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Books for Girls
The purpose of this page is to give girls the option to read books similar to what's available to boys, but which may appeal more to feminine tastes. I have not read most of these, so if you find any that you think don't belong here, please let me know.
There's nothing wrong with substituting high quality books that hold more appeal for girls. Books like "The Rover Boys" are easy to substitute with another series like "The Outdoor Girls". (For more books like those, see the Series Books section on my Free Homeschool Books page.) More are also listed on this page under "Fiction."
When it comes to history, men make up the largest part of it. But, there are some books that effectively teach parts of history from a more feminine viewpoint. If you think an alternate book teaches enough, you can use it as a substitute. If not, you may want it for a supplement. Substituting Historical Fiction is easy. For example, try swapping Charlotte Yonge for Henty.
Many of these books are good recreational reading. This is by no means a exhaustive list, but what I thought looked particularly good. I haven't even linked to every "girly" book on my own site, so be sure to see the Other Free Books pages for more. Books that may appeal to girls will often be obvious by the title or author. Some titles listed here are also on other parts of this site.
Please see About the Format of Online Books if you have questions about what's listed here. If you decide to use an uncorrected OCR text from IA, be sure to copy and paste it, because "save link target" causes errors. Some of these are also available in HTML with pics, but they are not marked.
For your eBook reader, use one of Gutenberg's formats, or click on the MB links to find more formats at ManyBooks.
Biographies (and autobiographies)
Fiction / Classics - also includes some series books.
Geography / Social Studies
Historical Fiction
History (non-fiction)
To Purchase
Web Sites with More Free Books
BIOGRAPHIES Author | Title | Subject |
| Anonymous | Notable Women of Olden Times MB - stories about women of the bible that gently teach us how to be better women. | Women in the Bible |
| Arms, Mary L. Day | The World as I Have Found It MB | Autobiographical work of a blind woman |
| Austen-Leigh, James Edward | Memoir of Jane Austen MB | Jane Austen |
| Austen-Leigh, Richard and William | Jane Austen, Her Life and Letters MB | Jane Austen |
| Bolton, Sarah Knowles | Lives of Girls Who Became Famous MB - Some parents may object to the women who didn't stay at home. You can always delete any sections you don't want. | Stowe, Jackson, Mott, Livermore, Ossoli, Mitchell, Alcott, Lyon, Hosmer, de Stael, Bonheur, Browning, Eliot, Fry, Butler, Nightingale, Brassey, Burdett-Coutts, Ingelow |
| Bradford, Sarah H. | Harriet, the Moses of Her People | Harriet Tubman / underground railroad |
| Brooks, E. S. | Historic Girls: Stories of Girls Who Have Influenced the History of Their Times MB - teaches great lessons and encourages girls to be good and sweet. Note: He also wrote "Historic Boys." | Zenobia, Helena (mother of Constantine), Pulcheria Augusta, Queen Clotilda, Empress Woo, Good Queen Maud, Countess Jacqueline, Queen Catarina, St. Theresa of Avila, Elizabeth I, Christina of Sweden, Pocahontas |
| Browne, E. Gordon | Queen Victoria MB - a biography that also illustrates some of what was going on around the rest of the world at the time. | Queen Victoria |
| Cox, Augustus | Female Scripture Biographies - Volume One and Volume Two. | Women in the Bible |
| Gaskell, Elizabeth | Life of Charlotte Bronte - Volume 1 MB and Volume 2 MB. (Be sure to download both files.) | Charlotte Bronte |
| Hill, Constance | Jane Austen; Her Homes & Her Friends - in HTML. | Jane Austen |
| Hubbard, Elbert | Little Journeys to the Homes of Famous Women MB - Volume 2 in the "Little Journeys" series, contains numerous brief bios of women. | Elizabeth Browning, Madame Guyon, Harriet Martineau, Charlotte Bronte, Christina Rossetti, Rosa Bonheur, Madame De Stael, Elizabeth Fry, Mary Lamb, Jane Austen, Empress Josephine, and Mary W. Shelley |
| Helen Keller | The Song of the Stone Wall, and The Story of My Life MB | Autobiographical works of a deaf, blind woman. |
| Mabie, Hamilton Wright and Kate Stephens | Heroines that Every Child Should Know | Grace Darling, Florence Nightingale, Joan of Arc, Antigone, etc. |
| Montgomery, L. M. | The Alpine Path: The Story of My Career - in HTML. MB | L. M. Montgomery |
| Moore, Henry C. | Noble Deeds of the World's Heroines MB | Stories of brave deeds |
| Oliphant, Mrs. Margaret | Jeanne d'Arc - Her Life and Death MB | Joan of Arc |
| Stewart, Elinore Pruitt | Letters of a Woman Homesteader MB - charming (and amusing) book about a young widow who goes west to support herself and her daughter. | Life on a Wyoming ranch |
| Stowe, Charles Edward and Harriet Beecher Stowe | Life of Harriet Beecher Stowe - Compiled From Her Letters and Journals by Her Son Charles Edward Stowe MB | Harriet Beecher Stowe |
| Sweetser, Kate Dickinson | Ten American Girls from History MB | Pocahontas, Dorothy Quincy, Molly Pitcher, Elizabeth Van Lew, Ida Lewis, Clara Barton, Virginia Reed, Louisa Alcott, Clara Morris, Anna Dickinson |
| Sweetser, Kate Dickinson | Ten Girls from History MB | Jeanne D'Arc, Queen Victoria, Sally Wister, Cofachiqui, Jenny Lind, Eliza Lucas, Lady Jane Grey, "Gentle Annie," Madeleine de Vercheres, Adrienne de Lafayette |
| Synge, M. B. | Great Englishwomen Note: She also wrote "Great Englishmen." | Queen Bertha, Maude the Good, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Philippa of Hainault, Margaret of Anjou, The Lady Margaret, Margaret Roper, Lady Jane Grey, Princess Elizabeth, Lady Rachel Russell, Angelica Kaufmann, Hannah More, Elizabeth Fry, Mary Somerville, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Florence Nightingale |
| Watson, Virginia | The Princess Pocahontas MB | Pocahontas |
FICTION / CLASSICS Author | Title | Subject |
| Alcott, Louisa May | Little Women, Jack and Jill, Eight Cousins, An Old-Fashioned Girl, etc. MB | Literature |
| Austen, Jane | Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, etc. MB | Literature |
| Bronte, Charlotte | Jane Eyre MB - She and her sisters wrote more books MB, if you are interested. | Literature |
| Burnett, Frances Hodgson | Secret Garden, A Little Princess - "Sara Crewe" is the shorter version of "A Little Princess." I'd pick the latter. MB | Literature |
| Fisher, Dorothy Canfield | Understood Betsy MB | Classic juvenile fiction |
| Gaskell, Elizabeth | Wives and Daughters MB - For the lover of Victorian era novels. (The DVD is also quite enjoyable.) She passed away before this book was completed, but her editor neatly summed up the ending for us. Download Editor's Ending (since the Gutenberg text doesn't include this section.) You may enjoy other great Gaskell books, such as "North and South," and "Cranford." MB | Literature |
| Gruelle, John B. | Raggedy Ann Stories, Raggedy Andy Stories, etc. MB | Classic juvenile fiction |
| Johnston, Annie Fellows | The Little Colonel books - Also see this site for history and learn more about the story behind the books. (These are based on real life, and portray Kentucky aristocracy in the Victorian era and afterward.) MB | Literature |
| Montgomery, L. M. | Anne books, Story Girl/Golden Road, Chronicles of Avonlea, short story collections, etc. View chronological order. See the "To Purchase" section below for more of her great books. MB | Literature |
| Porter, Eleanor H. | Pollyanna, Pollyanna Grows Up, Just David, The Miss Billy books. MB | Literature |
| Stratton-Porter, Gene | Freckles, Girl of the Limberlost, Laddie, etc. The author was a naturalist without being like today's environmentalists. The stories are sentimental stories of love and life, but love of nature is also woven throughout them. MB | Literature |
| Sweetser, Kate Dickinson | Ten Girls from Dickens, and Boys and Girls from Thackeray. MB | Heroines from Literature |
| Wiggin, Kate Douglas | Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, The Bird's Christmas Carol, Mother Carey's Chickens, etc. MB | Literature |
GEOGRAPHY / SOCIAL STUDIES Author | Title | Subject |
Some parents may object to women traveling the world (especially without a husband.) I've tried to select these authors carefully, but if you'd, like you can learn more about the following authors online at places like Wikipedia. For more books like these, try looking for female authors at Explorion. MB |
| Andrews, Yvette Borup (and Roy Chapman Andrews) | Camps and Trails in China - This husband / wife team had great adventures in China. (Mr. Andrews may be best know for being the first to find fossilized dinosaur eggs.) | A couple's travels in China |
| Bird, Isabella | Among the Tibetans, The Hawaiian Archipelago, Unbeaten Tracks in Japan, etc. MB | Travels in Japan, Tibet, Malay Peninsula, Hawaii, Rocky Mountains, parts of U.S. |
| Bell, Lilian | As Seen By Me MB - an enjoyable author with a good sense of humor. | Travels through Europe |
| Bly, Nelly | Around the World in Seventy-Two Days MB - Her true, record-breaking adventure. (She even found time to stop and visit Jules Verne on her trip!) | Worldwide travel |
| Der Ling, Princess | Two Years in the Forbidden City MB | Life in the old Chinese court |
| Pfeiffer, Ida | A Visit to Iceland, A Woman's Journey Round the World, A Visit to the Holy Land, Egypt, and Italy - She began traveling after the death of her husband. MB | A widow's worldwide travels |
| Perkins, Lucy Fitch | The Twins Books MB - Each story is about a set of twins (usually a boy and a girl) from another country. There are more pictures available here, and some more here. Note - You may want to avoid "The Spartan Twins" (which focuses on their pagan beliefs) and "The Cave Twins" (if your views of creation don't include tree-dwelling, hairy "monkey people".) | Life of children in other lands |
| Roberts, Miss Emma | Notes of an Overland Journey Through France and Egypt to Bombay MB - An English lady moved to India with her sister and brother-in-law, and thence gained her experiences. (Noted for a being very talented writer.) | Travel in various locations |
HISTORICAL FICTION Author | Title - This section's small because there's so much to choose from on the Historical Fiction Page. | Subject |
| Barr, Amelia | Remember the Alamo, The Bow of Orange Ribbon, The Hallam Succession, etc. Her novels were well researched, and full of wholesome characters. (More by her on the Historical fiction page.) MB | Historical Fiction |
| Curtis, Alice Turner | Yankee Girl at Fort Sumter, A Little Maid of Old Maine, A Little Maid of Old Philadelphia, etc. MB | Girls in historical U. S. settings |
| Douglas, Amanda M. | The "A Little Girl" books. A Little Girl: In Old Salem, In New York, In Boston, In Quebec, of Long Ago (sequel to "in New York"). MB There are more at Internet Archive or at Google Books. | Girls in historical settings (North America) |
| Johnston, Mary | 1492, Lewis Rand, Sir Mortimer, etc. Her books are supposed to contain a bit of romance, so girls may particularly like them. (More by her on the Historical fiction page.) MB | Historical Fiction |
| Charlotte Yonge | Charlotte Yonge is like a female version of Henty. Choose any of her books. MB Visit Preston Speed Publications to learn more about Miss Yonge, her works, and why they're so good to read. See a list and summary of all her works, and links to all known e-texts (besides just at PG) at Charlotte Mary Yonge Fellowship. | Historical Fiction |
HISTORY (non-fiction) Author | Title - Also see the Biographical Section above. | Subject |
| Alleman, Matilda "Tillie" Pierce | At Gettysburg, or What a Girl Saw and Heard of the Battle - what parts I've read of this book really touched me and made it seem very real. I also like that it is not filled with gory descriptions. (HTML) | U. S. Civil War |
| Brockett, Linus Pierpont and Mary C. Vaughan | Woman's Work in the Civil War; A Record of Heroism, Patriotism, and Patience MB | U. S. Civil War |
| Der Ling, Princess | Two Years in the Forbidden City MB | Life in the old Chinese court |
| Earle, Alice Morse | Home Life in Colonial Days MB | Colonial Life in America |
| Fowler, William Worthington | Woman on the American Frontier MB | Women's role in American history |
| Hall, Mrs. Cecil (Mary) | A Lady's Life on a Farm in Manitoba MB - this books is a series of letters she wrote after leaving England, that tell about adjusting to her new life. | Pioneer life |
| Holliday, Carl | Woman's Life in Colonial Days MB | Colonial Women |
| Larcom, Lucy | A New England Girlhood MB | Childhood in Early America |
| Marble, Annie Russell | The Women Who Came in the Mayflower MB | Pilgrim women |
| Richards, Caroline C. | Village Life in America MB - The diary of a girl from 1852 to 1872. Interesting to see her point of view concerning the war and changes throughout the country. Great history book about more than just the war. | U. S. Civil War era |
| Stewart, Elinore Pruitt | Letters of a Woman Homesteader MB - charming (and amusing) book about a young widow who goes west to support herself and her daughter. | Life on a Wyoming ranch |
TO PURCHASE There are obviously many books that could go here, so I've only listed a few a couple popular choices that are still under copyright. If I come across any more I'll add them.
L. M. Montgomery - A number of her books are still under copyright and aren't available online. If you liked her Anne books, keep reading! Her other works are just as (or even more) enjoyable! Emily of New Moon, Jane of Lantern Hill, and The Blue Castle are a few of my favorites. There are more novels and also many collections of short stories (edited by Rea Wilmshurst). Here is a link to a complete list of works. I highly recommend this author!
Little House on the Prairie books - by Laura Ingalls Wilder. (Some boys really like these too, since they have a lot of "how-to" type information.) We really enjoy these at our house!
SITES WITH MORE FREE BOOKS
See the following sites to find more books for girls, or lists of famous women to learn about. Some of the books (and women) aren't homeschool appropriate, but you probably won't have much trouble figuring out which they are. Wikipedia is a great place to look up people/books/authors to decide if they suit your tastes.
*More Free Books at this site - there are more ladies on my other lists that aren't listed here. See the RC books, Homeschool Books, and Historical Fiction pages for many more good books for, and by, ladies. These books are often obvious by their title or author.
A Celebration of Women Writers - E-texts by women (and some by men, for women) at UPenn.
Girlebooks.com - free e-books in various formats.
Athelstane E-texts - The authors in pink are supposed to appeal more to girls. There is usually a short bio about the author and often info about each book, too. (HTML)
Women In History - List of women and summary of their accomplishments, as well as links to further info. (Not all suitable for homeschool.) Find one you like and look for a biography of them online or at the library.
Women Writers - at the University of Virginia E-text center.
The Brown University Women Writers Project - Can get a free, one month trial subscription here.
The Victorian Women Writers Project - at Indiana University
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