6 New Beginning Chapter Books with Female Main Characters, Fall 2018

I’m excited to tell you about these new beginning chapter books including a new STEM series about Rosie Revere and her good friends, Iggy Peck and Ada Twist. All these easy chapter books are illustrated with bigger text size and less text per page making them good reading choices for your 6 – 9-year-olds. What’s more, all these titles contain female main characters with pluck and creativity. You’re going to love these…

6 New Beginning Chapter Books with Female Main Characters, Fall 2018

Miranda and Maude: The Princess and the Absolutely NOT a Princess by Emma Wunsch, illustrated by Jessika Von Innerbner
This book is a page-turner! It’s about two girls who are quite different — one is a more sensitive, pinked-up princess and the other is not, she’s a chicken-raising, social justice-loving not princess. The two are in the same class at school where right away, a misunderstanding grows and grows until it results in hurt feelings and regret. Don’t worry — it will end up well. You’ll love this a terrific story with great life lessons about communication and kindness.

Meet Yasmin! by Saadia Faruqui, illustrated by Hatem Aly
What an adorable main character! Yasmin is an exuberant girl who is interested in everything from exploring to building to fashion. This book tells four short stories from Yasmin’s life, all in chapters with lively, full-color illustrations. Each story shows Yasmin as a creative problem solver even when things get hard. Her Pakistani American culture is embedded throughout the story such as the foods Yasmin’s family eats like naan or how she calls her father Baba. I LOVE the diversity, the gutsy main-character, and the beautiful design of the entire book. (See a page sample on my Instagram account here.) (Added to Wholesome Easy Chapter Books for Girls.)

Rosie Revere and the Raucous Riveters by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts
Totally FANTASTIC! Andrea Beaty successfully writes her famous main characters of Rosie Revere, Iggy Peck, and Ada Twist into a fun-filled, STEM adventure chapter book. I loved this first book in the series from beginning to end. Rosie’s Aunt Rose and her WWII friends, the Raucous Riveters, need Rosie’s help. Their friend June broke both her arms and she needs an invention so she can paint in the upcoming art contest. Can Rosie and friends invent something to help June paint with her casts? After one disaster after another, including at the art contest, Rosie continues to persevere and problem solve to find a solution that will work. I’m so glad to see the same whimsical illustrations as the beloved picture books, too. (Added to Wholesome Easy Chapter Books for Girls & Best STEM Chapter Books.)

Ghoulia: Making New Friends Can Be Scary by Barbara Cantini
Ghoulia wants to make friends. But, she’s a zombie so she’s forbidden to befriend village children or else their family will be cast out of the village. When she overhears the children talking about Halloween, Ghoulia realizes she can join in with the celebrations, too. The children are impressed by her costume until Ghoulia pulls off her head. Shocked, all they can do is stare. And stare. Until they shot with joy — they love it and promise to keep her family’s secret. Full-color, charming illustrations give this story tons of personality.

The Princess in Black and the Science Fair Scare by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Get ready — there are new, heroic princesses ready to save the day! Princess Magnolia is at the Science Fair. She tours all her friends’ amazing projects which seem more impressive than hers. Then, at Tommy Wigtower’s she realizes there is a monster trapped in his volcano project. The Princess in Black with The Princess in Blankets and Princess Snapdragon, Orchid, and Honeysuckle find a bucket and a blanket for goo monster. They take him to the hole that leads to Monster Land. And the goo monster makes a new friend with a purple monster and they go to their new home. Back at the science fair, the friends realize that they all were heroes — a few of them just needed disguises and secret names. (OTHER BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS for Kids Who LOVE Princess in Black)

Incognito (Beatrice Zinker Upside Down Thinker) by Shelley Johannes
In this second book in the Beatrice Zinker series, Beatrice continues to be a quirky, can’t-sit-still, lovable character whose best intentions often have unexpected results. This fun story includes ninja stealth (or lack of it), foreign languages that include Morse Code, and new friends. The charming illustrations perfectly compliment the story.