Check out this list of items that Hardy Girls Healthy Women would love to share with everyone who visits our library!

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Blakemore, Erin. The Heroine's Bookshelf: Life Lessons, From Jane Austin to Laura Ingalls Wilder.
The concept of The Heroine's Bookshelf by Erin Blakemore is terrific: utilize the lessons of various beloved heroines and protagonists to inspire you. The author has chosen 12 particular qualities and uses 12 female protagonists written by 12 different women authors to illuminate them.

Collins, Suzanne.  The Hunger Games.
Sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen, who live alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence with she is forced to represent her impoverished district in the Games.  But Katniss has been close to dead before - and survival, for her, is second nature.  Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender.  But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival agianst humanity and life against love. 

Creech, Sharon. Walk Two Moons.
Sal discovers how to walk two moons in another's moccasins with the help of Phoebe, another girl whose mother has left the family.

Dahl, Roald. Matilda.
Five year old, Matilda, is a child prodigy. She can multiply huge numbers and read books that are way above an average reading level for someone her age.  She also happens to have magic powers.  Matilda's parents, however, don't know the extrodinary things Matilda can do because they pay no attention to her.  And to make matters worse, her new headmistress is as horrible as horrible can get!  Her only real solitude is her teacher, Miss Honey, who is also having harsh times with the new headmistress since she's her niece!  Together, they work to help make things right in the school and in Matilda's home. 

Dennis, Sharon. Orphea Proud.
From the stage of a New York City poetry club, 17-year-old orphan Orphea Proud tells the story of how she fell in love with her best friend, Lissa, who died in a car accident a day after their first kiss. Aspiring poets or teens questioning their sexuality will be especially moved by Orphea's struggle to verbalize her overwhelming experience: her electrifying first love, her grief, her violently homophobic brother, and the comfort and self-awareness she discovers by reconnecting with her dead mother's family.

Drake, Salamander. Dragonsdale.
Imagine a stable full of dragons.  A place where a group of young girls are busy grooming the beautiful beasts and getting them ready for competition - with all the ups and downs, all the drama that inevitably results.  Dragonsdale is such a place.  The stable is run by Cara's father, but, after a tragic accident in which her mother lost her life, Cara herself is strictly forbidden to fly.  Yet she cannot resist the lure of the magical firebreathing creatures, and so in secret she trains Skydancer, her rare, wild Goldenbrown dragon, and dreams of the day she can, too, take flight. 

Estes, Eleanor. The Hundred Dresses.
Maddie, a girl who had stood by while Wanda was taunted about her dresses, feels sick inside, but she had said nothing. Repentant, Maddie and her friend Peggy head up to Boggins Heights to see if the Wanda and her family, thePetronskis, are still there. When they discover the house is empty, Maddie despairs. This gentle Newbery Honor Book convincingly captures the deeply felt moral dilemmas of childhood, equally poignant for the teased or the tormentor.

Fitzhugh, Louise. Harriet the Spy.
Harriet's in trouble when her classmates read about themselves in her secret notebook. When they start a Spy Catchers' Club--and guess who's not invited to join--Harriet turns to her nanny for help. Kids might not like the idea of Harriet writing about them, but they'll certainly enjoy reading what she has to say about everybody in her world!

Jenness, Aylette. Families: A Celebration of Diversity, Commitment, and Love.
Photographs and text depict the lives of seventeen families from around the country, some with step relationships, divorce, gay parents, foster siblings, and other diverse components. The material was originally a traveling exhibition, begun at the Children's Museum in Boston. For grades 3 to 8.

L'Angle, Madeleine.  A Wrinkle In Time.
Everything is wrong in Meg Murray's life. In school, she's been dropped down to the lowest section of her grade. She's teased about her five-year-old brother, Charles Wallace, who everyone mistakenly thinks is dumb. Not to mention that Meg wears braces and glasses and has mouse-brown hair. Much will be better in her miserable life when her father gets back. But gets back from where? Meg's physicist father had been experimenting with the fifth dimension of time travel when he mysteriously disappeared. One dark and stormy night, the family is visited by a disheveled heap of a woman named Mrs. Whatsit. Eccentric and brilliant, she will turn out to be the force who spurs on Meg, Charles Wallace, and their new friend, Calvin O'Keefe, to embark on a dangerous quest through space to find their father. In doing so, they must travel behind the shadow of an evil power that is darkening the cosmos. Before long, the trio discovers that Meg's and Charles Wallace's father is being held prisoner by evil forces on the planet 

Levine, Gail Carson. Ella Enchanted.
At birth, Ella of Frell was given the gift of obedience by a fairy.  Ella soon realizes that this gift is little better than a curse, as she can't be her true self if she is constantly being ordered around by different people, and she has to obey!  Independent Ella does not tamely accept her fate and embarks on a quest to break this curse once and for all.  Ella's quest to break the curse and discover her true self is both funny and poignant.

Mass, Wendy. A Mango-Shaped Space.
Mia Winchell seems to be a typical teenager, but shes keeping a huge secret from everyone who knows her: sounds, numbers, and words appear in color for her. Mia has synesthesia, the mingling of perceptions whereby a person can see sounds, smell colors, or taste shapes. When trouble in school forces Mia to reveal her condition, her friends and family can't relate to her, and she must look to herself to develop an understanding and appreciation for her gift. Spiced with wit and humor, A Mango-Shaped Space is a poignant coming-of-age novel that will intrigue readers long after theyve turned the last page.

McDonough, Yona Z. Sisters In Strength: Women Who Made a Difference
These brief biographies of women who have made a difference in the world and are an important addition to the collection for young readers. These women share many qualities and the accomplishments range from arts to politics. The author includes both a time line and a bibliography to assit readers place the events in context and find more information about the women whose stories are told in the book.

Myracle, Lauren. Eleven.
Winnie knows that change isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, especially when it means her best friend, Amanda, might be dropping her for someone else. Throw in a grumpy teenage sister, a cat who gets trapped in the wall, and a crush who has pinkeye, and you’ve got one big mess—one that Winnie’s not going to clean up! Winnie’s decided that she’s going to remain exactly the same, no matter what the rest of the world does. But every month brings crazy adventures. A lot can change in a year . . .maybe even Winnie.

O'Roark Dowell, Frances. The Secret Language of Girls.
Kate and Marylin have been best friends forever. But as they enter sixth grade, their friendship changes. Kate continues to love reading, basketball and bugs, while Marylin dreams of kissing, boys and cheerleading. The friends periodically drift apart and then are pulled back together throughout The Secret Language of Girls.

Perlstein, Linda. Not Much Just Chillin': The Hidden Lives of Middle Schoolers.
In contrast to the recent spate of books that focus on bullying, Washington Post education reporter Perlstein examines all facets of being an ordinary "tween." She discusses such issues as consumerism (according to Perlstein, 12- to 15-year-olds spend on average $59 a week, not counting money their parents spend on them); romance, which doesn't necessarily imply the couple ever spends time alone together; and the phenomenon of instant messaging-all to give parents of young children an idea of what lies ahead. Perlstein delves deeper into how boys and girls view life by tracking five students at Wilde Lake Middle School in Columbia, Md., a "rough" suburban school in an affluent area. Her subjects include the likable eighth-grader Eric Ellis, who is very bright and very bored, and seventh-graders Jackie Taylor, who is learning to deal with crushes on boys, and Elizabeth Ginsburg, whose favorite answer to her parents' questions is "nothing." There are also sixth-graders Jimmy Schissel, who is unhappy with his changing body, and Lily Mason, who worries about wearing-and doing-the right thing. In addition to details about the children's confirmations, bat mitzvahs, friendships and homework, Perlstein interweaves information about how middle-school children learn best and what parents can do to help.

Pinkney, Andrea Davis. Let it Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters.
In this book Pinkney selected ten women who were instrumental in the civil rights movement. These women spanned American history from the eighteenth century to present day. The book details how each woman made a difference in society and the stories of these women serve as role models to children today, especially girls.

Plath, Sylvia. The Bell Jar
The central character of "The Bell Jar", Esther Greenwood, seems to have the perfect life. She has received numerous awards for her poetry and writing and is on scholarship at a prestigious women's college. She wins a month long job assignment in New York City for a women's magazine. To the outside world it would seem that she is living a dream life: dining on sumptuous meals, hobnobbing with celebrities, and being showered with gifts, all courtesy of the magazine. Inside, however, she is wrenched with confusion. She struggles within herself to reconcile her desires to become a writer in a world where women are expected to be perfect housewives and mothers as well as her desires for sexual equality in a world where women are expected to be pure and virginal, but men are free to experiment with sexuality without fear of pregnancies or ruined reputations.

Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis.
Satrapi's autobiography is a timely and timeless story of a young girl's life under the Islamic Revolution. Descended from the last Emperor of Iran, Satrapi is nine when fundamentalist rebels overthrow the Shah. While Satrapi's radical parents and their community initially welcome the ouster, they soon learn a new brand of totalitarianism is taking over. Satrapi's art is minimal and stark yet often charming and humorous as it depicts the madness around her.

Sessions Stepp, Laura. Our Last Best Shot: Guiding Our Children Through Early Adolescence.
In the recent tradition of Reviving Ophelia and Raising Cain, Stepp offers an extraordinary look into the lives of children aged 10-15, with a bounty of commonsense advice on how to ensure that they blossom and thrive during the crucial prelude to adulthood. Stepp, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the Washington Post, presents 12 case studies of actual boys and girls, along with their families, friends and teachers, with whom she lived over the course of a year. Coming from a variety of backgrounds including urban Los Angeles, Durham, N.C., and the small farming community of Ulysses, Kans.These children are all trying to figure out answers to such questions as: "What kind of person am I?"; "What am I learning?"; "How do I fit in with friends?"; and "How can I create distance from adults yet remain connected to them?" Drawing on unlimited access to these somewhat troubled yet likeable kids, Stepp writes of their lives with remarkable understanding and compassion, vividly reporting on, for example, Chip's marijuana deal, Jack's joy in single-handedly constructing a birdhouse when left alone one day and Libby's frank conversation about oral sex with her girlfriends at the mall. These encounters illustrate the many valuable lessons Stepp offers parents: give kids responsibility, be aware of their friends, give them space, manage your fears, stay engaged. Agent, ICM. (July)

Snyderman, Nancy L. and Peg Streep. Girl in the Mirror: Mothers and Daughters in the Age of Adolescence.
Mother, know thyself--especially mothers of daughters, for as Nancy L. Snyderman, M.D., and Peg Streep so eloquently convey in Girl in the Mirror, self-aware mothers stand a much greater chance of helping their daughters become happier, more fulfilled women. But there's a catch: oftentimes, a girl's volatile journey through puberty occurs during her mother's midlife--another physically and emotionally challenging stage of womanhood. Fusing an impressive array of research findings, expert interviews, quotations from classic texts on teens, and journal entries from regular moms and a few dads, Snyderman and Streep clear a safe path through the brambles and muck commonly associated with "surviving" adolescence.

Walsh, David. Why Do They Act That Way?: A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen.
In this national bestseller, acclaimed, award-winning psychologist Dr. David Walsh explains exactly what happens to the human brain on the path from childhood into adolescence and adulthood. Revealing the latest scientific findings in easy-to-understand terms, Dr. Walsh shows why moodiness, quickness to anger and to take risks, miscommunication, fatigue, territoriality, and other familiar teenage behavior problems are so common -- all are linked to physical changes and growth in the adolescent brain.
Why Do They Act That Way? is the first book to explain the changes in teens' brains and show parents how to use this information to understand, communicate with, and stay connected to their kids. Through real-life stories, Dr. Walsh makes sense of teenagers' many mystifying, annoying, and even outright dangerous behavioral difficulties and provides realistic solutions for dealing with everyday as well as severe challenges. Dr. Walsh's techniques include, among others: sample dialogues that help teens and parents talk civilly and constructively with each other, behavioral contracts, and Parental Survival Kits that provide practical advice for dealing with issues like curfews, disrespectful language and actions, and bullying. With this arsenal of strategies, parents can help their kids learn to control impulses, manage erratic behavior, cope with their changing bodies, and, in effect, develop a second brain.

Welles, Lee. Gaia Girls.
Elizabeth Angier was happy to be at the end of the school year. She thought her summer on the family farm would be full of work and play with her best friend, Rachel, and her other best friend, her dog, Maizey. However, Elizabeth didn’t anticipate the Harmony Farms Corporation moving to her town. Her world starts to crumble as her best friend moves away and her parents whisper of farmers selling their land and the effects this factory farm operation could have on them. When she thinks things can’t get much worse, she meets the most unusual creature, Gaia, the living entity of the Earth. Strange things begin to happen to her, around her, and through her! Elizabeth discovers that with these new powers comes responsibility. A dire mistake makes Elizabeth wonder if meeting Gaia has been a blessing or a curse. Will Elizabeth have the strength to fight a large corporation?

Westerfield, Scott. Uglies.
Tally Youngblood lives in a futuristic society that acculturates its citizens to believe that they are ugly until age 16 when they'll undergo an operation that will change them into pleasure-seeking "pretties." Anticipating this happy transformation, Tally meets Shay, another female ugly, who shares her enjoyment of hoverboarding and risky pranks. But Shay also disdains the false values and programmed conformity of the society and urges Tally to defect with her to the Smoke, a distant settlement of simple-living conscientious objectors. Tally declines, yet when Shay is found missing by the authorities, Tally is coerced by the cruel Dr. Cable to find her and her compatriots–or remain forever "ugly."

Yolen, Jane. Not One Damsel in Distress: World Folktales for Strong Girls.
This collection of folktales from around the world presents a range of tales that all feature strong women. Yolen's retellings are consistently engaging and well written, whether she is dealing with the history of the White River Sioux in "Brave Woman Counts Coup" or "Nana Miriam," a culture hero of the Songhai of Niger. Ample source notes and explanations of Yolen's additions and changes are included as is a thorough bibliography.

DVD Wish List

Speak. 2005. 93 Minutes.
Based on the award winning novel by Laurie Halse Anderson, "Speak" unfolds a story about Melinda (Kristen Stewart), a smart and spirited high school freshman who retreats into self-imposed silence after she is raped one night at a party. Feeling isolated from her classmates and from her preoccupied mother Joyce Sardnino (Elizabeth Perkins), Melinda retreats further in an attempt to escape the torments of high school. It is only through her work in art class with the help of her compassionate art teacher Mr. Freeman (Steve Zahn) that she begins to reach out to others and eventually finds her own voice and inner strength. A feature debut of director/co-writer Jessica Sharzer, "Speak" resonates with stubborn honesty and sardonic humor as we follow Melinda on her journey from traumatized isolation to a brave and final triumphant disclosure.

Cover Girl Culture: Awakening The Media Generation. 2009. 80 Minutes.
Being thin, pretty and sexy brings happiness. Young girls receive these messages daily hundreds of times. But who sets these impossible beauty standards—and how can they be changed? In this eye-opening documentary, filmmaker and former Elite International fashion model Nicole Clark, now a champion for young girls and their self-esteem, calls for a necessary change: integrity and responsible media for our youth.

Miss Representation. 2011. 90 Minutes.
When the new documentary film Miss Representation premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, audiences were riveted, and Oprah Winfrey acquired its broadcast rights. Writer/Director Jennifer Siebel Newsom interwove stories from teenage girls with provocative interviews from the likes of Dr. Condoleezza Rice, Lisa Ling, Nancy Pelosi, Katie Couric, Rachel Maddow, Rosario Dawson, Dr. Jackson Katz, Dr. JeanKilbourne, and Gloria Steinem to give us an inside look at the media and its message. As the most persuasive and pervasive force of communication in our culture, media is educating yet another generation that a woman’s primary value lay in her youth, beauty and sexuality—and not in her capacity as a leader, making it difficult for women to obtain leadership positions and for girls to reach their full potential. The film accumulates startling facts and statistics that leave audiences shaken, armed with a new perspective, and asking the question, “What can we do?”

Yogawoman. 2011. 84 Minutes.
Yoga was brought to the west from India by a lineage of male teachers. Now there’s a generation of women who are leading the way. They’re strong they’re inspiring and they’re radically changing peoples lives. From the busy streets of Manhattan to the dusty slums of Kenya YOGAWOMAN uncovers a global phenomenon that has changed the face of yoga forever.