45 of the Best Feminist YA Books According to You
This Riot Recommendation for the Best Feminist YA Books is sponsored by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers, bringing you The Forest Queen by Betsy Cornwall.
From a New York Times bestselling author, Betsy Cornwell, a fresh, female-centered take on “Robin Hood” in which a young noblewoman, like the legendary hero, becomes an outlaw fighting for social justice. Perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer and Sarah J. Maas, this smart, gorgeously written take on the Robin Hood lore goes beyond the original’s focus to explore love, gender roles, the healing power of nature, and what it means to be family.
The essence of feminism is equality for all. You don’t have to be a butt-kicking hero to embody that principle. And applying lipstick before going out doesn’t negate that ideal. Feminism is as varied as the many people challenging harmful norms, whether those people are loudly dismantling institutionalized injustice or quietly engaging the friend whose humor too often punches down. So we asked you to visit the comment section and share your picks for the best feminist YA books. The ones you’d put in front of a budding feminist. Or the ones you’d pick up yourself, for a reassuring jolt of validation! Because YA—like feminism—is for all. Literally! Because we’re sharing just some of the recommendations your fellow Riot readers put forth. Check them out and let us know what you thought! A Study in Honor by Claire O’Dell Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson Ask Me How I Got Here by Christine Heppermann When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore All the Rage by Courtney Summers What Girls Are Made Of by Elana Arnold Look Both Ways by Alison Cherry The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson The Power by Naomi Alderman The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi Run by Kody Keplinger Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova We Are Okay by Nina LaCour Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older American Street by Ibi Zoboi Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero The Belles by Dhoneille Clayton Spinning by Tillie Walden On the Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis Ash by Malinda Lo The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman This One Summer by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo Dread Nation by Justina Ireland Beauty Queens by Libba Bray Two Girls Staring at the Ceiling by Lucy Frank How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon Written in the Stars by Aisha Said Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli Conviction by Kelly Loy Gilbert About a Girl by Sarah McCarry The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman
From a New York Times bestselling author, Betsy Cornwell, a fresh, female-centered take on “Robin Hood” in which a young noblewoman, like the legendary hero, becomes an outlaw fighting for social justice. Perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer and Sarah J. Maas, this smart, gorgeously written take on the Robin Hood lore goes beyond the original’s focus to explore love, gender roles, the healing power of nature, and what it means to be family.
The essence of feminism is equality for all. You don’t have to be a butt-kicking hero to embody that principle. And applying lipstick before going out doesn’t negate that ideal. Feminism is as varied as the many people challenging harmful norms, whether those people are loudly dismantling institutionalized injustice or quietly engaging the friend whose humor too often punches down. So we asked you to visit the comment section and share your picks for the best feminist YA books. The ones you’d put in front of a budding feminist. Or the ones you’d pick up yourself, for a reassuring jolt of validation! Because YA—like feminism—is for all. Literally! Because we’re sharing just some of the recommendations your fellow Riot readers put forth. Check them out and let us know what you thought! A Study in Honor by Claire O’Dell Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson Ask Me How I Got Here by Christine Heppermann When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore All the Rage by Courtney Summers What Girls Are Made Of by Elana Arnold Look Both Ways by Alison Cherry The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson The Power by Naomi Alderman The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi Run by Kody Keplinger Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova We Are Okay by Nina LaCour Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older American Street by Ibi Zoboi Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero The Belles by Dhoneille Clayton Spinning by Tillie Walden On the Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis Ash by Malinda Lo The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman This One Summer by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo Dread Nation by Justina Ireland Beauty Queens by Libba Bray Two Girls Staring at the Ceiling by Lucy Frank How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon Written in the Stars by Aisha Said Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli Conviction by Kelly Loy Gilbert About a Girl by Sarah McCarry The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman
