becomes lost in the cold, frozen land of the tundra. She has no food or shelter but she does have her Eskimo heritage, her father’s teachings and her own instincts that guide her through the coming months especially when she comes upon a wolf pack. It is with their help that she survives and becomes accepted into the pack. Her time with the wolves is, at times, loving but at other times she learns first hand the hardships animals face everyday. Before her adventure end, Miyax/Julie has to come to terms with her heritage and who she is – Julie of the wolves or Miyax.


O'Dell, Scott. Island of the Blue Dolphins. 1960. Newbery Medal 1961.

What would you do if your entire village were leaving the only home you had ever known for a new land. What if, as the ship were leaving your island, you realized that your little brother was wandering alone on the beach with no food, water or shelter and no one to take care of him? Would you jump off the ship to be with him until the ship returned? What if the ship didn’t return; what if you had to find your own food, water, shelter? Karana answered these questions without thinking when she jumped off the ship to be with her little brother. Karana survives on her island, tames the leader of a pack of feral dogs, builds a home and explores her island. She does not leave the island when she first has the opportunity, find out why and how she eventually leaves her beloved island when you read Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell.


Draper, Sharon. Copper sun. 2006. Coretta Scott King Literature Award 2007.

Amari lives a wonderful life in her African village until the day slavers arrive, kill her family and shackle her and other villagers together and they are led to the coast and put on a slave ship bound for the Carolinas. She is bought as a birthday gift for Percival Derby’s son’s 16th birthday. Thus begins Amari’s life as a slave. She makes friends, including Polly, an indentured servant, Teenie, the slave cook and Tidbit, her son. But her days are filled with work and her nights are at the whim of a 16-year old boy who is as cruel as his father. Amari’s life is graphical portrayed; including the struggles she faces trying to live with the whims of a master who treats slaves as though they have no feelings. Tragic events occur that cause Amari and others to flee. Their journey to freedom is as unlikely as any you might encounter not only in their struggle to get there but also in their chosen destination.


Farmer, Nancy. A girl named Disaster. 1996. Newbery Honor Book 1997.

Nhamo (which means “disaster” in Shona) is a young girl living in a small village in Mozambique. Her mother has died and her father has long ago left for Zimbabwe because he killed a man. Now Nhamo has to marry the brother of the man her father killed so that her village can be rid of a cholera epidemic. What was she to do? Her grandmother tells her to run away and find her father in Zimbabwe, so she does. Her journey, by canoe, is one of isolation, loneliness and adventures including living with baboons, becoming lost and exploring islands. But her cultural heritage and her dreams provide guidance and her perserverence enables her to continue when misfortune strikes. Nhamo ends her journey a year after she starts it and ends up in a place she never expected. Read Nancy Farmer’s adventure tale to experience Nhamo’s incredible journey.


Cushman, Karen. Catherine, called Birdy. 1994. Newbery Honor Book 1995.

Life as a “lady” in 13th century England leaves a lot to be desired for Catherine, called Birdy. Her life consists of spinning, embroidery and avoiding marriage. Her father is determined to find a wealthy suitor for Birdy, and his character and age have no bearing on his suitability as a husband for Birdy. Birdy, therefore, is determined to drive off each potential suitor. We learn about Birdy, her family and her way of life through journal entries she makes for her brother Edward. He is studying to be a monk and thinks that writing in a journal for this important 14th year of her life will be good for her. She starts her journal with this entry: “I am commanded to write an account of my days: I am bit by fleas and plagued by family. That is all there is to say.” Thankfully Birdy has much more to say about her life and her desires for adventure not typical for girls of the period including her antics revolving around her father’s unending quest to marry her off.


Avi. True confessions of Charlotte Doyle. 1990. Newbery Honor Book 1991.

Charlotte Doyle is an upper-class, young lady who is forced to travel by ship unchaperoned from England to Rhode Island in 1832. Not only is she alone but she is the only passenger and the only female on the ship. She is sheltered and believes strongly in proper and respectful behavior especially towards her elders and persons of like social standing. She is, therefore, relieved to find the captain of the ship, Captain Jaggery, a gentleman. She agrees with the captain that he must maintain order on the ship by whatever means. Thus, she becomes an unwitting spy for the captain which sets off a chain of events that culminates with Charlotte joining the crew as a sailor. Charlotte the upper-class, young lady and Charlotte the sailor cannot coexist. When the ship lands in Rhode Island the lives of the entire crew have changed. Can Charlotte go back to her old life and her family and how will her life change in light of her new and unconventional experiences?