Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke & the Bookish. It’s awesome. Every Tuesday, the lovely ladies over there give us book bloggers wonderful and fun topics to create our lists! Check out what others have posted by going over there! http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com
This week’s topic is-
Top Ten Books I Would Recommend to a Certain Person
Since I have a 13 year old daughter, I figured I would pick her.
Now, my kids read. They enjoy it, though not as much as I do. But they will read for pleasure, and I can only hope that their love for it will grow as they age. Or at least when they are not in school, which seems to drain them of the desire to read for pleasure.
There are certain books that I really believe it is important for a young girl to start reading as they get older. So here is a list of the books I would recommend my daughter reads as she grows into a woman- (sniff)
1. Little Women
This was almost a no-brainer for me. What an amazing tale of sister, love, and family. I was very lucky to grow up with two sisters, though I am sad to say my daughter is not.
2. Jane Eyre
The story of a strong girl/woman. I think she would really love this one. Jane is a woman before her time. I love how she stands by her own moral code throughout the book.
3. All books by Jane Austen
I could of course pick my own favorite- Pride & Prejudice- but I think almost any book by Austen is almost mandatory reading for young women( except for Mansfield Park- Franny is easy too wimpy for me)
4. A Little Princess
This is a beautiful story. All girls should read it.
5. To Kill A Mockingbird
This is a tough one. My son had to read it in 8th grade, and I don;t think he was mature enough to really appreciate it. Hopefully my daughter will be when she reads it.
As she gets older-
6. Gone With The Wind
While I do not think Scarlett is a great role model, I really want her to read this. It is one of my favorite books, probably because Scarlett ISN’T a perfect southern lady.
7. The Handmaid’s Tale
Hopefully she will read this in her 20’s. Before that- it can be a bit too scary- or unimportant to the ever invincible teen.
8. The Help
I loved this story. We actually sat down and watched this movie as a family- the kids both loved it, though i think the boy especially liked the part about Minnie’s chocolate pie a little too much. Boys are gross.
9. The Book Thief
I might have her read this soon- she would be ready.
10. The Year of Magical Thinking
Now, I know this seems like a strange choice, and I actually debated whether I should include it. I would like to imagine my child will not have to go through the pain of losing someone she loves, but I think that is a little unrealistic. Still I hope she will be much older when she picks up this memoir that takes a stark look into the grieving process. When I read it, I felt almost a strange relief, that I wasn’t the only person who had that debilitating experience of waking up day after day and having to remember all over again that I lost one of the most important people in my life. Seeing the same thing in print was like a salve, even years later.
Turn the Page Reviews 
This list is really great. I have two sisters myself and Little Women was a childhood favorite. The Handmaid’s Tale especially is a book everyone should read, though it is chilling. It’s a great time for The Book Thief, with the movie opening 🙂
My daughter is funny. If I tell her directly that I think she should read a certain book, she won’t. If i just talk about a book in general, she might ask if she can read it.
Definitely Little Women! She was ahead of her time when she wrote that and the story is such a great inspiration for young girls! I loved the Winona Ryder film version. 🙂
I like that version too- loved Susan Sarandon as Marmie.
I like your recommendations and the idea that she will read them as she grows into a woman. Our reading tastes change so much as we age. Nice list this week. kelley—the road goes ever ever on
Thanks- I went to your post and tried to comment, but had a problem. My daughter read The Hunger Games trilogy in the 6th grade and I read it with her. I understand it can seem like a harsh subject, but it was very age appropriate and brought up a lot of good discussion points..Maybe mom would feel better is she read along with her and they can talk about the tougher topics?
These are some great classics for a growing girl. They’ve all got some important life lessons. Also I love your Top Ten Tuesday graphic!
What a great list! I haven’t read The Handmaid’s Tale, Gone with the Wind, or The Help, but the read I have read and totally agree with.
I don’t have a daughter (two boys), but if I did I would be making her read Jane Eyre and secretly (or not so secretly) hoping she loved it. As it stands now, I really hope my sons love it when they are older.
Great list and a great topic! I know my daughter read a lot of these as she was going through her teen years — and some not till later, during college. I have such fond memories of so many of these! I was actually really excited to see that my son’s middle school has The Book Thief on their reading list for 8th graders — I love that the school is keeping up with newer books and giving the kids books that will challenge them and make them think. My daughter read The Handmaid’s Tale at some point during high school, right at the point when she was becoming more aware of women’s rights, feminism, etc, and it really moved her quite a bit. Wonderful choices, all of these!
Thank you! Now, to get her to put down the iPhone and read!
Ugh, I know! I can barely get my son to look at anything that’s not on a screen! Drives me crazy.
Yay Austen! And all the classics! And The Book Thief! Great list!
Aw, has she not read Little Women yet? I loved that book so much when I was a kid (and also still now) — I had a beautiful copy with color plates in it, and I thought I was so fancy with my fancy copy. :p
No she hasn’t, but I will not push it. She is at that stage where she will NOT read it if I suggest, sort of like the horse and the water.
This is a great list! Growing up I was introduced to Science fiction and fantasy before I was introduced to the classics, so I think it’s neat that you’re introducing those as well. I have most of the classics on a list to read. Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier. 🙂