The girls who live in my house wear shorts under their dresses so they can climb trees, they ask for bows and arrows for birthday presents and they experiment with starting fires without matches. The girls who live in my house explore the forest out the back of our farm on weekends, they carry sticks for fighting the enemy and have lengthy discussions about what they would eat if their home disappeared. The girls who live in my house have scratched up knees, they wear their hair in long plaits to keep it out of their way and they play games about escaping from jail, about fighting dragons and about ninjas. The girls who live in my house are brave, and a bit wild, and a lot noisy.
So I guess it makes sense that the girls who live in my house are interested in reading books with adventurous female characters in them. Books about girls who aren't afraid to find their own way, to break the rules and who definitely are not afraid of boys.
Recently my friend Bron, Maxabella Loves, sent me a book that her clever sister A.L. wrote. Even though it is a book aimed at upper primary school aged kids, I read it in one night. Even though I knew at the time I was risking exhaustion the next day, I could not put it down.
The Mapmaker Chronicles is filled with adventure. It is full of interesting characters, mythical sea creatures, drama, and emotion. From the website:
The King is determined to discover what lies beyond the known world, and has promised a handsome prize to the ship's captain who can bring him a map of the whole globe. To do that, they'll need mapmakers - and 14-year-old Quinn is shocked to be one of the chosen.
While his older brothers long for adventure, Quinn is content with a quiet life on the farm, but when word of his special talent gets out, he has no choice but to pack his bags and join the mismatched crew of slaves and stowaways on board the Libertas. The other competitors will do anything to win, but the greatest danger may come from the strange sea monster hot on their tail or the mysterious unchartered lands for which they are bound.I really loved this book and highly recommend it to other nine+ year olds (and their Mum's too).
But I really do have to tell you that my favourite part of this whole thing was when I read on Bron's Facebook page that she'd spent the past month reading a chapter a night to her kids. And her kids LOVED the book and were sad when they came to the end. But only once they did come to the end did their Mum tell them that their auntie Al was the author. Imagine that! Your very own auntie the author of your very favourite book. So cool!!
I have am thrilled to announce that Hachette, publishers of The Mapmaker Chronicles, would like to give away one copy of the book to one of you guys. Yay! Please leave a comment below telling me something about the adventurous girls in your life or your favourite adventurous girls in fiction and I'll choose a winner early next week.
Until then I hope your dreams are sweet tonight.
Big love,
Kate xx
My adventurous girl is 7, she loves to climb trees and wander in National Parks looking for birds to add to her list. We've been known to find her perched 10 feet up a flag pole on regular occasions.
ReplyDeleteThe books sounds like something she'd really enjoy.
I have a little boy who likes to stay home at the moment, but my most favourite adventurous girl in fiction is Little Red Riding Hood. Though the woods were dark and deep, she set off to Grandma's house anyway. She saw through the wolf's bluff and helped save her grandmother, even when she was a little bit afraid.
ReplyDeleteScout from To Kill a Mockingbird is the adventurous girl closest to this dog's heart. Must say that the hairs on the back of my neck stood up when I read the sentence above about Mum telling the kids that Auntie wrote the book (in a good way). Hoping it's a nice sign that I'm on a good path by choosing a life in that world :)
ReplyDeleteThe adventurous girl in my life is my 10-year old goddaughter, Clare. She plays the trumpet and the oboe and piano and can ride her unicycle to school!
ReplyDeleteMy girl Matilda loves adventure too...her favourite game to play with her best mate, is to get dressed up as adventurers and put up a tent and pretend they are in the wild with mythical creatures - very much like Bridge to Terabithia. She started with the adventures in The Magic Faraway Tree, was obsessed with Nim's island and now its all about mermaid adventures and the powers of the trident and moon rings! We would love this book...to read together and then for her to read again and again as a favourite too! Sounds amazing! x Lisa
ReplyDeleteI've got this tucked away for my adventurous girl next week...now I'll have to read it too x
ReplyDeleteAlthough my big girl doesn't like getting dirty and wearing shorts she lives to read everything and she loves stories of adventure. Xx
ReplyDeleteSeveral months in hospital with acute leukaemia slowed nine year old granddaughter down somewhat. Her big sister had both arms broken at the same time, one was the result of her independent spirit. Then she broke a knee cap being adventurous plain smugglers. However, broken limbs heal and the leukaemia is responding to treatment. These girls ride bikes wildly when well, climb mountains, hiked through the Snowy Mountains when quite young. They would walk all day without complaint there. Gymnastics, dancing and reading are hobbies.
ReplyDeleteWell I don't really have adventurous girls in my life, but I am becoming one! I grew up being a very outdoorsy girl, going on hikes and walks every weekend with my dad, swimming every chance I got, climbing bundles of hay on the farm, making rivers in mud. I loved it. I'm 27 now and mum to one little 2 year old son Percy. I'm serious about living my life and as a result filling his with adventure. Every week now, we go for a drive every Friday to a new outdoor spot to climb, run, explore, have. Picnic, lie down, find creatures, anything, as long as it's outside!
ReplyDeleteOh I'd love this book! I'm a school teacher and every day my girls are adventurous- trying to prove to the boys that they are just as good as them. I participate in all our sports so I can lead by example- Girl's Rule!
ReplyDeleteMy 11 year old daughter's Halloween costume was an Archer, she bought a bow & arrow thingie with her birthday money. She has fallen in love with the Hunger Games & is now working her way through the Harry Potter series. Up until she was 9 she wanted to be a Ninja warrior when she grew up. Her TV hero is Bear Grylls! She would love this book. I would love her to read it, we live in Ireland & I will try to get my hands on it anyway. My daughter's name is Olivia but she'd probably rather be known as Hermione or Katniss. I call her Kofi Annan because she is the peacekeeper in our house & she has a beautiful soul. Please, please choose her. Martina xxxx
ReplyDeleteMy daughter out ran, out climbed, out scouted and out shrieked her older brothers. Would only wear dresses until 5th grade. Grew up to climb mountians, brave leeches and travel in the Himalayas, today she still travels, climbs, and is a general outdoors young lady. I would love to have a great book for her celebrating all the things girls can do.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE reading about your life and family. The most adventurous "girl" in my life has got be my mum! She's over 60 now and she's flown a plane and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and always encouraged me to try new things! So coming from London, I now live in North Africa and hope my girls (14, 13 and 1) can develop their nan's sense of adventure too!
ReplyDeleteIt might sound selfish, but on of the big adventurous girls in my life is my younger self. Not me now. That's why I admire my young self so much. Travelling the world by thumb in the air with a bag of rice and a big heart. Living in the woods and all.
ReplyDeleteIn fiction, it's Joanne in Emily Mures songs. Love.
Thank you! For all you give here!
rucksack @ posteo . de
I have three adventurous children, two of them girls. They climb trees, rock climb, surf, mountain bike, drop into the bowl at the skate park, have homemade bows and arrows, do flips on the trampoline and love ninja dressups too! I am so proud of their strength and verve. We LOVE spritited female book characters in our house, Pippi Longstocking has been read and re-read, and we are always on the lookout for new inspiration. Thank you for the recommendation and the chance to win. My eldest (9) has been really enjoying the Spirit Animal series if you need some inspiration for your house. x
ReplyDeleteI have 2 adventurous girls aged 7 and 10 who LOVE maps (being the children of 2 surveyors helps!) and globes and atlases and exploring new parts of the world and love bushwalks. I love it when I look into their bedrooms and I see sewing machines AND telescopes AND knitting needles AND microscopes..........so proud. Mel x
ReplyDeleteThe girls who live in your house have self esteem, the girls who live in your house are individuals and the girls who live in your house are not stereotypes......well done Mum and Dad
ReplyDeleteMy adventurous girl isn't quite there yet! She is a huge bookworm and HAS learnt to be brave in the way she talks, speaking up against bullies at school. Can't wait to see it come full circle and watch her take more risks and try new things everyday! She would love this book!
ReplyDeleteMy six year old girl loves, loves, loves Harry Potter - and would so LOVE to read some more books to expand her adventurous heroines (and heroes)... I am such a Potter fan that I told her she was not allowed to read it herself until I had read it to her so we could do it together (also - just the first two, as they get a bit scary for her after that). I love reading a few chapters to her and her sister each night - and they *boggle* welcome going to bed when we have an amazing book going <3
ReplyDeleteMy adventurous girls are exploring our house lately and have been mess making in the kitchen.
ReplyDeleteThe girl in this house scoots fearlessly on her pedal-less bike.
ReplyDeleteThe girl in this house jumps from the bed, the couch, the curb...
The girl in this house wears her brother's, mom's, dad's flip-flops (usually both the right foot) and flutters through the house looking like a scuba diver.
Our Quinn turns two on Wednesday - and despite her limited years, I imagine her to evolve even more into quite the adventurer!
Thank you for the book recommendation!
The adventurous girl in my life is my niece. She loves life and is willing to try anything. She is so much braver than me. (Crochet AddictUK)
ReplyDeleteOne of my favourite adventurous girls in stories is Lucy from C.S.Lewis Narnia. I particularly liked that she was just an ordinary girl. It made it seem like big adventures might be possible for me:)
ReplyDeleteMy adventurous girl loves reading and is herself an amateur writer herself. She loves reading about vampires and her favourite book is "The Perks of being a Wallflower."
ReplyDeleteLove your blog:-)
My adventurous little girl is my daughter, who at the age of one is chasing chickens, climbing stairs, digging in the garden and crawling after her brother as fast as she can. I try to encourage her exploring as much as possible so she will grow up to take on anything she wants to.
ReplyDeleteI have one adventurous, tree-climbing, pond puddling, artistic and creative 10 year old and a 4 (almost 5 - boo hoo!) year old unicorn called "Twilight Princess Sparkle" who is as wild and noisy a creature as you ever hope to meet. I love that your girls are such bookworms. My 3 kiddos devour books so quickly that I struggle to keep up with them!
ReplyDeleteI have a wonderful 8 year old grand-daughter who reminds me to be more child like and see an adventure around every corner. She is brave, she is sweet and she loooooves to read.
ReplyDeleteI was the same type of girl when I was small :) I try to pass that along to my little neices, who would really enjoy this book being read to them!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite ninja is a bookworm, an inventor, a pilot at twelve and plans a life of adventure and learning. She can climb walls higher than any of the boys in her grade and she's just as humble and loving as a person can be. From her I have learned mountains can be conquered !~!
ReplyDeleteMy adventurous girl is planning to be an artist (for children), who owns lots of cats, and teaches horseback riding, so she can make enough money to be free to make art! She might also quite like to be a vet...
ReplyDeleteMy Indi is always fearlessly seeking adventure. She loves the bush, climbing trees and exploring the neighbourhood on her bike. She has recently lost her passion for reading and I am trying to find a book to re-ignite it. This might do the trick!
ReplyDeleteMy mother-in-law is one of the most adventurous girls in my life. She is in good health in her mid 70s and, with illness and the passing of many friends, is embracing new experiences while she is still able. The last one was parasailing with her grandkids while she was in Fiji. She's more of a thrill seeker than I have ever been.
ReplyDeleteMy adventurous girls (and boy) sound a lot like yours, only transferred to the North Carolina mountains! They're always up to something: cave digging, chicken tending, stick fighting, beekeeping, hiking, toad discovering...
ReplyDeleteMy girl loves reading and then playing out the adventures of her bookish characters with her brother and/or friends. Her favourite character at the moment is Truly Tan and the gang dress up, draw scenarios and then act it all out.
ReplyDeletean old post but found it on bloglovin' lol i wanted to share with you that i have an adventurous girl and am always searching for adventurous girls books for her. and just today we had the conversation that as ncie as dreses/skirts can look, they are terribly inconvenient for adventures lol
ReplyDeletehttp://www.inkandchai.co.uk/
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