In Case Emma Watson’s Looking for Suggestions for Her Feminist Book Club

Emma Watson, aka Hermione Granger, aka magical bookworm, is starting her own feminist book club. She’s starting off with Gloria Steinem’s My Life on the Road, but it got me thinking about what books I’d include in a feminist book club.

For powerful and thoughtful YA novels about girls and family and their place in the world:

  • Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina
  • The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
  • Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero
  • Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed
  • Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
  • Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr

For YA novels about girls fighting back in many different ways:

  • The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
  • Rites of Passage by Joy N. Hensley
  • Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy
  • All the Rage by Courtney Summers
  • Far From You by Tess Sharpe
  • Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

YA feminism isn’t limited to the real world:

  • The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
  • The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
  • The Fire Wish by Amber Lough
  • Beware the Wild by Natalie C. Parker
  • Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
  • Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

And graphic novels are perfect for a feminist book club:

  • Bitch Planet, Vol 1: Extraordinary Machine by Kelly Sue DeConnick, Valentine De Landro, Taki Soma, Robert Wilson
  • This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki, Jillian Tamaki
  • Lumberjanes #1 by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Brooke A. Allen

And some of your favorite elementary/middle school reads are perfect for feminist book club:

  • A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
  • Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
  • Matilda by Roald Dahl
  • Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
  • Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
  • From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

This is obviously not a complete list, because there are so many awesome books featuring compelling female characters and dealing with feminism and what it means to be a woman.

Did I leave out a favorite? Shout out in the comments.

Book Club, Plus Robes

This is a surprisingly busy time for me, so instead of doing major thoughtful post about thoughtful things, here are pictures from my book club meeting last weekend. We read Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, ate tasty treats, and wore homemade kefta:

Tasty brunch

Tasty brunch

My kefta

My kefta

Other bookish costumes I’ve worn in the past include:

  • Ron Weasley
  • Hester Prynne
  • Claudia Kishi

I’ve been writing stories since I could tape paper together and call it a book, but I’ve been a fan of books for as long as I can remember. I love getting so excited about a book that I want to make a costume or stand in line for a midnight release or hand someone a copy and say they need to read it immediately so we can talk about it. Thanks to friends who share the same bookish enthusiasm!