Exploring Top Books of Shelfari

"Liz Kessler makes a splash with this tightly written, highly imaginative debut." — FAMILYFUN For as long as she can remember, twelve-year-old Emily Windsnap has lived on a boat. And, oddly enough, for just as long, her mother has seemed anxious to keep her away from the water. But when Mom finally agrees to let her take swimming lessons, Emily makes a startling discovery - about her own identity, the mysterious... (more)

Fairest

by Gail Carson Levine

In the kingdom of Ayortha, who is the fairest of them all? Certainly not Aza. She is thoroughly convinced that she is ugly. What she may lack in looks, though, she makes up for with a kind heart, and with something no one else has–a magical voice. Her vocal talents captivate all who hear them, and in Ontio Castle they attract the attention of a handsome prince – and a dangerous new queen. In this masterful novel... (more)

Just Ella (Aladdin Fantasy)

by Margaret Peterson Haddix

It's a familiar story: In spite of the obstacles put in her way by her wicked stepmother, Ella goes to the ball, sweeps Prince Charming off his feet, and is chosen to be his bride. Now she's comfortably ensconced in the palace, awaiting marriage to the man of her dreams. It's happily ever after time, right? Wrong! Life for Ella has become an endless round of lessons and restrictions; even worse, Prince Charming... (more)

Ever

by Gail Carson Levine

Falling in love is never easy, but falling in love with an immortal god while your days on earth are numbered is almost more than a young girl can bear. Newbery Honor author Gail Carson Levine has created a stunning new world of flawed gods, unbreakable vows, and ancient omens in this spellbinding story of Kezi, a girl confronted with a terrible destiny. Attempting to thwart her fate, Kezi and her love, Olus... (more)

Daughter of the Lioness: Book 1

Trickster's Choice

by Tamora Pierce

Tamora Pierce brings readers another Tortall adventure! Alianne is the teenage daughter of the famed Alanna, the first lady knight in Tortall. Young Aly follows in the quieter footsteps of her father, however, delighting in the art of spying. When she is captured and sold as a slave to an exiled royal family in the faraway Copper Islands, it is this skill that makes a difference in a world filled with political... (more)

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You

Gallagher Girls: Book 1

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You

by Ally Carter

Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school-that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses but it's really a school for spies. Even... (more)

Runaway

by Wendelin Van Draanen

"It's a cold, hard, cruel fact that my mother loved heroin more than she loved me." Holly is in her fifth foster home in two years and she's had enough. She's run away before and always been caught quickly. But she's older and wiser now--she's twelve--and this time she gets away clean. Through tough and tender and angry and funny journal entries, Holly spills out her story. We travel with her across the... (more)

Aurelia

by Anne Osterlund

An impressive debut, equal parts commercial appeal and literary prowess. Princess Aurelia is next in line to rule the kingdom of Tyralt, but she would rather be one of the common folk, free to learn and roam and . . . not marry the next tyrannical prince that comes courting. Naturally, the king wants Aurelia to marry for political power. Aurelia wants to marry for love. And someone in the kingdom wants her . . .... (more)

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

by Beth Fantaskey

Enter a bizarre new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu who claims Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth and he's her long-lost fiance. He's arrogant, officious, embarrassingly overprotective, and well, incredibly hot. Armed with a copy of "Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire's Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions," Jessica tries to imagine the transition from an average American teenager... (more)

Emily Windsnap and the Monster from the Deep (Emily Windsnap)

Emily Windsnap and the Monster from the Deep (Emily Windsnap)

by Liz Kessler

"High-action adventure, a plucky protagonist, and whimsical illustrations enliven this sea fantasy, which will be most thoroughly appreciated by series followers." — BOOKLIST Picture an island set in a glittering blue sea, sparkling with white sand and palm trees, a secret place where humans and merfolk live together. To Emily Windsnap — half mermaid, half human — her new home is perfect. That is, until Emily... (more)

Dragon Keeper

by Carole Wilkinson

In ancient China during the Han Dynasty, a young slave girl toils away for a lazy and cruel master. Unloved and orphaned, the girl does not even know her name until in a remarkable moment of courage, she helps save an ageing dragon and her life is changed forever. Now, she must travel across China protecting a mysterious stone that is vital to the dragon. As they journey over mountains and face an evil dragon... (more)

Dragon Slippers

by Jessica Day George

Many stories tell of damsels in distress, who are rescued from the clutches of fire-breathing dragons by knights in shining armor, and swept off to live happily ever after. Unfortunately, this is not one of those stories. True, when Creel’s aunt suggests sacrificing her to the local dragon, it is with the hope that the knight will marry Creel and that everyone (aunt and family included) will benefit... (more)

Wildwood Dancing

by Juliet Marillier

High in the Transylvanian woods, at the castle Piscul Draculi, live five daughters and their doting father. It's an idyllic life for Jena, the second eldest, who spends her time exploring the mysterious forest with her constant companion, a most unusual frog. But best by far is the castle's hidden portal, known only to the sisters. Every Full Moon, they alone can pass through it into the enchanted world of the... (more)

Homeless Bird

by Gloria Whelan

Forced to leave her family at thirteen and marry someone she has never met ... Koly's parents have arranged a marriage for their only daughter and now, like many girls her age in India, she will leave home forever. She yearns to flee, but tradition dictates that it's too late to turn back. On her wedding day, Koly's fate is sealed. Caught up in a current of tradition that threatens to sweep her toward a... (more)

Rose Daughter

by Robin McKinley

Twenty years ago, Robin McKinley dazzled readers with the power of her novel Beauty. Now this extraordinarily gifted novelist returns to the story of Beauty and the Beast with a fresh perspective, ingenuity, and mature insight. With Rose Daughter, she presents her finest and most deeply felt work--a compelling, richly imagined, and haunting exploration of the transformative power of love.

Internet Girls: Book 1

ttyl (Talk to You Later)

by Lauren Myracle

The runaway bestseller now in paperback! An epistolary novel for the 21st century, this sharp, funny, and true-to-life breakout hit about friendship is told entirely in instant messages. And Internet-savvy teens have fallen in love with flirty Angela (SnowAngel), moody Maddie (mad maddie), and good girl Zoe (zoegirl) and their frank perceptions about a tumultuous tenth-grade semester. Now perfectly priced for... (more)

Someone Named Eva

by Joan M. Wolf

On the night Nazi soldiers come to her home in Czechoslovakia, Milada’s grandmother says, “Remember, Milada. Remember who you are. Always.” Milada promises, but she doesn’t understand her grandmother’s words. After all, she is Milada, who lives with her mama and papa, her brother and sister, and her beloved Babichka. Milada, eleven years old, the fastest runner in school. How could she ever forget? Then the Nazis... (more)

Uprising

by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Around her the workers were screaming out prayers and curses.... She herself was sobbing tearlessly.... Her only prayer was still, "I don't want to die." Oh, please, God, don't let me die, she thought. I've never even had a chance to live. Bella, newly arrived in New York from Italy, gets a job at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. There, along with hundreds of other immigrants, she works long hours at a grueling... (more)

Ten Things I Hate About Me

by Randa Abdel-Fattah

"At school I'm Aussie-blonde Jamie -- one of the crowd. At home I'm Muslim Jamilah -- driven mad by my Stone Age dad. I should win an Oscar for my acting skills. But I can't keep it up for much longer..." Jamie just wants to fit in. She doesn't want to be seen as a stereotypical Muslim girl, so she does everything possible to hide that part of herself. Even if it means pushing her friends away because she's... (more)

Ingo

by Helen Dunmore

I wish I was away in Ingo Far across the briny sea, Sailing over deepest waters Where love nor care never trouble me. . . . By the Cornwall coast where Sapphire lives with her family, it's easy to hear the call of the sea. Too easy. When the sea called to Sapphy's father, he vanished from her life. When the sea called to her brother, he started disappearing for hours on end. And now the sea is calling to... (more)

Shelfari Book Activity

Tags: strong girls

by Liz Kessler

by Gail Carson Levine

by Margaret Peterson Haddix

by Gail Carson Levine

by Tamora Pierce

by Ally Carter

by Wendelin Van Draanen

by Anne Osterlund

by Beth Fantaskey

by Liz Kessler

by Carole Wilkinson

by Jessica Day George

by Juliet Marillier

by Gloria Whelan

by Robin McKinley

by Lauren Myracle

by Joan M. Wolf

by Margaret Peterson Haddix

by Randa Abdel-Fattah

by Helen Dunmore